The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[City farm]

Has anyone tried to grow Ashitaba -Angelic Keiskei seed's if so what did you have in your soil? Besides the chicken's and duck 's getting them a s a treat, I think this would be a great addition to add to salad's. It is supposed to do well here.. In the heat with low water usage ..

 

[Lacy Blues]

Again, the above mentioned film would be perfect for your needs. This guy started this practice to deal with dry climate and lack of water.

LOL! Washington state and lack of water don't necessarily go together in the same sentence. I watched the film and it was very good and educational. However, I don't call 16-18 inches of water per year "little rainfall"

We get 5" per year if we're lucky.

There is a guy in Las Vegas, Nevada's surrounding community that did this same thing... almost. He laid out a network of that black irrigation pipe stuff that was perforated (can't remember what it's called). He then covered the whole thing in deep mulch or wood chips from a trimming service. He used the water from his washing mashine, ran it through some filters and that plus what he can collect from his roof (if I remember correctly) is all he uses to water what is now a beautiful orchard.

 

[islafarm]

Isla, I just now noticed that you are from Costa Rica. My son was there when he was in highschool. Awesome country! Your growing climate is a bit different than mine! Glad you are enjoying FF. My flock lives almost exclusively on it. When I was gone for 10 days, hubby had them on dry, and egg production went way down. Still down b/c of the heat, but has rebounded somewhat after getting them back on FF.

I've lived here for 9 years, but I'm from Scotland originally. Yes, it is a beautiful country. We are on the south east coast: lots of rain and rainforest. Yeah, quite a bit different from Maine

I love the FF. I think I could supply the carbs with root vegetables, or green bananas, but then I couldn't ferment, and I really like the benefits I'm getting. I'm sure the thickness of the egg shells comes from the FF. The girls also get crushed egg shells and the black soldier fly are rich in calcium too, but I think it's the FF that makes the difference. (I read that they'd have to eat 2-3 eggshells a day to give them enough calcium to produce one egg, any thoughts on that?) Was it the same food you're husband was given, just unfermented? That's very interesting. I only have Brahmas and they lay 6 days out of every 8, which seems good for the breed.

 

[SunshineAnShade]

I also purchased the book:  "Secret Garden of Survival" which is quite fascinating.  http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Garden-Survival-camouflaged-forest/dp/1481839772/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438216754&sr=1-1&keywords=secret+garden+of+survival  It is the "permaculture/food forest" idea which I love...  planting perennial food crops that you don't have to replant every year as the mainstay, then the annuals go around them.  Now THAT'S the lazy way to garden!!! 

That's one of the reasons I'm looking for a nut producer that I can plant as one of the main ones.  I'm wanting to learn more about the hazel nuts for that as they sound like more of a shrub height which would be more manageable. 

Someone asked if the chickens could harvest the hazelnuts themselves.  I don't know the answer to that.  I was thinking that if they drop and then soften over the winter like for sprouting, then maybe they'd eat them .

If i had a hazelnut tree, there wouldn't be any extra to give the chickens anyway (except maybe the fallen ones) I'd use them all to make chocolate hazelnut spread and hoard it all for myself!

 

[slordaz]

well we did the circular garden from that this year, and last 3 nights have had freeze warnings and we haven't even had to cover the plants and they are doing fine, messed up adding plants there and put acid loving ones in wrong spot and some of the other vegetables that don't like it had issues but we are quite impressed with out it worked out up north. the ducks and chickens both loving the sugar snap peas as a treat and actually are staying out as they don't get them if they go over there. we are definitely going to have to make another one next year but bigger.

but I think the funny farm is a good name for our back yard animals. we sure get a lot of entertainment out of their antics too lol.

Have any of you ever had your chickens/roosters purr?

had 1 hen act like she was going broody so let her set on the 5 eggs she wanted to , then she changed her mind and now have 3 that are rotating on the eggs so they are covered most of the time. I don't remember this being normal but it's been going on for 4 days now. They are all leghorns 2 browns and a white. shoud I just toss the eggs or see what they do?

 

[JulesChicks]

Thanks everyone for your wonderful suggestions! I have a lot of reading to do and learning about these various methods. We have a long ways to go to get our land where I would like it to be.

I tried reading to my kids Little House on the Prairie - neither of them wanted me to so I gave up. I was really bummed. I'm going to try again but maybe something different or just my daughter who is younger (5) my son is 9 - so it's hard finding something they will both like at this point.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, I've heard them purr when on the perch at night. I especially love the little sing-song trill the chicks do when they are contentedly tucked under their Mama broody heating pad. I never heard chicks do that under a heat lamp!! Yes, Isla... same feed dry as fermented. Egg count up with fermented. Did I mention for sustainable feed in the run: elderberry, juneberry, raspberry, siberian pea, comfrey? Add some deer fodder mix, both the brassicas and the grains, with a rotating paddock system, and I bet you'd have a good start to a self sustaining flock. If so, forgive my senior moments!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You really start to notice that chickens have a language the more you spend time with them, I can always tell when there's a hawk, as opposed to a snake, or when someone is happy, I never understood people calling them dumb, I think it's the humans that are dumb, not realizing every species isn't the same as themselves, just because you don't understand an animal doesn't mean it don't have a language.

That's part of the reason I keep my old birds, they pass down a culture to the younger generations. I do watch my chickens a lot.

And as far as your crazy leghorns, I guess it depends if your in the mood to have to take care of the chicks yourself if none of your hens wants them when and if they hatch.

 

[islafarm]

sitting here with a 9 week old pullet, something going on with her and I don't know what. She's very sleepy, and her left eye has been 1/2 closed to closed much of the time. She's active when awake, poop looks fine, can get up and down the ladder to roost. Isn't wheezing, no discharge, vent is clean, no mites, no evidence of worms. However Ishe's not putting weight on. Her sister was the smaller one and now is bigger and weighs a lot more (brahmas).
She looked like she was eating fine, but now I notice she seems to be pecking above the food or behind the food. I've had her with me today, she's had electrolytes, yogurt, minced beef and FF, eating and pooping fine, just sleeping mostly though. Haven't seen her preen either.
For the eye initially I thought it might have been a peck or sand or something, then I was applying an ointment, but it's made no difference after 4 days. Any ideas? TIA

 

[lalaland]

oh dang, isla. that isn't good.

there are two reasons that I know of, could be more, that a chicken will peck at food and miss. First reason is when the chicken is sick and trying to mask the symptoms by behaving normally. THey will fake peck at the food but if you watch closely you see they aren't eating. But it sounds like she's eating....?

Second reason is, Mareks. It can produce tumors that interfere with vision and it is a symptom of mareks that the chicken can't connect with the food. They do better when there is a bigger target - a bigger bowl, food spread out more. there are several forms of mareks, and I have it in my flock.

If it is mareks, and it could be something else easily, there probably is nothing you can do. Most people either cull immediately or nurse them along and then cull when quality of life is bad. here is a very good consolidation of info about mareks: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

I hope you have isolated her from the flock.

keep us posted.