The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Noncentzter]

Wow, that's a beautiful barn and looks nice enough to live in! I have some marans crosses and they do well in a mixed flock.

 

[jendodd79]

I think it's beautiful and I want to live there!!!

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.

I have one BCM hen - she hasn't been the tamest of the ones I've raised, but now is quite inquisitive.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

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.

I more than love it!! Tho the side runs are a waste in your climate as they are iin this pic, I would make those enclosed and part of the barn (separated pens). I'd have the runs outside as large as you like. Was it Delisha that posted one similar to this one? That was awesome too. Personally I'd like an elevator to go up to the loft..LOL

 

[Turkeytruff]

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.

I have 6 hens and 1 roo. I love them - they are a good dual purpose breed, they are pretty laid back, great dark eggs. You do have a lot to consider if you want to show them - there are so many specific issues re their colouring, their eyes, squirrel tail, body shape, etc. But if you just want to enjoy dark eggs whilst gradually building up a show quality - they are lovely. So sorry for your loss, Aoxa. You have a lot of people out there who care, I just heard about it on the rare turkeys forum.

 

[amenfarm]

Lovely work... this will soften the scab but not remove the infection. You most likely will have to remove the scab and pull the infection capsul out and then follow up with disinfecting and wrapping. I have done a few. Sooner you do it the sooner she will heal and stop the spreading.

2x--I agree. My first time buying hens I checked everything BUT the bottom of their feet. A few weeks later, I had my hubby hold them while I did a very good inspection a found bumble-foot on my English black orpingtons. My husband did the surgery, I packed the wound with triple antibiotic salve and gave long lasting penicillin shots, 1/2 cc every day, soaked in Epsom soaks--but we moved to a soak containing a antibiotic for fish also used for burn patients. You mix it in a lidded container with distilled water--I think I had to throw it out every 7 days and start fresh, I made sure the feet were clean and her butt hung over the outside edge. I kept her feet covered in vet wrap also, and I worn gloves because this is a Staph bacteria. After 6 long weeks, they no longer has the infection. This is the thread i followed for the one hen, Penelope, that was the worse. I used this treatment the 2 week in
Vet suggestion for non-invasive bumblefoot cure

, and yes, I would use it again. I suspect the roost was too high (in their previous home) for these large girls.

 

[amenfarm]

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.

I've been trying to catch up with everyone and what sad news! a barn fire is one of mt worse fears! I drive my DH crazy everytime we plug anything barnwise in, is it safe? I'm glad you can see past the hurt to build again and find new friends while remembering the old. Prayers for you and yours in tennessee. I loved the name clementine--I have some new chickens...

 

[Bulldogma]

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

Great way to keep things in perspective, Loin.

Mille Fleur is French and pronounced "Mill Fler."

As for D'uccle... I've heard "Duckle," "Duke-le" and a few other variations - LOL! Not sure about that one.

 

[Bulldogma]

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.

Love, love, love the barn! I think you could take the basic design and do wonders with it.

I'm glad you have photos to document the destruction caused by the fire. At some point, I hope you will do a timeline post with the before, the destruction and the after... there's a Phoenix reference here somewhere...

I can't wait to see your future barn and all the customizations you make to it! I'm still hurting for your loss, but I think you are doing the right thing to focus on the future. The healing will come in time, and there will be a whole gamut of emotions between here and there... but having that special thing to focus on - - can make the journey a little smoother.

Hugs -

 

[Mumsy]

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/

WOW! A dream barn! Be sure to put a little guest room upstairs so a certain someone can come visit you all the way from Whidbey Island, Washington! Love it.

 

[chickiemomy]

Justine, I first want to send my condolences for your loss. Sending my prayers to you and your partner. I am thankful that you are posting and updating here for us to see. I hope that will help you in your healing process. Thank you for all I have learned from you in this post.

I do have a question re ff if any of you have a moment to listen. I have been making kefir and kombucha for about a year now and I use the whey from my milk kefir to ferment the chicks food. I don't saturate the food, but I do pour the whey in and stir it up and let it sit a day or so. It is in a room in my house that is pretty chilly and I can feel the heat from the contents thru the plastic bucket. Is that the same as fermenting their food or do I have to soak it in water and filtered ACV?

I have also been using my spare scobys from my kombucha to mix into their ff when I feed them. (I grind it up in my food processor) I read in one of BeeKissed posts that giving them pro biotics would help keep them healthy.

Last week, I lost a 20 month old barred rock for no apparent reason. I also have another barred rock that is going thru what I think is a very sever molt right now, however I don't know that for sure. Altho she is loosing lots of feathers and pretty skinny she is eating and acting normal.

The only thing I would guess is that I was giving them too many "treats" which caused them to not get enough of the nutrition they needed from their food. The treats would be oat, barley and wheat flakes mixed with whey or yoghurt. And yes, a small amount of left overs from our table.

That is why I began fermenting their food in the hope that the others would benefit from the ff. Can anyone tell me if my method is the same as fermenting with ACV?

Thanks

Re: Fermentation --

Fermentation WILL happen without adding anything to boost it - the lacto-bacillus (scary sounding name - but is not) - that causes fermentation is in our air, naturally, wild fermentation. This is true for Sauerkraut, dill pickles, kim chi, or chicken feed

If you want to get a ferment going quicker you can give your ferment a starter boost - it can be one of the following:
1) unpasteurized, cider vinegar with the mother - what many use to start fermenting food for their chickens
2) whey from unpasteruized yogurt - or other fermented milk products - such as kefir
3) unpasteurized MISO - red bean paste - or fermented soybeans --(my usual, preferred source)
4) liquid from already fermented food - I will also use the sauerkraut juice from my last batch to innoculate the next batch. -- from home fermented foods, we add probably too much salt to be good for use in chicken feed. The salt is added, BTW to slow down the ferment so it doesn't go too fast - this is only of interest for people foods - not applicable to chicken feed.

All of the above will provide a boost of the good bacteria to get a ferment going good. Once a ferment is going, as long as you continue to feed it, you don't need to add more of a boost. That is -- as long as the bacteria have something to digest - the ferment will happen. If you leave a ferment for WAY too long - the bacteria run out of stuff to eat, then die - then the food rots. Think sourdough starter - you take out a cup of sourdough goop, then add a cup of flour, a little sugar, a little water & it continues bubbling along. Same thing for chicken feed - you take out one day's amount, you add in more dry, you add in more water, and the little bacteria are happy digesting that starch & producing lactic acid - lactic is not milk here - but it is the sour taste you get from sauerkraut, for example.

The point is - you can start stuff fermenting with a number of sources of lacto-bacillus -- but the lacto-bacillus is what is working to ferment the food. You may choose something for any number of reasons - figure ACV is popular with chicken folks because of the common practice of using ACV for health reasons. I personally don't use any starter from milk products because of family allergies - the lacto-bacillus isn't allergenic, but if I use whey, the milk protein will come along with the whey & will cause a food allergy reaction. I use MISO for my people food - it's easy, don't have to use much & keeps in the frig for 6 months or more.

That is also why you don't have to keep adding more ACV to the chicken feed to keep it going - just keep adding new food, more water & it will bubble away on its own.

Ferment can start within 24 hours - the longer it ferments, the more complete the digestion. Sauerkraut can be completed in just a few days in the summer - why we add salt - slow it down.

Alcohol production sounds similar - but is different because instead of using wild fermenting bacillus - you are using a special yeast - you sanitize your containers and you seal the air out. Reason is the alcohol producint yeasts are 'special' and will be overcome by the naturally occuring ferment agents if you leave your beer or wine open to the air -- and then you get.... VINEGAR!

The lacto-bacillus organisms are such good competitors, they will out-breed and replace all the other nasty stuff. That's why you don't have to worry about botulism when you are fermenting with the wild stuff - leaving your container of feed open to the air. (I even read where someone in a lab tried to innoculate ferment with - either botulism, or salmonella - something like that -- and even tho innoculated with the bad stuff, the ferment showed no sign of the bad stuff after fermentation -- not for home test/use LOL)

Anyone interested in people ferment - I would recommend books by Sandor Katz - 'wild fermentation' or Sally Fallon - "Nourishing Traditions"