The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

 

[subhanalah]

hahahahaha

 

[hellbender]

JAJAJAJAJAJAJA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chikenscratch]

I took away the one birds golf balls and gave her eggs and she was so mad..I am not sure she likes the exchange at all. I have never had a bird act like that before.

You guys are so cracking me up today

I am relieved to say ..the grumpy bird returned to her nest..she ungreatfully accepted the dumb eggs and has told me in no uncertain terms she thinks she got the worse of the deal. She can't believe I stole her valuable golf balls.

I just hatched out about 40 chicks.
I do not do huge batches. Normally it is two dozen plus a few. I hatch for orders. I have three orders I am hatching out for Easter.

Del-my broody didn't want more than 2 eggs initially, didn't want to be in the blue box, didn't want any blue eggs...she has them all but I've got to keep an eye on her.

 

[armorfirelady]

for fermented, I'm not doing grains at the moment, the smell is bothersome to hubby.

I feed a 'rooster' feed designed for growing out non-laying birds for everyone, fermented and add pellets to the glop if it's too wet, to soak up the extra liquid. then give free choice oyster/egg shell to everyone.

interesting to note, I caught some young sfh cockerels playing with the water in one of my 'ponds' (kiddie pools).  couldn't figure out what they were doing till I got closer. they were trying to catch the mosquito wigglers that have already taken over in the water.

time to add more goldfish.

You have mosquito larva & we have 6 inches of snow !!!!!! But I am going to add goldfish to my rain barrel this year to help keep the Mosquitos from using it,

 

Thankyoy for the suggestiond..I have feed of course also..I think I will get it figured out...I am thinking of just doing the grain and putting the food on top when I give it to them..

I tried that and the birds picked through and took what they wanted.  Others have done exactly the same thing and it worked out well..

Good luck....It took me a long time to really buy into feeding fermented food but there's no going back now. Absolutely saves money and the birds are just as healthy and productive...WIN....WIN

Mine also go through the feed and pick out the stuff they want weather it's fermented or dry.  (For clarity, my feed is coarsly ground grain & field peas, then the nutribalancer, fish meal, etc. so it's not processed feed that goes to mush.) 

I've found that if they had a choice they would NEVER eat any legume so those are left until last.  They do finally eat it if I don't give them anything else.  But it's very obvious that legumes weren't on the menu if they were making their own feed.

Mine also leave the peas till last. But I normally only feed once a day now so after the snow today and being unable to dig thru the garden they ate all the peas they picked through. And dug thru the DL looking for tidbits as well. I'm such a mean chicken keeper lol. The funniest part is my mom came over and shoveled out an area of the veggie garden for them so they could dig in the garden. And she wonders why they follow her like the pied piper

 

[RedRidge]

Have you gals tried cracking the peas?
I don't think they ferment very well when they are whole so I put mine through a hammer mill... Course for adults and fine for chicks (even the day old chicks eat them). I've never had any problem with them eating them except when they are whole.

 

[beccasev]

This is interesting to me because mine has no problem eating legumes. I use lentils because that's what I can get easily. They will eat split peas also, but prefer the lentils. I do ferment my grain mix as well, and I am even meaner of a chicken mommy because I don't buy feed at all. Ok I take that back, I bought chick starter. Call me a softy on the babies.
On a totally different topic, I bought 4 "pan fry special" chicks which I know tend to be leftover roosters. If one grows up to be a good rooster, we will keep him, otherwise they are dinner. But it is so funny to see the difference, even at a young age, between the cockerels and the pulleys we got last year. You can tell that these are guys. They just act differently. It's so funny to watch them.

 

[delisha]

Quote: well I hope she takes them I would hate for the eggs go to waste. Those are valuable English and Ameracuana eggs she has..what is it with these chickens?

 

[armorfirelady]

Have you gals tried cracking the peas?
I don't think they ferment very well when they are whole so I put mine through a hammer mill... Course for adults and fine for chicks (even the day old chicks eat them). I've never had any problem with them eating them except when they are whole.

When fermented they get soft like a chic pea (garbanzo bean). I bought a grain mill to crack them but it makes a mess in the house. I have grain & peas flying all over the kitchen. I'm thinking when it warms up I can set it up outside and somewhere where the girls can pick up the pieces. They def eat the peas when they are cracked without a second thought.

I'm thinking of getting a 3rd length of netting. I would like to set it up in my side yard into my back yard into the trees & leave it up and just move it to mow. My mom thinks I am nuts but I'd like to have them to be able to go into the tree line during the heat of the summer.

Still thinking on it tho since technically it's right on the property lines & I need to read the rules again. I think it says the coop has to be 25 ft off property line not the fencing..........

 

[subhanalah]

You have mosquito larva & we have 6 inches of snow !!!!!! But I am going to add goldfish to my rain barrel this year to help keep the Mosquitos from using it,
Mine also leave the peas till last. But I normally only feed once a day now so after the snow today and being unable to dig thru the garden they ate all the peas they picked through. And dug thru the DL looking for tidbits as well. I'm such a mean chicken keeper lol. The funniest part is my mom came over and shoveled out an area of the veggie garden for them so they could dig in the garden. And she wonders why they follow her like the pied piper

don't get goldfish, they produce a lot of waste. Look for mosquito fish