The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[chick rookie]

If I had a dry dish of feed out and I was thinking about trying wet feed, then the dry feed got rained on.... I would just leave it out there for them to eat. Just me.
To each his own. =)

the problem is they wont eat it, I left it out all day and it is still out there and they wont touch it. I cant let them go without eating in this weather especially. That would make me feel bad. js

 

[chick rookie]

Who feeds the chickens? How many? It certainly doesn't take much room to make a quart of FF, and you could let the chickens decide. It wouldn't need to be an all or none decision.


Sorry Chickalot.

I feed them and I have 29 all together, well of the adults outside, oops no I have 28 adults outside, 1 adult injured inside and 2 chicks (inside of course. )
going to pick up some acv next Friday shopping. and try it out I haven't decided to go with the grain, or the layer....

 

[mlowen]

I feed them and I have 29 all together, well of the adults outside, oops no I have 28 adults outside, 1 adult injured inside and 2 chicks (inside of course. )
going to pick up some acv next Friday shopping. and try it out I haven't decided to go with the grain, or the layer....

I've had really good luck with a mix of layer pellets, some oats, scratch, recently wheat, sometimes BOSS--using buttermilk as the "kicker." It's been going since last July and they scarf it down. On single-digit mornings I heat it in the microwave for just 30 seconds and it stays un-frozen a bit longer. I also give them less than if it will be a warmish day. I have a free-feeder for the pellets, so if the FF freezes and they can't get any more, they can have pellets.
Check out this article: http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/fermented-feed.html

 

[RedRidge]

All of my livestock (cows, sheep, and poultry) are watered year round with rain water from gravity fed tanks which also contain gold fish. There is enough water change out that any contamination the fish may cause is far less than the algae that would grow if they didn't have gold fish.

For aquaponics, since it's in the basement in two 100 gal stock tanks, that water is just used to water the plants which filter it and it cycles back to the tilapia. There is a small pump which recirculates the aquaponics, but all other water for both human and animal requires no "consistent" power and is gravity fed. The house tank is filled only on sunny days we are making power.

Am I reading you right?  You've got Tilapia tanks in your basement?  Would you be willing to share some details?  How many gallons, How big are your growing beds?  What are you growing?  Using for lighting?  How does it affect your house regarding humidity and fish smell?  How often do you cycle the water?  What kind of pump set up are you using?  How often can you harvest fish?  How often do you need to do water tests?  Any extra supplementation for plant nutrients?  Are you propagating your replacement fish? 

Re: coons.  They certainly are active during the day.  I can recall 3 occasions where trouble makers have been aggressive during the day... Once returning to kill off the rest of my chickens after a night time rampage... Met up with a .22.  On an other occasion, my husband took down a sick coon in the middle of the day.  Last summer, I had a Mama and 2 juveniles chase my car down the road, then the same Mama and kiddos chased my neighbor across his yard and up to his front door because he was foolish enough to go out to take their pictures after I warned him about them.  I would just as soon shoot a coon as look at it.  They're merely glorified rats with striped tails IMO.

On an other note, we've had a lot of turkey activity in our yard lately.  There are fresh tracks every day.

The tilapia are pretty new and were my mother's idea. We are growing very little at the current time' just starting things for the garden outside since it's a 1/2 acre. Yes I have grow lights. Yes I plan to propagate with a breeding pair... As a self sufficiency farm it isn't much use to us of we can't perpetuate it. We are currently using two 100 gallon stock tanks. The basement stays a constant 62 degrees year round since our home is built into the side of a ridge, so the temps work well. No smell. Hard to do links and stuff on my phone but next time I fire up the computer I will forward some links were we got some ideas.
She really wanted to do the aquaponics for the fish... We garden very easily Year round here so the plant growing isn't necessary. We will likely only grow enough indoor plants this first year or two to play with the system enough to filter the water.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The tilapia are pretty new and were my mother's idea. We are growing very little at the current time' just starting things for the garden outside since it's a 1/2 acre. Yes I have grow lights. Yes I plan to propagate with a breeding pair... As a self sufficiency farm it isn't much use to us of we can't perpetuate it. We are currently using two 100 gallon stock tanks. The basement stays a constant 62 degrees year round since our home is built into the side of a ridge, so the temps work well. No smell. Hard to do links and stuff on my phone but next time I fire up the computer I will forward some links were we got some ideas.
She really wanted to do the aquaponics for the fish... We garden very easily Year round here so the plant growing isn't necessary. We will likely only grow enough indoor plants this first year or two to play with the system enough to filter the water.

 

[lalaland]

Morning everyone!
-22 air temps this morning. About -5 in the coop with the heat lamps. Booster's comb looks the same but his wattles are starting to heal up, he might not lose any of those.

Has anyone ever seen a comb regenerate? Remember poor little Angelina, a tiny icelandic hen who is blind in one eye, misformed wing, who was scalped as a chick, and then a couple of weeks ago has a lot of blood at her crest? I nustocked and used rooster pick no more with coal tar and it is all healed up and darned if a little pean comb/rose comb isn't formed! Previously she had a thin skin covering bone - it looked like yellowish white skin over bone and no red there. Now, she has proper comb!

She is a little feisty thing. I'm always picking her up and hand feeding her - her keel is always sharp but she always gives out lots of heat. must be the icelandic thing. Her feathers remain ragged, maybe she has trouble grooming. Not absolutely sure she is blind in one eye, or if the issue is more her muscles are twisted and contort her whole body. She's a loner, roosts by herself. Has just started laying a tiny egg.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Lala...that's wonderful to hear! I hope you can take some photos of that comb and the progress on the healing. I have been thinking for a long time that these birds are naturally equipped to heal without lots of interventions from us....

 

[armorfirelady]

Oh my Lala I had thought you guys had warmed up some. I was outside the last 2 hours enjoying our 36 degrees today. Feels like a heat wave

I sifted a whole garbage can of wood ashes and filled a Tub with ashes. It's in their old run for ease of refilling their dust bath which I put in the old run also. I thought they would be in there bathing but apparently me turning over he hay in their coop is more exciting. I don't think I will see them for a few hours. They are busily scratching threw all the litter picking out goodies

Hopefully they don't bury anyone. I tossed all the hay at the back of the coop. That's why it's so much higher. I sure hope it starts to break down in time for spring.

 

[armorfirelady]

I knew I forgot something. I noticed today Edie's ears are almost the same pale blue as her eggs now. Anyone else notice this in their blue egg layers? They were white a few days ago before she started laying again

 

[aoxa]

I knew I forgot something. I noticed today Edie's ears are almost the same pale blue as her eggs now. Anyone else notice this in their blue egg layers? They were white a few days ago before she started laying again

I can't really see them from my EEs with beards, but my naked necks have a pale white/blue earlobe. They are super blue layers (have leghorn in them too).