The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

Because I have both LF and Bantam in my incubator for the first time, I decided I need a better incubator.

You and me both sister. I have been tinkering with the cheapo methods since dionosaur chickens laid eggs in my barn.
Mamma needs a new bator.

That way I will never have this much stress since the silkies are not going away. I will probably have to reorder them. I do not think these are going to make it. They are still viable, but, I did candle today and the heartbeat is not as strong and they are less active. The rest of my eggs need more humidity, so I will end up drowning the silkies.

I am going to try to raise the silkies in the incubator, by building a ledge to add heat, less moisture, and hope that might save some of them. I will be doing it tomorrow.

This smokes my brain. If this works, I will be in awe of your bator skills for all time.

I do not want to loose all the rest of my hatch and I have pushed them as far as I can. I probably will have some issues with them, but they have not all internally piped yet so it should be OK for the most part. I should have some external pipping tomorrow night.

Going to be chicks very soon. For sure.
Lock down day three for me tomorrow too. No Silkies, but I'd sure like to see some Johnny chicks soon.

Got word yesterday that Heritage RIR eggs and chicks are going to be coming my way in March. One incubator is not going to cut it in a very short while. Serious hatching coming up in the near future.

 

[delisha]

So I decided to investigate further on herbs/flowers that are edible & beneficial for chickens.

Here are a couple interesting links I found for those who are interested

http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/01/nesting-box-herbs-chicken-aromatherapy.html
http://www.herbcottage.com.au/blog/2010/10/herbs-for-healthy-chickens/


I listed a few that I knew others might be interested in, Def some great info with the upcoming planting season:

​

Oregano - combats coccidia, salmonella, infectious bronchitis, avian flue, blackhead and ecoli
Fennel -laying stimulant
Garlic - laying stimulant
Sage - antioxidant, anti-parasitic, general health promoter

I also read parsley was a laying stimulant

I might just but some parsley & add more garlic to their FF for a week or two & see if it increases their laying. I keep a daily log so it should be interesting.

​

Thank you so very much!! Many readers will love this information!

 

[Leahs Mom]

So I decided to investigate further on herbs/flowers that are edible & beneficial for chickens.

Thanks! I've read the fresh eggs daily post but hadn't seen the other. Someone on facebook recently posted this site that has some free tutorials/ecpirses. www.learningherbs.com Maybe some day I'll look into going through some of those!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I also love Molly's at Fiasco Farm. http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/herb_index.htm

But there is something lurking in the back of my mind every time I think about "medicinal herbs". And that is - that I want to raise my animals in such a way that I don't need to do a lot of treating. So I have this conflict all the time. I want to know what the herbs are good for, but the other side says to me that if I need a bunch or "medicating" - herbal or otherwise - then maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Oh well...just my own conflict...

But I do like being able to grow herbs that they can eat and enjoy!!

No conflict for me there!

 

[rambunctious]

So I decided to investigate further on herbs/flowers that are edible & beneficial for chickens.

Here are a couple interesting links I found for those who are interested

http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/01/nesting-box-herbs-chicken-aromatherapy.html
http://www.herbcottage.com.au/blog/2010/10/herbs-for-healthy-chickens/


I listed a few that I knew others might be interested in, Def some great info with the upcoming planting season:

​

Oregano - combats coccidia, salmonella, infectious bronchitis, avian flue, blackhead and ecoli
Fennel -laying stimulant
Garlic - laying stimulant
Sage - antioxidant, anti-parasitic, general health promoter

I also read parsley was a laying stimulant

I might just but some parsley & add more garlic to their FF for a week or two & see if it increases their laying. I keep a daily log so it should be interesting.

​

Amazing info and all in one spot! Now...to figure out how much to add...Thanks!!

 

[Ashdoes]

I really enjoyed the creepy, bloody egg mystery solving. I'm continually amazed by the things theses chickens do, and the ability of this group of people to figure out and solve or at least explain the issue.
While I don't think I'll ever do any skinning of chickens, it's quite interesting to read about the process.
I'm very excited, my husband and I finally agreed on which breed of duck we want, Runners, and I'll order some over the summer. Delisha, what do you do with the duck eggs? Do they taste the same as chicken eggs? My MIL already wants some for baking, but I'm wondering what I do the rest, besides hatching. And, do ducks roost, or do they like to be on the ground? I'm sure I'll have more questions down the road, I'm a researcher planner of everything I do.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

I also love Molly's at Fiasco Farm. http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/herb_index.htm

But there is something lurking in the back of my mind every time I think about "medicinal herbs". And that is - that I want to raise my animals in such a way that I don't need to do a lot of treating. So I have this conflict all the time. I want to know what the herbs are good for, but the other side says to me that if I need a bunch or "medicating" - herbal or otherwise - then maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Oh well...just my own conflict...

But I do like being able to grow herbs that they can eat and enjoy!!

No conflict for me there!

Instead of looking at medicinal herbs as a treatment, maybe try looking at them as preventative ?

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I think of them as a preventive. I already put cayenne pepper, garlic & oregano in their FF from time to time. Not because they have worms or because they are sick but just to boost their immune systems as a preventive. Its kind of like the wood ash that is always in a littler box in their run & nesting boxes. Its not their because they have mites & lice but to prevent them. And I am all for growing my own herbs for their eating pleasure and then drying them for use for winter months for all of us.

How does the old saying go " An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Much easier to keep healthy chickens then try to cure sick ones

 

[aoxa]

Okay, all you silkie owners... All my 4 months old roosters are crowing, but not the two silkie roos. Do they take longer to crow or do you think they'll just start when I get rid of all the big roos this weekend?

Yes they usually crow much later than other breeds.

I wish I had a better camera that could take better pictures in the dark.
TThis is what my silkie eggs look like. The air cell is on the right and the bottom of the egg filled with clear liquid is pretty large. The chick is in the center of the egg and takes up less than a 1/2 of the egg....

Looks normal to me. Why are you candling after lockdown though?

 

[aoxa]

No blood in poop today! Chicks all normal!