The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Pozees]

just caught up with this thread. so now i will partake.


HELLO ALL

Hi Bruce! I have thought of you often the last few months, SO happy to see you here!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote:

 

[pigeonguy]

just caught up with this thread. so now i will partake.


HELLO ALL

How you doing. I ordered the temp controller for the incubator tonight after we got done talking. It reads in Celsius Fahrenheit cost more it has a high and low temp memory it only has a 5 amp relay but I can hook that to a bigger one. I also got a humidity controller that will be hooked to a fogger. I can't wait to see how this thing works out It will be a 12 volt off grid bater so I don't have to worry about power outages. That is about 60 dollars still have 40 more to keep it in budget. Most of the rest I have laying around though I think.
Old truck alternator, blades for it and a pole. Then build a egg turner.
The heat source will be a 12 volt window defroster for a car that was 15 dollars so that is 75 dollars invested.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-Air-Hum...902?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cca03364e

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-Digital...901?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a24b0054d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Ultraso...937?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b4984d29

 

[Sally8]

Mumsy, I am so happy for your little Silkie. I've tried to think up safe litter but I know you've used pine needles (too sticky, around here) and others mention shredded newspaper (too messy) I hope something comes to mind soon. I'm sorry so many troubles have fallen in your lap. Here's good thoughts coming west.

I still use newspaper with chicks until they are going to the teen cage. It's always been warm enough for them to go on the ground. This year DH built me a very nice coop/run for the screened porch until warmer. I just need figure out the heating/light for nights. It's still getting down around 20.


I'll finish with a little humor. I had a little poult hatch and didn't want him by himself until the rest hatched so I put the little Silkie "Thor" with the attitude in with him. I caught Thor dragging the poult across the cage floor by his foot. Thor is in with chicks 10x his size and does well. The poult now has 2 more siblings that leave his feet alone. Good night all. sue

 

[lalaland]

great fun catching up on the thread today! Justine and Mumsy, great news. And Bruce luring Pigeonguy to the thread tonight. No wonder it is 3-13-13, lol.

I'm trying to decide whether to move a small old coop I have, think outhouse size, into the run so when I get the chicks this spring (SFH and maybe icelandics? keep changing my mind) so it will be easier to blend flocks - just make an interior chicken wire fence to keep the chicks safe from the big girls. Or...lose the storage half of the coop and put the chicks in that side? I know I have to tar the danged roof again as it has started to leak.

If I had the $, I would build one of those funny roofs people put over their rvs or campers.

So easy this time of year to make plans, and then when it all hits at once: spring planting, tilling, weeding, chicks, basic maintenance on the coop, cleaning, planting...it gets hard to keep up! I can not wait to retire so I can spend more time doing what I like.

Snow is melting, and the driveway is mud. Going to have to park at the bottom soon, and hike up to the house.

Saw an actual meadowlark today when I was in southern mn picking up old chicken feeders.

 

[Ashdoes]

I give my eggs to family but still have a couple that won't eat them...my SILs MIL told her that her husband couldn't eat the brown eggs. I was like, what? And SILs husband said he prefers the store bought eggs. Ive not noticed a difference in eating store bought versus fresh, but I thought free is nice right? I'm hoping getting rid of the two SLWs will help with the overflow, and I'm really looking to find somewhere to donate as well.

 

[pigeonguy]

great fun catching up on the thread today! Justine and Mumsy, great news. And Bruce luring Pigeonguy to the thread tonight. No wonder it is 3-13-13, lol.

I'm trying to decide whether to move a small old coop I have, think outhouse size, into the run so when I get the chicks this spring (SFH and maybe icelandics? keep changing my mind) so it will be easier to blend flocks - just make an interior chicken wire fence to keep the chicks safe from the big girls. Or...lose the storage half of the coop and put the chicks in that side? I know I have to tar the danged roof again as it has started to leak.

If I had the $, I would build one of those funny roofs people put over their rvs or campers.

So easy this time of year to make plans, and then when it all hits at once: spring planting, tilling, weeding, chicks, basic maintenance on the coop, cleaning, planting...it gets hard to keep up! I can not wait to retire so I can spend more time doing what I like.

Snow is melting, and the driveway is mud. Going to have to park at the bottom soon, and hike up to the house.

Saw an actual meadowlark today when I was in southern mn picking up old chicken feeders.

We had snow lots of it then rain then mud to our knees then it froze now they say more snow.

 

[PeepsCA]

just caught up with this thread. so now i will partake.


HELLO ALL

Hi bruceh

Glad to see you here.
I always think of you as the meatie-bird man, from reading a lot of your posts on other threads... you're my main inspiration to order a batch of cornish or cornish-X to raise for my family's freezers

(I'm still workin' up to that endeavor tho, lol).

 

[PeepsCA]

We had snow lots of it then rain then mud to our knees then it froze now they say more snow.

I'll trade you a few inches of your snow for a few days of the high 70s-low 80s temps I've had this week.
My poor plants and birds all think it's Spring... but I know better

 

[chikenscratch]

I'd gladly trade the snow, rain,sleet, high winds, fog, and cold temps for 70 degree weather! That is summer here!!!!!!!! When can we make the switch???