The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

no wonder no one eats them. They are so tiny. I wonder why they are a delicacy? I suppose the black skin. Thank you for this information. I will be ordering silkie eggs in the next month after i find a breeder that shows. i have found tons of eggs for sale, some say show quality ,but they don't show.

I would not buy from anyone who offers show quality eggs.

Best bet to order them from is Cat Dance I believe...
Plus she treats her birds right.

 

[Melabella]

gnite all.....

 

[delisha]

gnite all.....

Night Melabella

 

[Mumsy]

Mumsy,
What is considered fresh DL?
How long does it take to break down chicken poo?
Can you use DL that is just 4 months old in a garden?

Sorry. I'm just getting back to this thread.
I think regionally this is going to depend. I live in the PNW. The air is moist 24/7. Twelve months of the year. I live on an island. I can walk to the beach East side and West side in less than 20 minutes either direction. We have a LOT of moisture. My DL breaks down very fast. I have five large chickens sitting on one five foot long roost. They produce a pile of poo every night. I turn them out in the orchard in the morning and then I fork turn that copious amount of manure into the deep litter. In three days that manure in that roosting pen is composted. I haven't cleaned out that area in three months. I have added just a bit of fresh shavings, leaves, and such. It just breaks down very quickly here. That pen is always open into the barn isle. Not a really large area. The DL extends throughout my barn. They stay indoors pooing away on real rainy days. That's kind of every day here for eight months of the year. I can only speak for my own situation. I'm using three and four month old DL in my raised beds but Spring won't come here until the end of March. And that is our rainiest month. People usually don't plant their gardens until June here. DL turns to compost/dirt in my barn in record time.
I'm pretty sure someone living in a dryer climate will have a whole different kind of experience.

 

[delisha]

Thank you Mumsy,

It is very damp and high humidity here too. We live close to Lake Michigan. Have a swamp out back. Last year was a dry year for us. First time in a long time. It was not that dry, just dry enough to raise all the feed prices. My garden did not suffer and I never watered my yard. The swamp is still out back. I think they did that so all of the grains going out to the dryer States can have really high prices. I hope feed prices drop soon.

 

[Mumsy]

no wonder no one eats them. They are so tiny. I wonder why they are a delicacy? I suppose the black skin. Thank you for this information. I will be ordering silkie eggs in the next month after i find a breeder that shows. i have found tons of eggs for sale, some say show quality ,but they don't show.

In Seattle's International District at uwajimaya's you can buy processed Silkies. Head and feet attached sometimes. Totally ready to cook. They are considered a delicacy and there are restaurants that serve it. Still tastes like chicken.

My four Silkies were bought as SQ eggs but the breeder shows. They are looking very SOP so far. My Gray Silkie chick pair were bought from M. Best. She still shows and her birds are incredibly beautiful and well cared for. I just love them and they are going to be my first breeding pair this Spring.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I really like the look of them. I think splash is my fav. This is for the DH, so he will choose what is ordered.. I am looking forward to it. A few yard ornament. The silkies and Cochins Bantams

 

[JeffOeuf]

Okay, I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but for the vast majority of people reading this forum, I think the concern about "hot" chicken manure is much ado about nothing. If you were using the clean out from a 2,000 bird broiler house, yes, it would be too nitrogen rich to spread directly on your garden at or shortly before planting. But, if you have fewer than a dozen chickens I'm pretty sure you could spread all you can gather over a normal backyard vegetable garden and never, ever get enough nitrogen concentration to cause a problem. I've been doing it for months, and have seen nothing but lush healthy, well balanced plants (by well balanced I mean that they're not all foliage and no fruit - which typically indicates too much nitrogen). That's not to say that there is anything wrong with letting it break down in or out of your pen. It certainly won't hurt. But, if you have no where to go with it except directly into your garden, that's where it should go -- particularly this time of year when it will have several weeks to break down. If you decide to be a real rebel like me, spread it thinly and evenly 6 or 8 inches away from your rows and water it in. If you burn anything, you can come here and yell at me.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Okay, I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but for the vast majority of people reading this forum, I think the concern about "hot" chicken manure is much ado about nothing. If you were using the clean out from a 2,000 bird broiler house, yes, it would be too nitrogen rich to spread directly on your garden at or shortly before planting. But, if you have fewer than a dozen chickens I'm pretty sure you could spread all you can gather over a normal backyard vegetable garden and never, ever get enough nitrogen concentration to cause a problem. I've been doing it for months, and have seen nothing but lush healthy, well balanced plants (by well balanced I mean that they're not all foliage and no fruit - which typically indicates too much nitrogen). That's not to say that there is anything wrong with letting it break down in or out of your pen. It certainly won't hurt. But, if you have no where to go with it except directly into your garden, that's where it should go -- particularly this time of year when it will have several weeks to break down. If you decide to be a real rebel like me, spread it thinly and evenly 6 or 8 inches away from your rows and water it in. If you burn anything, you can come here and yell at me.

Then we're on for it!!!! If I have kale that grows so large it strangles us in our sleep...I will blame you!

 

[pigeonguy]

Mine have never laid an egg yet. Born early July 2012. Think it's soon? She is squatting for him readily now I'm excited. I'd love to give call eggs to a broody.
Aww Sue, you make me blush! Thanks for the compliments!
That's what I was aiming for. I got quite the kick out of them as well. Randy sure is Randy

Thanks so much. I think it's a bit of both with the camera. I've had lots of practice.
I do have a whole barn. I took more pictures of the set up of the new FF close which is now insulated and heated. I'll have to post those a bit later!
It's a Canon Rebel T3 EF-S with a Canon EF 55-250MM lens. My lens does a lot better than the older lens that came with the camera does. Chickens/ducks like to stay pretty far away, so the lens helps out in that aspect. I can get really close crisp shots.
Well these will work well for you know what!

That is the camera my daughter has minus the lens. You say to replace the original lens with the EF 55-250.
I just want to make sure I get this right. The box says canon EOS Rebel T3 Deluxe kit EF-18-55MM IS 11 Kit.
aoxa Please tell me exactly what lens I want I do plan on getting it for her next month.