The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[vpatt]

We are supposed to get 5 to 10 inches of snow tomorrow. I know that is not much, but it will give me a chance to see how the chickens deal with it and how I will. They say it will warm up the very next day. I am thinking I will just clear a path to their favorite spot and put down straw on the path. Their spot is under the porch and there are nest buckets there so all should be good. That is kind of a joke as ive been getting only about three eggs a week. Calling for warm weather on the hatch date....so we will see what happens. I would probably be more concerned if others weren't having such devastating weather. I like snow but this will be the first time ive had chicks to care for.

 

[armorfirelady]

@SallyinIndiana. I bought a generator a few years ago on Black Friday. It runs my fridge, stand up freezer, sump pump, TV, Internet and I've even done wash while powerless. Best investment I ever made

@Leahs Mom my pullets hatched the end of June and one is just starting to pink up. They are as big as my other hens

What is the Brewers yeast good for? My girls who have molted look raggity even Edie. I haven't changed their food and I have upped their meat protein. No idea why they look like they do. I just got them some more yogurt I plan to give them today with their cayenne pepper flakes. Going to take some suet cakes out also.

@Sally8. Welcome back !! Out of the 5 that hatched a predator got one (they decided to roost outside at night) my favorite grey one was a Roo . I had to eventually cull him. The last 3 are huge. Still afraid of the bigger girls and Stella the BR I also got from you, is a bully towards them.


The sump pump cleared out all the water around the coop. I'll keep it in the ground a week or so. OTS suppose to warm up again in a few days.

I've noticed since we had the storm that the 2 who were laying had stopped. And while they got table scraps they really didn't seem to be eating their food or flock block. I don't know if they are less because they were all in the coop or because they were finding enough in the DL. I finally got them out of the coop by throwing some bird seed outside the coop. It's not like they can go far but at least they are outside and can go to the old run. I'm hoping to get some snow moved off the garden so they can scratch around. It's amazing how much snow can weigh lol

 

[tjo804]

Oh my goodness it is good to read you all again
I had forgotten the information that can be gleaned from this site.

Tis the season for making and baking, however much like everyone else my ladies take the season off!

I allow this (no artificial lighting or forced laying means) and in the past have bought store eggs for the season ...

Yes I know I really cant stand the idea of supporting that industry or of serving inferior goods to my family, My DH also gets kinda

He tends to repeat like this "Feeding chickens... buying eggs,

Feeding Chickens, buying eggs"... it goes round and round this way
So this summer instead of giving away all of my abundance of eggs I started dehydrating the eggs for use in baking and cooking this winter. It surprised me to see how well they actually turned out and they still after being re-hydrated and scrambled look and taste better than store eggs.

I have also started to dry the shells and crush and powder them. Why you may ask? because they work the same as DE when spread in and around the garden. Killing slugs and snails and all those slimy soft body guys that eat my greens. The shells instead of being composted then get washed as powder directly into the soil to be used by the plant roots. No Poison! the benefits of the egg just keep multiplying!

I am reading backwards I hope everyone had a fantastic spring and summer!

 

[ronott1]

I have only heard one other person say that theirs didn't lay as new pullets at this time of year. So what age are yours?

I have pita pintas, Partridge Penedesencas and CL x Penedesenca OEs.

If a pullet reaches POL in November it usually will not stat laying without supplemental light. If pullets reach POL in Sept. and Oct. they will usually start but will be delayed by a couple of weeks or so. If a pullet starts by November, she will usually keep laying through the low light period.

I hatched mine at the wrong time so I do not expect them to start until after the winter solstice.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Another article worth reading to help remind you why you're raising chickens...


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...gn=20141125Z1&et_cid=DM62660&et_rid=741512146

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady

Brewers yeast is a high in protein and "B" vitamins. I "kind-of" think of it as an "animal protein"...though that's not altogether true

This is another one of those products that I can only recommend one brand as it's the only one that grows its yeast on a non-gmo substrate which increases the chances that it isn't getting an overload of herbicides/pesticides and/or other issues associated with gmo. I'm not sure if they sell it in larger livestock quantities, but for those with a small flock the smaller cans work okay.

The only thing that I am concerned about is the level of phosphorus in BY. I think that the other things I feed balance that out (calcium magnesium phosphorus balance).....

It definitely makes a good addition to a basic feed if you don't use a mineral mix or have a "questionable" mineral mix. It has been used with success to bring chicks out of a vitamin B deficiency that causes lameness if you don't have any fresh liver available.

Anyhow...here's the brand - can be found in many local "health-type" stores:

Lewis Labs Brewers yeast that doesn't have anything else added. (They have some other products but it's the one with nothing added.)

Quote: http://lewislabsdirect.com/products/new-brewers-yeast-12-35oz

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
That's good to know. I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with these girls!

 

[ronott1]

That's good to know. I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with these girls!

They are perfectly fine but it is so frustrating!

 

[RedRidge]

@Leahs Mom


The POL pullets not starting until the day light hours go up is very frustrating. I have eight pullets that should be laying now but aren't. I am trying to be patient but it is so hard.

It will be better for them though.

I have the opposite problem with my rir...most of the pullets are laying. That means I have 2 choices for the upcoming show in Knoxville... choose 2 better and more productive pullets who don't look as good since they've been laying a while now, or choose a few I don't like quite as well but they look good because they aren't quite laying yet. Ugh

 

[sunflower4you]

Oh my goodness it is good to read you all again
I had forgotten the information that can be gleaned from this site.

Tis the season for making and baking, however much like everyone else my ladies take the season off!

I allow this (no artificial lighting or forced laying means) and in the past have bought store eggs for the season ...

Yes I know I really cant stand the idea of supporting that industry or of serving inferior goods to my family, My DH also gets kinda

He tends to repeat like this "Feeding chickens... buying eggs,

Feeding Chickens, buying eggs"... it goes round and round this way
So this summer instead of giving away all of my abundance of eggs I started dehydrating the eggs for use in baking and cooking this winter. It surprised me to see how well they actually turned out and they still after being re-hydrated and scrambled look and taste better than store eggs.

I have also started to dry the shells and crush and powder them. Why you may ask? because they work the same as DE when spread in and around the garden. Killing slugs and snails and all those slimy soft body guys that eat my greens. The shells instead of being composted then get washed as powder directly into the soil to be used by the plant roots. No Poison! the benefits of the egg just keep multiplying!

I am reading backwards I hope everyone had a fantastic spring and summer!

I crush my egg shells and give them back to the chickens for calcium.

Can I ask how you dehydrate/rehydrate eggs???? I have read about freezing them, but it sounds complicated. I read that you have to mix the white and yolk together and then add salt for savory/cooking or sugar for sweet/baking to stabilize the partially beaten egg before freezing. Really?!? I would like something simple to be able to save eggs next spring/summer.