The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Aoxa..


Got my paperwork all done for the year and taxes filed!!

 

[atmaclean]

I feed raw meat weekly. Especially to the chicks.

Chickens will catch and eat mice, snakes...they'll even eat a fellow chicken that has died if you don't take it away. They are definitely meat eaters.

And...chickens fed on an exclusively vegetarian diet are not going to be healthy. Period. They are not designed to be vegetarian.

True. I forgot about seeing one of my hens eat a mouse over at my old farm! I wouldn't eat her eggs for a few weeks after that. It just grossed me out. I haven't seen any chickens eat mice where I am now but I'm sure they would if they saw one.

I remember reading way back in the posts about the fact that chickens are NOT vegetarians. I've seen them eat snails and other disgusting things so not sure why I had a problem with seeing the one hen eat a mouse! lol.

I've seen a lot of eggs at the health food store marketed as "all vegetarian".....why would that be a "good" thing if it is not healthy for them - I'm kind of confused on that one.....
Angela

 

[Mumsy]

A question for those of you that are hatching eggs from sq and heritage lines:

I'm interested to hear what you will do with multiple roosters.

From this batch of Swedes I have, I would only keep 1 rooster. I know what I'd do with them if they were other more common breeds

But...when you you have roosters from great breeders/great lines, or a more rare breed like the SFH, do you handle that differently? I'm just curious to hear your practice - not saying any one way is right, just want to hear your perspective on this!

When I have my breeding pens in full swing I keep a trio in #1 pen (my best roo and hens). I always keep back second best roo (full brother or best son) in with the bachleors. I process all the rest. I don't sell extra roos locally if they are a rare breed. We eat them.

 

[delisha]

Chickens bred for eggs in those building have one purpose..make eggs. The hens are replaced as a matter of course. They do an all in and all out. The vegan diet does not have enough time to make much of a difference, they are soup or hog feed by than.

Vegan fed is used as a selling tool. People will purchase eggs from a farm where the chickens are fed a vegan diet because it *sounds* nicer. They aslo use that as a marketing tool to make people think they are healthier.

 

[Mumsy]

.

I've seen a lot of eggs at the health food store marketed as "all vegetarian".....why would that be a "good" thing if it is not healthy for them - I'm kind of confused on that one.....
Angela

People. Some people feel better buying certain eggs. You wouldn't believe the selection of eggs offered in my one little grocery store on my island. Not only do they offer vetgetarian fed only but 'no corn or soy' 'cageless' everything, whatever that means these days. And all other kinds of eggs. Starting price per dozen for these gourmet eggs starts at $7! All the way up to $8 per doz. And eggs sell like crazy at the local farmers markets here. You can sell all your fancy eggs in a couple hours at these places.

It's nutty to think vegetable fed only eggs could be nutritous but people are impulse buyers and really don't think things through or read up. They go with fads.

 

[galefrances]

Quote: I did put the sugar in, but forgot to say that. The recipe I followed stated one week untouched. I don't feel comfortable skimming the mold. It just smells off I think. I'm going to start over using your instructions. Thanks so much for the response delisha.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I did put the sugar in, but forgot to say that. The recipe I followed stated one week untouched. I don't feel comfortable skimming the mold. It just smells off I think. I'm going to start over using your instructions. Thanks so much for the response delisha.
You might want to use glass and not pottery..some pottery bowls have led in them and that reacts to the fermentation. It does not sound like you did anything wrong.

 

[delisha]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eup-micro-farms-holiday-poultry-photo-contest


Please go vote for the cutest holiday picture

Mine Mine Mine!!

Actually there are so many cuter ones.

 

[Bulldogma]

Does everyone boil and cool the water before adding to incubators?..I have never added water in incubator wells. The thought of water sitting in a hot environment for 24 days with live embryos with porus shells sitting on top marinaing in who knows what kind of possible germs did not make sense to me. I think that was why I made the decision to dry hatch.

Delisha - so you go all the way through hatch without adding any water at all? Am I understanding that right? And no issues with shrink-wraped chicks?

I seriously need to get more Silkies - the incubator is driving me nuts! First too hot, then too cold, then the humidity goes way up after adding a sponge... then it drops way down...

I'll be lucky if any of these eggs hatch. So glad I just used "trial" eggs this time (and took my good RIR eggs to a friend who has good incubators and tons of experience!)

 

[jendodd79]

Cilantro herb contains no cholesterol; however, it is rich in antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins, and fiber.

• • Its leaves and seeds contain many essential volatile oils such as borneol, linalool, cineole, cymene, terpineol, dipentene, phellandrene, pineneandterpinolene.
  • The leaves and stem tips are also rich in numerous anti-oxidant polyphenolic flavonoids such asquercetin, kaempferol, rhamnetin and epigenin.
  • The herb is a good source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Iron is essential for red blood cell production. Manganese is used as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.
  • It is also rich in many vital vitamins, including folic-acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin-A, beta carotene, vitamin-C that is essential for optimum health. Vitamin-C is a powerful natural antioxidant..
  • It provides 6748 IU ofvitamin-Aper 100 g, Vitamin-A, an important fat soluble vitamin and anti-oxidant, is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in vitamin-A and flavonoids (carotenes) helps protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
  • Cilantro is one of the richest herbal sources for vitamin K;provide about 258% of DRI. Vitamin-K has a potential role in bone mass building by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bones.
  • Coriander seed oil has been found application in many traditional medicines as analgesic, aphrodisiac, anti-spasmodic, deodorant, digestive, carminative, fungicidal, lipolytic, stimulant and stomachic.

Wonderful! Cilantro leaves provide only 23 calories/100 g, but their phyto-nutrients profile is no less than any high-calorie food item; be it nuts, pulses or cereals or meat group.
This humble backyard herb provides (% of RDA/100g): 15% of folates, 11% of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), 45% of vitamin C, 225% of vitamin A, 258% of vitamin K, 22% of iron and 18% of manganese.

And it reseeds itself fantastically!! I love waiting for the new batch to come up. You can also play it several times a year We're away skiing this weekend. Missing the hens, and wondering how many eggs out Blue Maran is laying while we're away