The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[loanwizard]

At 46 I decided to knock something off my bucket list, went to school, and got my apprentice auctioneers license. Why or what does that have to do with chickens? Let me share with y'all what I posted on Facebook this morning-


Quote:
Her I am worried about my little auction while these catastrophe's are going on around me. The family that lost the baby a couple of weeks ago are a part of my auction because part of the food proceeds will go to the family to try to get him a headstone.

Thinking further, out of Katrina has grown a greater more vibrant New Orleans, at least I hope so.... the same with Sandy.

I hope everything works out and is better. Losing anything to death is painful and I cannot fathom losing a child. As pragmatic as I am about death, I do have some sensitivity, even for a male.

In closing, I have a question. How in the world do you pronounce the breed Mill of Flower de ugly, chicken, and why do you want to breed something so difficult to pronounce and spell?

Loin

 

[Leahs Mom]

Stupid, but I'm going to ask anyway.

I don't make my own milk and cheese etc...where can I get kefir?

If I use kefir, I don't use UnACV? Do I still add UnACV to their water? What does the kefir do differently than the UnACV?

Not a stupid question!!! No question is stupid!

You can get kefir at the regular grocery store - usually near the yogurt. Just get one with live cultures and unflavored.

Kefir, buttermilk, etc., contain Cultures (bacteria) similar to what you think of in yogurt. It just adds more of those to the feed to get things going faster. These bacteria are present in your feed and in the air already; adding the "starter" just increases the population more quickly. Many people don't add a starter at all.

The LABs (Lactic Acid Bacteria) feed on the carbs in your feed and put out LACTIC ACID. That's the "tangy" or "sour" smell you begin to smell (like in sauerkraut or old fashioned fermented pickles).

Apple cider that has fermented to the vinegar stage is acetic acid. It is the product of the fermenting of the fruit through a mixture of bacteria and various YEASTS. The first stage is alcohol; then as it continues to ferment and all the carbs are digested, it becomes vinegar - acetic acid.

The key in fermenting your feed is to keep yeasts and LABs (lactic acid bacteria) in balance. The acid being produced by the LABs is what "preserves"...the kind of preservation that folks used for years! As the (lactic) acid rises (pH lowers) it makes an inhospitable environment for "BAD BACTERIA" and "BAD YEASTS/MOLDS" and therefore preserves and makes a healthy product!

That's a short version....there's way more but.... DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU OVERLOAD!



ETA: Good grief! I keep getting strange things going on in my posts. Had to edit again to fix. It was supposed to read: Get kefir that's unflavored and w/live cultures.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Loin...thanks for sharing that. Perspective.

(And I don't know how to pronounce mille fleur d'uccle either.

)

 

[rambunctious]

Not a stupid question!!! No question is stupid!

You can get kefir at the regular grocery store - usually near the yogurt. Just get one with live cultures and unflavored.

Kefir, buttermilk, etc., contain Cultures (bacteria) similar to what you think of in yogurt. It just adds more of those to the feed to get things going faster. These bacteria are present in your feed and in the air already; adding the "starter" just increases the population more quickly. Many people don't add a starter at all.

The LABs (Lactic Acid Bacteria) feed on the carbs in your feed and put out LACTIC ACID. That's the "tangy" or "sour" smell you begin to smell (like in sauerkraut or old fashioned fermented pickles).

Apple cider that has fermented to the vinegar stage is acetic acid. It is the product of the fermenting of the fruit through a mixture of bacteria and various YEASTS. The first stage is alcohol; then as it continues to ferment and all the carbs are digested, it becomes vinegar - acetic acid.

The key in fermenting your feed is to keep yeasts and LABs (lactic acid bacteria) in balance. The acid being produced by the LABs is what "preserves"...the kind of preservation that folks used for years! As the (lactic) acid rises (pH lowers) it makes an inhospitable environment for "BAD BACTERIA" and "BAD YEASTS/MOLDS" and therefore preserves and makes a healthy product!

That's a short version....there's way more but.... DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU OVERLOAD!



ETA: Good grief! I keep getting strange things going on in my posts. Had to edit again to fix. It was supposed to read: Get kefir that's unflavored and w/live cultures.

Thank you! And Thank you a WHOLE TON for not going into overload..I feel like I'm there already.

1)So, to get started on FF w/kefir. I would add say, 4c of feed, ____ kefir?, water to cover 1" set it somewhere warm for 2-3 days. Scoop from bottom of bucket without stirring. Add back in dry food/water for what I took out?

2)Can I do the 2 bucket system w/it? Does stirring cause issues with it getting it's groove on?

3)Do I still put UnACV in their water? Or regular water because if I'm doing the kefir feed right, their gut is already healthy?

4)(for when my chicks get older) Do you use kefir in their scratch? Or do you use UnACV with scratch? Do you sprout their scratch? I like the idea keeping scratch separate so that I can toss in the coop for them to stir DLM.

I have 15 1 week old chicks right now. I'd like to really get them rolling right! I can't thank you enough!

 

[Noncentzter]

Loin...thanks for sharing that. Perspective.

(And I don't know how to pronounce mille fleur d'uccle either.

)

I've seen it posted as: meal-flurr dew-clay

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thank you! And Thank you a WHOLE TON for not going into overload..I feel like I'm there already.

1)So, to get started on FF w/kefir. I would add say, 4c of feed, ____ kefir?, water to cover 1" set it somewhere warm for 2-3 days. Scoop from bottom of bucket without stirring. Add back in dry food/water for what I took out?

If you start w/4 C feed you could use about 1/4 - 1/2 C. Kefir. DO STIR! In fact, stir frequently during the first few days and even thereafter. The only time I don's stir is just before I scoop it out so it's not all diluted and floating around and hard to get! When I scoop some out, I just scoop down to the bottom of the bucket and lift up the thick stuff that has settled.

2)Can I do the 2 bucket system w/it? Does stirring cause issues with it getting it's groove on?

Answered in #1 STIR!!! You can use the double bucket if you want, but I don't because I want to use all the sediment...that's where my fish meal and nutrient suppliment would go..where I couldn't get to it!

3)Do I still put UnACV in their water? Or regular water because if I'm doing the kefir feed right, their gut is already healthy?

Yes! Use ACV wherever you want. It also contains enzymes that are extremely helpful for health!

4)(for when my chicks get older) Do you use kefir in their scratch? Or do you use UnACV with scratch? Do you sprout their scratch? I like the idea keeping scratch separate so that I can toss in the coop for them to stir DLM.

I sprout my whole grains (which it what scratch is). Others put it in their ff to ferment with the regular feed. You can do either you like.

I have 15 1 week old chicks right now. I'd like to really get them rolling right! I can't thank you enough!

 

[aoxa]

What do you guys think of this barn? Just a bit bigger.



http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2011/09/29/chicken-coop-photos-and-description-from-maria-beason/

Someone has asked us to take images of the loss. I have documentation, but didn't think anyone would ever want to see it.

What is everyone's experience with Black Copper Marans? I want to know how they forage. How well they lay. What their personalities are like, etc. I am considering adding them when we rebuild. I have always wanted dark eggs.

 

[rambunctious]

What do you guys think of this barn? Just a bit bigger.



http://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2011/09/29/chicken-coop-photos-and-description-from-maria-beason/

Someone has asked us to take images of the loss. I have documentation, but didn't think anyone would ever want to see it.

What is everyone's experience with Black Copper Marans? I want to know how they forage. How well they lay. What their personalities are like, etc. I am considering adding them when we rebuild. I have always wanted dark eggs.

THAT IS BEAUTIFUL! I don't have any Marans, but I see the allure!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yes...beautiful barn!

The only experience I have with BCM i the 4 eggs I set under my broody that didn't hatch

. They were shipped and probably scrambled.

 

[gram of five]

WOW, that is beautiful! I don't know anything about the Black Copper Marans, but will stay tuned to see what others say.!!