The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[farmerfogg]

I have the most terrible news I can ever imagine typing here...

My barn..

My birds.

My Clementine.

All gone...

The barn caught fire and nothing is left. I don't even know.. I don't know what to say. My heart is broken. 

OMG! I'm so sorry to hear this! Words just cannot relay how sad I am for you!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Again, Aoxa so sorry

Well Little Red has gone 2 days now without attacking the teens. The only thing she does with them is normal pecking order stuff. So the isolation treatment really does rehab an aggressive chicken.

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote:
my brother grows sunchokes - he's trying fermenting them -- for people. Supposed to make them more digestible. Putting some in with the FF makes sense - may make them more palatable for the chicks. Would you worry about the starch level??

Once you plant sunchokes - you always have sunchokes, yes? Difficult to harvest every single tuber. I had them in a yard once - but it they got out of control - just too much - & I don't care much for them either. Sunchokes have a good press/marketing agent ;-)

 

[delisha]

Again, Aoxa so sorry

Well Little Red has gone 2 days now without attacking the teens. The only thing she does with them is normal pecking order stuff. So the isolation treatment really does rehab an aggressive chicken.

Good news!

 

[midnightroo]

Yes..a hawk sitting around will stop the hens from laying..stress of any kind will stop our hens from laying..

Ugh, ok I guess I need to do something to deter it from sitting on top of the run. Thanks, I guess that explains why I haven't gotten any eggs.

Did you feed them the green parts? Chicks love sunchoke greens..if the tubors were left to long in the ground or if they were harvested to early they will be bitter and they will not like them. Sunchokes are pretty plants and great to plant close to chicken runs for shade and food.

I didn't think about giving them the greens when they were growing this summer. We dug some right away, but this batch comes from later dig, after a frost which is suposed to make them tastier.

my brother grows sunchokes - he's trying fermenting them -- for people. Supposed to make them more digestible.  Putting some in with the FF makes sense - may make them more palatable for the chicks. Would you worry about the starch level??

Once you plant sunchokes - you always have sunchokes, yes? Difficult to harvest every single tuber.  I had them in a yard once - but it they got out of control - just too much - & I don't care much for them either. Sunchokes have a good press/marketing agent ;-)

I wasn't going to give the chickens only the chokes even with the ff, more of a ff treat with the chokes. Yes, I understand it is very hard to get every tuber so I am expecting to get more this summer. I need to go dig up another 15 ft before spring comes or it will be very over grown in that spot. Perhaps if the chickens nibble on them they won't get as many tubers.

I am trying to be more selfsufficent and grow local foods, but not sure if the sunchoke is a good fit for me.

 

[jockeyeba]

e What do ya'll think? a possible triple yolker It's 3 5/16" long & 5 1/2" diameter! I'm going to break it in the morning The picture is of one of the normal WR eggs & what I found this evening

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote:
I like the idea of chickens as weeders for the sunchokes - maybe they'll thin them for you!

 

[Melabella]

Again, thank you all so much for all your condolences.

I am looking to the future and trying not to see each individual life lost. It's all I can do to keep my sanity.

I have a little pullet in my basement from our very favorite hen - Penny. I am very grateful for that.

So I would love all your thoughts about starting fresh. If you had 46,000 to build a barn, what are some of the things you would do?

The insurance adjuster is here now. We are making spread sheets of our barn contents.

I'm just hoping all those birds in the barn died very quickly.

I know whatever money you have to rebuild could never be enough for all the things you may want to put in, but if there is any way that you could add solar, think of all the money you could save on energy.
The other thing I am saving my pennies for is a compost system. Wash room a must, and as someone mentioned, a processing area, with one of those big drains in the floor for easy hosing down.

I am so happy you have those babies in the basement, especially one of Penny's babies.
I have been thinking of you both all day. The outpouring of love and support here is a testament to how you make people feel Justine,

XOXO... mb

 

[delisha]

What do ya'll think? a possible triple yolker I'm going to break it in the morning The picture is of one of the normal WR eggs & what I found this evening

wow..and owie..lol

 

[Iain Utah]

Aoxa, you have my deepest condolences for your incredibly tragic loss.