The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[hennible]

Woo hoo! Turn button, so it's not a whatchamacallit...

 

[ronott1]

Woo hoo! Turn button, so it's not a whatchamacallit...

or a thing a ma bob....doohickey.....

 

[hennible]

Lol
I knew it wasn't a wing nut ronnott1... I think I'd know my own kind to see them

 

[Leahs Mom]

You're all wrong. It's a turn-a-ma-jig.

 

[slayv4petz]

Wrong again it's a thing a ma jig

 

[Scott H]

OK Naturals, meet the new family member. We got him at 13 weeks and he will be 4 months old on the 7th. He's learned to leave the chickens alone, for the most part.

Wants to play with the cat who doesn't but is fitting in nicely. Smart as a whip, his mom is the only miniature poodle to complete the Hunting Retriever finishing test. Here's a vid of his mom, Star.

And here's Gus.....

 

[Scott H]

On another note, here is a family member we're trying to rehome. A gal in Texas (@Soltaria ) wants him but I've never shipped a chicken before. I think I have to buy a shipping box somewhere cause I don't see them on the USPS site. Anybody in driving distance of North Idaho want him? or advice on shipping him? I'd really like to get him to @Soltaria as she seems to really want him.
He's a Blue Laced Red Black Wyandotte and he's 6 months old.

 

[armorfirelady]

@Leahs Mom. Someday I would love to have a coop like Jacks. I sort of did the hoop coop like his. Sort of

. But it's funny because the main door faces north and that's the window I leave open all winter. Winds here seem to come from southwest/east. Of course the fact the garage, house and veggie garden are all in front of the coop door probably helps block the wind.

@scott h congrats on the new puppy

So today I worked on another chicken/garden project. I wanted to use my cold frames (old garage door screens from a friend) and make an enclosure for the winter. So I put hinges on it so it will stand up yet go flat for spring gardening. I used a frost blanket to cover it (again multi purpose) and put it in the veggie garden this am. As I spent the afternoon chasing leaves & dumping them on the edges of the veggie garden ( compost is filled as high as I can go without the peepers using it to escape) I thought the leaves would make a great natural berm for one end of the structure. Well till the girls move them around that is

Here is the open end. It's blocked by my giant marigolds but I refuse to pull them since they are still blooming

And the end blocked by leaves. I would say the peak is 4 1/2 ft high. I have a ton of leaves and they all haven't fallen yet. I dumped more in the coop........think the girls think I am nuts lol. But the 2 oldest hens who are molting hard (they look like someone plucked them) enjoy laying in the leaves with the sun on them in the coop. They haven't been venturing outside much with the cold winds unless it's feeding time.

I also took one section of electric netting down. Chance of wet snow this weekend & it's easier to pick up one section than two. Besides with the trees almost bare the girls haven't been venturing out in the open much. The hawks back. I scared him out of the pine trees when I was mowing. I think my crows were on vacation lol

And guess who realized today he can cock a doodle do? It was quiet but I heard him. Then he got louder when the helicopter went over, and louder when the plane went over........but I doubt the neighbors heard him. I told him he needs to use his quiet doodle do

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quite doodle doo!!!

 

[hoosiercheetah]

My neighbors said they missed hearing my rooster (after I ate him). I'm working on getting silkies for my daughter. I hope I get a hen and a roo, because I liked hearing it too, and because the only thing that could make silkies more hilarious is if one of them crows.