The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[misbhaven]

I am not sure if starlings are afraid of snakes or not... I use large rubber snakes on the edges of my 28 ft above ground pool to keep the birds ( bird poop) of the rails..it works no sparrow,blue jays etc land there and poop there...they seem to help in my garden also.

On the baby topic... I have 4 kids and a stepson ..so 5 children. I always breastfed for at least 3 to 6 months, solid food which a keep a mini food processor for.. my babies eat pretty much what we eat or at least parts of our meal.. used says a ton your baby doesn't care if their clothes came from good will or yardsales I always get every child a few new outfits for visits grandma's etc..i don't cloth diaper but use whatever brand i have coupons for or luvs...( assumeing baby isn't allergic my 5 month old can't wear pampers)..i only have ever gotten gear new that safety could be a concern carseats, cribs etc. infants and toddlers while i love my 3 under 3...are pooping staining machine and poop happens if i have a .50 pair of pants on one of them and we are out for the day and their was a horrible poop mess etc i can just throw them out with out carrying around the soiled things for hrs (smelling up my car) then scrubbing.. i used to be that mom you have to eat what I make.. the stepson hates steak so giving him a hamburger cost 50 cents instead of the $4 dollars worth of steak he would eat.. i give small concessions sometimes if it makes fiscal sense..Toys my toddlers don't care if someone has played with them before they get new for christmas and birthdays..

I had to edit the first line having 5 kids makes it hard to type sometimes.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Some days I wish children's toys were compostable. Those are the days that the play room looks like a deep litter of toys and stuffed animals. I bought some toys for the first child, now grandparents are the source of toys.

 

[hellbender]

I've read/heard that hens are actually more likely to lay fertilized eggs when there is only one rooster around. With two roosters (as I understand) there's more competition going on than there is egg fertilization going on.
If you can, you might think about separating the roosters, either split the hens in half or give the hens all to one roo and give the other a bachelor pen. That's just one idea; I'm sure there are others. =)

Right you are. My hens/cocks live together in common housing all the time....except when time for breeding. I have a series of 6 permanent cock-bird houses that I harbor one cock with as many hens as I feel he's mature enough to deal with....from 6 to 10 and keep them together for a min. of 30 days before I feel comfortable that what should have happened will have done!

 

[chick rookie]

I m sure if starlings are afraid of snakes or not... I use large rubber snakes on the edges of my 28 ft above ground pool to keep the birds ( bird poop) of the rails..it works no sparrow,blue jays etc land there and poop there...they seem to help in my garden also.

On the baby topic... I have 4 kids and a stepson ..so 5 children. I always breastfed for at least 3 to 6 months, solid food which a keep a mini food processor for.. my babies eat pretty much what we eat or at least parts of our meal.. used says a ton your baby doesn't care if their clothes came from good will or yardsales I always get every child a few new outfits for visits grandma's etc..i don't cloth diaper but use whatever brand i have coupons for or luvs...( assumeing baby isn't allergic my 5 month old can't wear pampers)..i only have ever gotten gear new that safety could be a concern carseats, cribs etc. infants and toddlers while i love my 3 under 3...are pooping staining machine and poop happens if i have a .50 pair of pants on one of them and we are out for the day and their was a horrible poop mess etc i can just throw them out with out carrying around the soiled things for hrs (smelling up my car) then scrubbing.. i used to be that mom you have to eat what I make.. the stepson hates steak so giving him a hamburger cost 50 cents instead of the $4 dollars worth of steak he would eat.. i give small concessions sometimes if it makes fiscal sense..Toys my toddlers don't care if someone has played with them before they get new for christmas and birthdays..

I never thought about rubber snakes!!! now I remember my grandmother used to have them on top of all her hen houses and just different places!!!! thank you for bringing that memory back!!!! WOW

 

[SallyinIndiana]

rubber snakes, I wonder if that would attract hawks.

 

[misbhaven]

i use fairly big ones that look like they are moving..not straight probably an inch wide ... a 18 inches long..use bright ones usually mean poison snakes I have never had a hawk or other bird pick one up...when i use them in the garden i move them around every few days it helps keep critters out..(except the huge flocks of crows that come thru about 2 times a year).

 

[CourtsCacklers]

Well, thank you. =)
I agree that even old hats can learn from new ways. and everyone has to do what applies to their situation and practices best.

Yeah, I only have one chicken who's a pet; everyone else lives under the agreement that they either give me breakfast, protect my flock, or become my dinner.

I'm just curious, you said you'll have your 6 chickens for their entire lives; do you plan to continue having chickens beyond these? and what about chicken math, is there a way you control that or do you not/not have to?

Yes... I plan on having chickens beyond these... The coop is large enough for a few more as it is, technically (though with this winter you would never believe it with their crankiness....I do give them a little break on that though as it is their first winter actually in this space with one another... I think they will iron it out and we will get past it.) The coop also has "room to grow" if we move the one wall out further which is my intention eventually. It won't cost anything but a little time and effort. I would love to get more chickens this year but I am going to wait a year or two to add a few more... and then a few more a year or two after that... basically staggering it out so that I continue to have a steady flow of eggs for my family every year. I have no problem feeding them (they free range in the summer) even when they are not producing. I do occasionally sell eggs when I have a surplus but by the time I supply my mom and me with eggs-- there is rarely surplus-- it is more just the simple fact of having eggs to eat and bake with that we know what goes into the chickens therefore we know what we are eating. It's also a good learning experience for the boys

 

[armorfirelady]

Since I don't have a rooster my only thoughts on un fertilized eggs for those who have a rooster is the cold has an effect on it. On another thread here where OTs are they have been talking about how fertilized eggs has gone down with the bitter cold.

I went to a reuse store today to pick up old hardware for an old door I purchased from there that I stripped and stained. As we were walking around I noticed a roll of something tucked in a corner. Hardware cloth !!! They had 2 rolls that are 3x5 & sold them to me for $2.50 each!!!!!!! Regular price at TSC is $12.50 each. I hung on to them tight as we finished walking around. Coop will be getting wrapped in some and the rest I can use for my step herb planters

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
Learning how to process a chicken that is done laying can be a good learning experience as well. It can get quite detailed too, with knowing all of the different parts and how to tell if everything is healthy. Much better than dissecting a frog, as should you choose to, you can make stew.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Okay...is gma the Scot? She definitely reminds me of my grandma!