The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[flyladyrocks]

Poison Ivy Tincture:

Okay - I FINALLY got the recipe from my best friend. This stuff is a miracle for us. It does an incredible job at relieving the itch. We also use it to wash off if we think we've been exposed. It also dries it up quickly. When I have PI I soak cotton balls and put them in ziplocks in my purse so I have it when I am not home.

As you know plantain is everywhere, you may have to search for jewel weed if you are not lucky enough to have it in your yard.

Recipe (so simple!)
Pick jewel weed flowers and all, and plantain (just the leaves). Stuff a mason jar full of the plants, cover it with 91% isopropyl alcohol and let sit at least 3 days, then strain.

I store it in the mason jar and just use cotton balls to apply.

This stuff is WONDERFUL!

 

[flyladyrocks]

My daughter posted these pics in the Indiana Thread, I had to share here:

These are pic of our newest babes. Sven, Rapunzel and Cordelia
Sven

Sven's girl friends came to visit him out on the windowsill. they hung out though the glass for more then an hour.
inside Sven next to Sven (outside) is Rapunzel then Cordelia.

they are way too cute

.

Thought I'd give credit for these sweet birds - all Indiana people! Sven is from Racinchickins, Rapunzel form jsummers (thru jchny2000) and Cordelia from Bradselig.

Yesterday Sven was lonely and depressed and not eating or making a peep. I called the girls up on the porch and let them see each other through the screen door window and he perked up and was much happier and started eating. This is not the window they visited thru yesterday. I was amazed that it was like the girls knew where he was (same place they were last week in quarantine!). I put cardboard on top of the dog cage so Sven could hang with the girls without the wire cage under his feet. He seemed to enjoy his little visit very much!

 

[armorfirelady]

What breed of chicken are they? I love the variations of black in them.

They are BCM, & EE. The BCM are pure but I don't know what the ones with white tux fronts are. Unless the BCM look like that this young. The grey is an EE who I hope is a girl. I love her feathered legs. It looks like she has stockings on.

@Leahs Mom thank you. I can never figure out how to post it directly on here.

 

[armorfirelady]

Poison Ivy Tincture:

Okay - I FINALLY got the recipe from my best friend. This stuff is a miracle for us. It does an incredible job at relieving the itch. We also use it to wash off if we think we've been exposed. It also dries it up quickly. When I have PI I soak cotton balls and put them in ziplocks in my purse so I have it when I am not home. 

As you know plantain is everywhere, you may have to search for jewel weed if you are not lucky enough to have it in your yard.

Recipe (so simple!)
Pick jewel weed flowers and all, and plantain (just the leaves). Stuff a  mason jar full of the plants, cover it with 91% isopropyl alcohol and let sit at least 3 days, then strain. 

I store it in the mason jar and just use cotton balls to apply. 

This stuff is WONDERFUL!

I use a plantain mix for insect bites & it works wonderfully. If I would of got PI last weekend I was going to try it on that to.,

 

[aoxa]

AFL is it you that has electric poultry netting? I'm just popping in really quick trying to figure out how you keep the grass from shorting it out. Do you move and mow? Vinegar?

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm not AFL, but I can tell you what I do. I move the fence before i mow. If you move in the 4 corner posts first, it's then easy to move in the posts making up the 4 sides of your square/rectangle (assuming that's how you have it set up. Mow a strip around where the fence was, then move the posts back. Not much work at all. If you use vinegar or some other solution to kill the grass, I'd be careful not to get it on the fence b/c the acid might oxidize the electric wires.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'm not AFL, but I can tell you what I do. I move the fence before i mow. If you move in the 4 corner posts first, it's then easy to move in the posts making up the 4 sides of your square/rectangle (assuming that's how you have it set up. Mow a strip around where the fence was, then move the posts back. Not much work at all. If you use vinegar or some other solution to kill the grass, I'd be careful not to get it on the fence b/c the acid might oxidize the electric wires.

I do the same thing exactly. I just have to move it only about once every 2-3 weeks even though the grass will grow up a bit. I use the tester to be sure it's keeping a high voltage if I have question.

 

[armorfirelady]

AFL is it you that has electric poultry netting? I'm just popping in really quick trying to figure out how you keep the grass from shorting it out. Do you move and mow? Vinegar? 

I just move it every couple weeks and mow the grass super short where the fencing is going to go. I don't know how to use the tester to make sure the voltage is right but nothing's got in so it must be working I don think the grass has shorted it out. I hear it making a clicking noise every day which tells me it's hot

 

[jime]

Aoxa grass will be the least of your worries, I lost 5 (100 foot) nets in winter (they don't work in winter and rabbits find them really tasty)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yep. Definitely have to take them down before the snow.