The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

this is adorable hatching

I agree!! I love your stories of where Momma decided to make her nest.

I was organizing my seeds tonight & nettle likes shade and wet areas. Its suppose to be good for the hens. I also agree with the others...spinach, oregano are good choices. You could also plants sunflower seeds. They get tall but they are hardy and grow just about anywhere. Mint, catnip, dill & colander are suppose to repel pests so those around a coop would be helpful. Mint & catnip spreads easily tho. And both are perennials.


Kassuandra- I agree with you. My girls have access to lilys, tomaotoes & other things that are suppose to be poisonous to chickens. They left them alone except for a few tastes of lily leaves and potato leaves. They are all still alive. I truly believe chickens know what they can and can not eat. And if one dies from eating something it shouldn't well maybe it was meant to be.

 

[Leahs Mom]

A friend of mine posted this on FB

 

[stonykill]

Do you let them go outside at all (in an isolated pen) or just stuck in the crate?

just the crate, food , water, and they see me. No outside. A few days might work. 5 to 7 works better. They only see the occasional Sumatra hen who sneaks in the workshop to pester me

 

[Sally8]

Quote:Oh thank you Stony! I'd almost forgotten what green grass looks like. lol The babies are cute too.

 

[tjo804]

A friend of mine posted this on FB

I love those!

Do you know if she used spinach for the eyes too?

 

[Kassaundra]

I love those!

Do you know if she used spinach for the eyes too?

I bet a pepper corn would be a great eye.

 

[tjo804]

I bet a pepper corn would be a great eye.

Great Idea it would also add flavor

 

[Kassaundra]

I don't have a broody mom this time, but I have chick pics

 

[lalaland]

I don't have a broody mom this time, but I have chick pics

the chicks are sweet, but the daffodils......sweeter! Spring isn't coming here = maple syruping has been postponed, the sap isn't running. It should have started 2 weeks ago. Robins are 3 weeks late, and people have been putting out feed for the sandhill cranes because...there is just snow and frozen lakes. Ditto for ducks and geese.

Are these turnken mixes? I still can't get used to either silkies or turkens...got to broaden my horizons :_

 

[lalaland]

forgot to say that on the plus side, it is above zero this morning. Yesterday I put two of those handwarmers under the water because it is one of those weeks where I leave at 4 am, dark and cold for another 3 hours. heck, cold for another 8 or so.. when I got home at 6 pm, it was still daylight and there was a small area of the water that was open for drinking. Today, no handwarmers. but at least there is snow ...and maybe the water won't freeze so quickly since it is 9 degrees. gonna be 20 degrees by the end of the day.

someone told me to heat rocks in my oven and put them in the water when I leave. good idea except....all the rocks around here are under snow and frozen to the ground to boot!