The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Lacy Blues]

I gave coconut oil to each of my birds a few weeks back. Some of them ate more than others. The next morning I noticed some funky looking poops. I figure with the cost and the number of birds I have, that smaller doses given once a week or once every couple weeks would have to be good enough. I'm working on getting my numbers down, just because, and there are probably many more things I could afford to do on a more consistent basis if I had fewer birds. Coconut oil is one of those things.

 

[mlowen]

I came out this morning to walk my dog and we heard the most awful screech coming from the coop. We ran over and looked in--there were all three hens, just fine. And then...the leghorn, who has laid an egg almost every day for a year & a half--reared up, flapped her wings, and CROWED! She did it about a half-dozen times. Not nearly as well as a rooster, but I believe that's really what she was doing. I sure hope it's a one-time thing--for my sake and my neighbors'.
My grandmother said "Whistling girls and crowing hens are sure to come to some bad end." I learned to whistle because spite has always been a big motivator for me. Maybe "Charity" takes after her "mom."

 

[Leahs Mom]

I don't often read the chicken blogs, but when I saw the topic of this one, I went over to read and thought it was worth sharing. I know that most of the folks that have been around this thread for a long time don't use DE with their chickens. But there are enough new folks hanging out that this is a good reminder of some of the reasons behind NOT USING DE.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/04/raising-chickens-naturally-diatomaceous.html

Although the article is on the "chicken chick" blog, it is written by Susan Burek whose herbal items I've linked here before. They can be found at:

http://www.moonlightmileherbs.com/natural-chicken-keeping-avian-product.html

 

[Leahs Mom]

A question for the gardeners:

I remember last year that someone was saying that if you plant zucchini later in the season you will avoid squash borers and possibly other squash bugs.

Does anyone know the specifics on that? How late do you plant? Any specifics?

 

[slordaz]

Leah

depending on how you plant your garden there you can keep bugs out a couple of different ways naturally, marigolds are always good to intersperse but planting mountain mint around the outer edge works best for keeping bugs outta your garden naturally, it may be called other things in your specific area but it's all over the place, here in Idaho it's called hoary mint

I am trying a different garden this year that I heard about doing a homesteading summit, it's compact and in a circle. if this works here won't even have to plant a garden again and it's alot less work, no watering it weeding it and biggest bonus is should not have to replant it again

Though will see how this goes, the birds are all so interested in fruits and vegetables I may start them their own garden inside the run so they have their own and hopefully will leave mine alone when they are big enough to free range lol

 

[mlowen]

A question for the gardeners:

I remember last year that someone was saying that if you plant zucchini later in the season you will avoid squash borers and possibly other squash bugs.

Does anyone know the specifics on that? How late do you plant? Any specifics?

I'm going to try row covers, this year. I plant marigolds & look for eggs/squish/remove them & still get a borer in my squash. I'm in Maine, so don't have a lot of time to try planting "late."

 

[Leahs Mom]

@mlowen
What, specifically, will you use for the row covers?

I watched a lot of the food summit videos...still have a few to go...from the link I posted a few weeks ago and they were fantastic. I haven't put a lot of time into learning about gardening because I just naturally tend toward the "meat/milk/eggs" end of things. But there was a lot of very good info including the idea of the perennial "food forest" type planting that was inspiring to me. I'm thinking I'd like to try some of those ideas and some of them we've already done. The perennial part, though, is what appeals to me. We do the regular garden, but I'd like to start planting more perennial food sources and getting kind-of excited to try some of the ideas in that area.


Edited because I tagged the wrong person

 

[armorfirelady]

ok, I'm mad as a wet hen!

I very carefully fenced off the garden last week. flock got in and rototilled the garlic patch. I figured I left an opening in the gate and fixed that. This morning I find they somehow got into it again yesterday and rototilled the surviving garlic.

keeping them locked in the run this morning. will spy on them this afternoon to see if I can figure out how they are getting in. at least the peas aren't up yet. or wait.....those little devils would have eaten them if they were....oh crap. bet I will have to replant peas.

I thought I had chicken proofed my veggie garden finally this year. Last 4 evening Edie & one of the peepers is found in the garden in the late afternoon. One sits on the bird house and flies over the 6 ft fence while Edie flies over the gate, by using the lattice work I out on top to keep them in, as a balancing point.

They havent bothered my garlic but I planted onions and peas this weekend so I need to come something else before the peas start growing................chickens are not dumb lol

I came out this morning to walk my dog and we heard the most awful screech coming from the coop. We ran over and looked in--there were all three hens, just fine. And then...the leghorn, who has laid an egg almost every day for a year & a half--reared up, flapped her wings, and CROWED! She did it about a half-dozen times. Not nearly as well as a rooster, but I believe that's really what she was doing. I sure hope it's a one-time thing--for my sake and my neighbors'.
My grandmother said "Whistling girls and crowing hens are sure to come to some bad end." I learned to whistle because spite has always been a big motivator for me. Maybe "Charity" takes after her "mom."

I have a hen that is super loud when she lays or gets disturbed while laying. She sounds like she is crowing also

A question for the gardeners:

I remember last year that someone was saying that if you plant zucchini later in the season you will avoid squash borers and possibly other squash bugs.

Does anyone know the specifics on that? How late do you plant? Any specifics?

Last year I planted marigolds and nasturtium around my vine plants and had no squash borers. The only squash bugs I had were in the random pumpkin I didn't plant therefore it didn't have and marigold or nasturtium near it.

Leah

depending on how you plant your garden there you can keep bugs out a couple of different ways naturally, marigolds are always good to intersperse but planting mountain mint around the outer edge works best for keeping bugs outta your garden naturally, it may be called other things in your specific area but it's all over the place, here in Idaho it's called hoary mint

I am trying a different garden this year that I heard about doing a homesteading summit, it's compact and in a circle. if this works here won't even have to plant a garden again and it's alot less work, no watering it weeding it and biggest bonus is should not have to replant it again

Though will see how this goes, the birds are all so interested in fruits and vegetables I may start them their own garden inside the run so they have their own and hopefully will leave mine alone when they are big enough to free range lol

Sounds very interesting.

 

[mlowen]

@mlowen

What, specifically, will you use for the row covers? 
to me.  We do the regular garden, but I'd like to start planting more perennial food sources and getting kind-of excited to try some of the ideas in that area

http://www.gardeners.com/buy/summer...44VS.html?start=2&cgid=GardenPestControls_Cat

I have a good garden supply place nearby and I will check to see if they have something very much like this. If not, I'll order from Gardeners' Supply. I'm not sure this link will work. It's Gardeners's Supply summer weight pest preventing fabric.

I have asparagus and wild blueberries, but haven't gotten any further into perennial food.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks!

I think I read somewhere that the borer lays it's eggs in the ground and that they enter from below from the prior year. I'll have to check that out.