The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Miss Lydia]

Miss Lydia, is your avatar an EE? I have 3 chicks that are about 8 weeks old, and my black one has funny tufts of feathers by his/her ears and a sort of beard and Mohawk that seem to be going on. They're from a broody hatch, and I know this ones father is the silkie roo that I have since rehomed. Don't know whether these weird tufts come from the silkie lineage or whichever of my hens is the mom.

Boy was my computer acting up, I never saw any of this last night, oh well. Yes Nikki she is an EE. I really like mine. I have 8 and all lay blue eggs but 1 hers are tan

Look forward to seeing your chick when it grows out some, thats an interesting match up.

 

[Miss Lydia]

delisha, your RIR are just gorgeous!! what is their temperment like? a friend told me years ago that they were mean birds so I have always stayed clear of them.

 

[lorain's fids]

Australorps. I have 3 and love them lots. Great birds and a great addition

I have 1 Australorps and 4 Dominiques. When I got them at 2 days old they were all suppose to be Doms. But turns out one was a BA---glad for the mix up in the chicks. The BA is a beautiful girl. Her eggs are always perfect shaped and very large. She is very friendly.The only issue with her is she likes to complain(loudly) when one of the other 4 chickens is in one of the 5 nest boxes we have--she likes to have FULLchoice of boxes when she is going to lay an egg. LOL!!!

 

[stonykill]

delisha, your RIR are just gorgeous!! what is their temperment like? a friend told me years ago that they were mean birds so I have always stayed clear of them.

mine RIR's are very friendly birds. I love them. I have 7 RIR hens. I should get more. Great birds

 

[Melabella]

She sounds so cute, glad she loves her birds

A few pictures of RIR
These are the base to the eggs I am hatching

 

[rowerjen]

Hey Everybody! I have a question about wood ashes. My wonderful husband just gave me a wheelbarrow full of them, but they're kind of coarse. Do you grind them into powder? And if you do, what do you use? TIA

I just dump mine in the run as is. Granted I'm using much smaller batches but within an hour I can't find so much as a dust mote left of them.

 

[lalaland]

I'm in MN, too. I got mine from a breeder near Owatonna. 

I didn't realize you were in Minnesota too! thats great. Thanks for letting me know there is someone in Owatanna , I'll start looking. - it sounds like you are happy with your buckeyes?

 

[lalaland]

sally, I LOVE the pic with the lights on, and getting to see your hens on the roost. They look so evenly spaced and lined up. Nice to have the pic window.

 

[stonykill]

everyone is getting along swimmingly

in the duck pen. Pun fully intended

. The Runners as always immediately went for a swim. I am seeing the Pekins go to the food bowl to eat, and right now one of the Pekin's is in the pool taking a swim

. This is what I love about ducks. No pecking order issues. Well ok, just one of many things I like about ducks. I need more ducks

 

[delisha]

Hey Everybody! I have a question about wood ashes. My wonderful husband just gave me a wheelbarrow full of them, but they're kind of coarse. Do you grind them into powder? And if you do, what do you use? TIA

Nope..They sometimes like to eat the coarse ones. I burn the wood, pick out any nails and I am all good. I have fine powder to chunks of wood in my dust pool.