The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[loanwizard]

A pig does not HAVE to take up much room. You COULD house them in a 16x16 hog panel fence and they would be very happy. My first 2 were raised in a garden. There will be NO vegetation, but scraps, greens, grain.

I cannot tell anybody anything about anything other than the Tamworths. I love them and am very happy with them living and dead. Do your research on the breeds that interest you. That's what makes this so fun and rewarding.

When I have some time next week I will talk about my deer hunting woes and you may understand why I want to draw them in close.....
I know where Springfield is too. Had relatives there once. Nice but hot in the summertime.

 

[stonykill]

Since I've never done this myself, I need to ask, Will blood spurt everywhere? I'm not squeamish, just like to be prepared. My ex-husband and I processed hundreds of deer every year and I always found it very fascinating. Especially the spinal column, lungs, heart. Usually people didn't want them back so I would slice and dice to check em out. Bruce is such a pretty roo but so rough on the girls. I have a nail on the clothes line that my son usually hangs them on but I would like to do this myself. I seem to remember when my parents did them, they would flop around but don't remember whether blood went everywhere also. Thanks. I'll let you know. I always have to mentally prepare myself, it could take a day or so. lol

usually not everywhere, but yes the heart will pump out blood. So be prepared.

After you remove the head just hold the bird tight to the chopping block. There will be movement, but if you keep a firm grip on the bird with slight downward pressure it will not beat itself or you up and will keep the mess to a minimum.

 

[Mumsy]

WARNING! GROSS IMAGE AHEAD!


I conducted an experiment with kerosene on my flock yesterday. Got results. Not exactly the results I was hoping for though. *yuck!*


Everyone here knows I feed FF. I add powdered garlic and ground pumpkin seed to it. They look healthy. Act healthy and two of my pullets lay everyday.

Yesterday I decided to do an experiment with kerosene by adding a teaspoon to their water dish. I kept them in the barn all afternoon (it rained all day anyway. They were turned out this morning later than usual. I wanted to be sure they drank that kerosene laced water.

I checked all the poop under the roost. Nothing out of the ordinary. Looked at poop in the barn aisle. Nothing weird.

They followed me to the back door and like everyday, pooped all over the patio. I took a look around and saw some runny ones and then this one.

A round worm passed out of somebody. Didn't see who. Wasn't alive but dead. Kerosene cleaned out one worm out of one of them.
I'm not changing anything I already do but will keep the teaspoon of kerosene in the water dish in the barn for another week. They don't seem to mind the taste.


I'm not advocating anyone else try this but showing the results of what happened after I did.

 

[kian]

WOW! That is very interesting. And gross. But very interesting! Keep us posted on the rest of the week please!

 

[kian]

A pig does not HAVE to take up much room. You COULD house them in a 16x16 hog panel fence and they would be very happy. My first 2 were raised in a garden. There will be NO vegetation, but scraps, greens, grain.

I cannot tell anybody anything about anything other than the Tamworths. I love them and am very happy with them living and dead. Do your research on the breeds that interest you. That's what makes this so fun and rewarding.

When I have some time next week I will talk about my deer hunting woes and you may understand why I want to draw them in close.....
I know where Springfield is too. Had relatives there once. Nice but hot in the summertime.

Hmmm.... I really think I could do this.....

 

[Mumsy]

WOW! That is very interesting. And gross. But very interesting! Keep us posted on the rest of the week please!

Yeah. I've seen plenty of round worms raising foals and Springer Spaniel puppies. Still gross. Round worms are the most common internal parasite.

I hosed the patio off and forked the DL in the barn so when I put them in tonight they will fill up on that oily water again and I can re-check in the morning. I was relieved to find one worm in one poo and not piles every where.

 

[Bulldogma]

I hosed the patio off and forked the DL in the barn so when I put them in tonight they will fill up on that oily water again and I can re-check in the morning. I was relieved to find one worm in one poo and not piles every where.

So do you think kerosene is as safe as dish soap in the water? Do you think it's more effective? And would you eat the eggs of chickens that had ingested kerosene or wait a week or so?

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Just out of curiosity, how much dish soap in how much water?

 

[Mumsy]

So do you think kerosene is as safe as dish soap in the water? Do you think it's more effective? And would you eat the eggs of chickens that had ingested kerosene or wait a week or so?

I don't know the answer to those first two questions. I have not tried dish soap. There are some icky things added to some dish soaps. I tried exactly one teaspoon of kerosene in one gallon of water. I found one worm from five chickens. It was effective for getting rid of that one worm. I'm not worried about eating eggs from my two pullets that have ingested that small a dose of kerosene. No more than I would be worried about eating eggs from chickens that had petroleum based Vaseline absorbed through their legs and ingested from the bird by beak. I am also not worried about eggs from my chickens that routinely eat rotten, maggot infested meat they find foraging in the garden or compost pile. Nope. Not worried.

This was my experiment. Not saying I will do it again after this week. But...You never know. One worm is dead and not inside one of my chickens any longer.

 

[stonykill]

so I wonder if the kerosene upset the normal healthy balance of worms? Or if they had an overload? Doesn't sound like the later from your description. Interesting none the less