The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[hellbender]

Since we are all posting our dog photos.. Most of you know of Henry.

Beautiful...which mountain breed is he/she?

 

[ki4got]

Since we are all posting our dog photos.. Most of you know of Henry.

I absolutely love the bernese... but way too much shedding involved. LOL

 

[CourtsCacklers]

I found the site again: http://www.ranch-coop.com/Portable-Fence-Posts.html It is similar to mlowen's and I love the video. Go watch it. I also have Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow, The Small-Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery, and Free-Range Chicken Gardens by Jessi Bloom. I bought A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert & Hannah Litt. I love books too. When I said I wanted to buy a couple more chicken books my DH was less than enthused. LOL It's not even about the money with him; it's just more BOOKS!!! He thinks I have plenty.

Thank you!!! I will watch that. The only fence I have to section off the garden were the ones I bought (only 2 ft. tall) before chickens (little white picket fences) so I highly doubt it will keep them out of it but MAYBE it will be enough to deter them.... Don't you just love these books? They are so addicting

and you are right about passing them on. If I had them on a kindle, chances are they aren't something my kids would still have and axcess.... and if they do decide to "keep" chickens then it is something I would like them to have. Same thing with our natural eating and natural supplement resources! The novels, I don't think my boys will care about..... they just don't strike me as something they would ever read.... that is just a selfish addiction of mine...

Your dog is beautiful! Everyone's dogs on here are absolutely beautiful! It doesn't matter if they are LGD's or house dogs...with the livestock... or not. To have these beautiful creatures (with all different personalities) in our lives is such a blessing!!!! I love all the photos! My first dog was a mutt (blue-healer/beagle mix) and she was so smart! I was 9 and had to put her down for thyroid cancer my first year of college... hardest thing I ever have done. We have had labs too-- but I always dreamed of having a sheepdog and now I do... I can't believe he is 7 already

. I will always have a sheepdog from here on out but if not--- I will most certainly have a dog. I am a dog person for sure!

Thanks EVERYONE for the dog photos-- they are so wonderful! An awesome way to start the day every morning!

 

[aoxa]

Beautiful...which mountain breed is he/she?

Bernese Mountain Dog. Parents were imported from Switzerland.

 

[hellbender]

I absolutely love the bernese... but way too much shedding involved. LOL

I should konw..I confuse them with the Swiss Mountain Dog...

I'm almost blind...lost left eye to shrapnel and I need cataract surgery on the one I still have...lol No disrespect meant...they are all beautiful and great workers.

EDIT:I took the time to look at your barn re-construction...very well done. Couldn't agree more about insurance. Money well spent!!!

 

[aoxa]

I absolutely love the bernese... but way too much shedding involved. LOL

They don't shed more than any other double coated dog. Henry sheds twice a year at most. I brush him all out each time. That's about it. He does leave a little hair here and there, but not any more than our cats.

My poodles take WAYYY more grooming. Especially Rosie who I refuse to clip yet.. I have to sit down and comb her hair twice a week. Her mama I keep short.

I should konw..I confuse them with the Swiss Mountain Dog...

I'm almost blind...lost left eye to shrapnel and I need cataract surgery on the one I still have...lol No disrespect meant...they are all beautiful and great workers.

No worries. That's a close guess Most people keep thinking he is a St. Bernard.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I would probably love a Kindle but what would you do if the SHTF? No, power = no books. Not only that but DH reminded me that no one could inherit my books when I'm gone. I go; then they are gone. That's not really right since I would have bought them. Definitely want my reference books to be physical books just because of power issues. I have a few free books on my computer's Kindle Ap.

I don't know that my boys would want my books on my Kindle. Not really guy books. My battery is good for 30 days if I have the wi-fi turned off. We have a lot of real book around here too. Over 3 big bookcases full.

Quote: Oh my husband would just love your dog. His first police dog was a black German shepherd.

I love GSD's. Won't have any other breed. I think they are the best.

 

[CourtsCacklers]

I can certainly see why you would want to disassemble the coop and take it with you. It has sentimental value and is beautiful. Your husband knows you well and cares about you to do that. I found the fencing link and posted in reply to another comment. My memory is shot so I don't recall who. You will also see in my response that I have 3 of the books you do and I like Harvey Ussery's "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock" best. I need to get Lisa Steele's "Fresh Eggs Daily". I love gardening. I get that from my mom. Her flower beds are beautiful. I get a lot of my plants/flowers from her gardens. Saves me a lot of money and they mean a lot. Once I get my vegetable garden and composting plan drawn, I'll PM it to you. I wanted to let my girls out today (I chicken wired a small area) and figured I would watch them, but only 3 wandered out, went about 6 ft. and decided it was too windy and cold. They didn't like being out of their tractor/run today. I was really happy about that though because I saw two hawks in the distance and that makes me really nervous. My dog is would be no help. He is only 22 lbs.


I think the hawk could take him too! That's my daughter with him. I sew a lot so I bought about 20 yards of nylon netting. It is not strong, but I can put sparkly stuff on it to deter the hawks and I will just clothes pin it to the chicken wire for a temporary solution and I will only let them in the area while I am outside. I will use it in the garden later because I have put it over strawberries in the past to keep birds out and it works great.

My girls finally decided to come out into the "new" covered run yesterday but I probably won't even open the door today-- it is much too cold--I am trying to establish a good deep litter system in that covered part of the run so it is a good ecosystem for them to dig around in no matter what part of the year. In the coop it just stays really clean besides the poop boards and that poop I just take out to the compost. I can't see throwing it on the floor-- I don't like them scratching through their own poop excessively for treats when I throw them on the floor. We talked about a tractor when we first got chickens because we had a very old lab who's retriever instinct always got excited when she saw the chickens-- they couldn't free-range at that time because of her. We never built one but would love to have one for when I have to separate a chicken or if I ever had a hen go broody (and I got her some fertilized eggs) she could have her own space and some foraging with her chicks undisturbed!

I do NOT have a sewing machine.... I could sew if I needed to but I have little experience-- unless it is hand sewing.... Strong or not-- I am sure that no hawk would want to be "tangled" up in it!!!!
I need to get some curtains for my nesting boxes. So I might have to muster up my sewing skills! They use the boxes fine-- but I know curtains are a nice addition....Maybe I just need you to live near me!

 

[CourtsCacklers]

The farm where I grew up (my mom and dad) still breed sheep! Here is their first baby of the "lambing" season.... was born over this past weekend....(it actually has a twin). Dad is hoping that there are no more babies born until Thursday!!!!!! ...because of the cold...

 

[aoxa]

EDIT:I took the time to look at your barn re-construction...very well done. Couldn't agree more about insurance. Money well spent!!!