The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Melabella]

congratulations!! You had a long wait!!

Thank you, glad to see you back! We are still silly loopy every time we find an egg! I've had an egg every day since New Years Eve. First egg was a different shape and totally different color than the next three. I am thinking I have 2 laying, but not too sure. A cold snap has come through, and I haven't spent the usual time out observing them. I think it's one of my RIR for sure, but then I think one of my red sex links after that.

I think it might warm up this weekend, and I can learn more!

MB

 

[Leahs Mom]

My helper Dylan (BFF) who was going to do the killing with me, but messed up on the test chicken and was not allowed using the knife again (but he cut their heads off and helped me pluck - so he's still a winner).

ThankS...that was a great little picture story!
And...I re-posted one of the photos

...but I just had to ask.....

DIDN'T YOUR HANDS FREEZE OFF IN THAT COLD WEATHER?????

 

[aoxa]

ThankS...that was a great little picture story!
And...I re-posted one of the photos

...but I just had to ask.....

DIDN'T YOUR HANDS FREEZE OFF IN THAT COLD WEATHER?????

The birds were all nice and toasty from the water.

Plus we are Canadian. We are TOUGH. I got hot somewhere along the way and ended up taking off my jacket. For 10 minutes. It went back on because it really was a cold day. Brrr..

 

[Leahs Mom]

The birds were all nice and toasty from the water.

Plus we are Canadian. We are TOUGH. I got hot somewhere along the way and ended up taking off my jacket. For 10 minutes. It went back on because it really was a cold day. Brrr..

I can understand getting hot like that....but the hands...wet in the cold.... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[aoxa]

I can understand getting hot like that....but the hands...wet in the cold.... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The only gloves we used were the disposable ones when we were killing. I have this tenancy to wipe my hands on me. Dylan also kept reminding me to remove the gloves. I stayed cleaner.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I worked for 30 yrs. in the insurance industry and was introduced to Histoplasmosis in the first month. It was the first workers comp claim I ever processed and I'd never heard of it before. The worker who got the disease worked for a gas company picking up and installing gas tanks. He made a drop every month at a farm and the tank he changed out was by the chicken coop so he was disturbing old droppings and must have breathed in the dust.

Here's a guy who was only around chickens one day a month and he got histoplasmosis. I can't imagine how that exposure would be increased if you had a number of chickens in your home 24/7.

Oh my goodness better keep using the mask when cleaning.

 

[aoxa]

Oh my goodness better keep using the mask when cleaning.

I never wear a mask! Now I'm going to have to keep this in mind.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Aoxa - thanks for the pics! Brilliant as usual ! Good idea putting the feathers in the compost pile.

 

[Bulldogma]

What a beautiful place to live

Thank you jockeyeba! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be allowed to rent the house here! The barn has 10 beautiful stalls and the landlord will let me rent at least 3 of them for only $75 ea.! If I weren't so busy these days already, I'd probably put some feelers out for some ponies to break/train for people. I broke horses in my 20s - that was 20... years ago - LOL. Lucky for me, I'm only 5'0" which (with 37 years of riding/training/teaching experience) makes me perfect for the pony market. Some day...

2 more are out..

I might get to sleep tonight after all.

2 are working hard at it..I have not helped any of them... I stay up..just in case i am needed. I am never needed. I should just get my hinny to bed.

One of the things i have noticed, with this extended time in the incubator the chicks belly/s are squished into the form of the egg. It is gross looking. I sure hope I can correct this incubator problem. I is sooooo much easier with a hen, you go out to the coop and see egg shells.

YAYYYY!

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa - thanks for the pics! Brilliant as usual ! Good idea putting the feathers in the compost pile.

I never clean up feathers outside when they molt, yet they all seem to disappear after a while. Too much work scooping them into garbage bags. It was a lazy idea. We had a snow storm the next day and it covered all the blood and the feathers.