The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Kassaundra]

Why did it crash? Got too cold? Will you try again or just be done with it?

yes to cold, not sure if I'll set it up again

 

[Kassaundra]

do you think you could use zeolite? (I think that's what sweet PDZ is?)
Was it staying too moist in the colony? I have not an idea what size colony would be required for chickens? What size did you use?

Not sure if that would affect the dubia, I had them on a lot of cat litter, it helped but not enough for inside, enough for the garage. I had them in a modified chest freezer.

 

[subhanalah]

Not sure if that would affect the dubia, I had them on a lot of cat litter, it helped but not enough for inside, enough for the garage.  I had them in a modified chest freezer.

I didn't use substrate and kept it on the drier side. Two 35gallon? Rubbermaid tubs.

 

[gevshiba]

I would need pictures. It is almost impossible to guess what it could possibly be. I hate to throw out diseases and illnesses and it could be a simple case of old age, over used, over fed, crowded, or exhausted birds.


Thank you Delisha. I understand. The birds were 2 year old hatchery birds that had been kept in a fairly roomy dog kennel. I thought they were a bit thin. Something I noticed during butchering and then cutting them up for the grinder, they had brittle bones. But they had a great last few weeks of free ranging and FF. The dogs will enjoy them.

 

[subhanalah]

I would need pictures. It is almost impossible to guess what it could possibly be. I hate to throw out diseases and illnesses and it could be a simple case of  old age, over used, over fed, crowded, or exhausted birds.


Thank you Delisha.  I understand.  The birds were 2 year old hatchery birds that had been kept in a fairly roomy dog kennel.  I thought they were a bit thin.  Something I noticed during butchering and then cutting them up for the grinder, they had brittle bones.  But they had a great last few weeks of free ranging and FF.  The dogs will enjoy them.

so do you think your girls aren't consuming enough calcium, and in their older age the old egg maker isn't as efficient as it used to be, so they started leaching calcium from their bones?


Holy run-on batman!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sometimes I wonder.....

I have a source for very inexpensive grass-fed beef and ground beef.
I have a friend at work that hunts venison and gets one for me every year...I just pay for butchering.
Venison friend has also started saving livers from all his hunting for me.


Sometimes I wonder....
If it is even worth trying to grow bugs for me. My meat sources are pretty economical....

I wonder.....

 

[armorfirelady]

Sometimes I wonder.....

I have a source for very inexpensive grass-fed beef and ground beef.
I have a friend at work that hunts venison and gets one for me every year...I just pay for butchering.
Venison friend has also started saving livers from all his hunting for me.


Sometimes I wonder....
If it is even worth trying to grow bugs for me. My meat sources are pretty economical....

I wonder.....

I think I would just go with the meat you get now. Of course I tend to think less work is better. BUt I work FT and have other obligations so I wanted the chickens to be easy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Easy is good...and I'm looking at all kinds of ways to make things easier while as natural/healthy as possible. (It even includes the use of plastic

)

 

[armorfirelady]

ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Easy is good...and I'm looking at all kinds of ways to make things easier while as natural/healthy as possible. (It even includes the use of plastic

)

OMG plastic? you?

And funny story. I was fermenting non medicated chick feed for the chicks. I couldn't stand the smell anymore so night before last I drained it all & put it in a pie dish & fed it out. While the big girls & chicks did eat it they prefer the grains. So I will not be fermenting anymore. I put the bag away and if in the future I need something with more calories I can ferment it in smaller batches. As of last night the pie dish still was almost full. Guess their taste buds have changed esp since even Stella the food hog didnt want any

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
That confirms a suspicion I've had for a long time. My suspicion has been that there probably wouldn't be ANY bird that would choose PROCESSED, COOKED, EXTRUDED, SOYBEAN-FILLED bagged feed if they could eat FRESH.