The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

BDM
you asked for a pic and here it is.

Great picture! Thank you.

Those in California...
Gold Coast show is this weekend..Take pictures!!

Those in Florida!
Florida Classics's is this weekend at lake City

Those in SE GA

In Swainsboro is this weekend

Delisha - where do you find out all the show information? I've looked around before, but it always seemed like I had to go to 15 different sites to find a few shows. Thank you for posting this out here!

 

[delisha]

http://www.standardbreedpoultry.com/poultry_shows_swaps.php

 

[delisha]

http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/poultry-show-dates.html

 

[delisha]

https://secure.myserver.cc/~poultrypress.com/subscribe.html

You could order the poultry press and you will have all the show dates come to your home

 

[chickiemomy]

a quick observation of my dorky GSL, Blondie -- it's beginning to snow - first snow these chicks have seen. Blondie is still scavenging under the wild bird feeder (altho it was picked clean by the squirrels et al many hours ago, I'm sure). everyone else is huddled under the coop, in the coop, or in the covered run.

guess it's time to go out & save her from herself - afternoon treaty time - get warm, get full, get ready for beddy-bye.

 

[chickiemomy]

ok - treat question - something I just observed -- I have occasionally given the chicks pieces of overripe banana - not their fav, but disappears over the morning. Then I thought I'd put some peels in with their scraps - let them peck off the soft part - like they do with cantaloupe rinds - which they love.

so this afternoon, I was eating a banana as I went out - & dropped a peel - long skinny thing in the coop as they came in -- I saw one pick it up & in it went WHOLE. I quickly pulled it back out of her mouth - seems like it would just stuff a crop.

Won't do that again - unless you guys say it's ok & not dangerous -- they've had them before but I never watched them eating the peels before. I know celery strings can impact a crop, but never imagined a banana peel would be slurped up like that -- & no they aren't produce deprived - this was after they'd been out foraging all afternoon on grass, weeds & things.... I'm generally of the opinion that they'll eat what's okay for them, but you gotta admit, bananas aren't exactly growing on trees up here in the NW

what do you all think???

 

[Bulldogma]

.com/poultry-show-dates.html

Delisha - thank you for the great information. Seems VA isn't very active with poultry shows... but NC has some!

 

[delisha]

ok - treat question - something I just observed -- I have occasionally given the chicks pieces of overripe banana - not their fav, but disappears over the morning. Then I thought I'd put some peels in with their scraps - let them peck off the soft part - like they do with cantaloupe rinds - which they love.

so this afternoon, I was eating a banana as I went out - & dropped a peel - long skinny thing in the coop as they came in -- I saw one pick it up & in it went WHOLE. I quickly pulled it back out of her mouth - seems like it would just stuff a crop.

Won't do that again - unless you guys say it's ok & not dangerous -- they've had them before but I never watched them eating the peels before. I know celery strings can impact a crop, but never imagined a banana peel would be slurped up like that -- & no they aren't produce deprived - this was after they'd been out foraging all afternoon on grass, weeds & things.... I'm generally of the opinion that they'll eat what's okay for them, but you gotta admit, bananas aren't exactly growing on trees up here in the NW

what do you all think???

lol..chickens can do some very odd things..I toss my peels under the rose bushes and on the refuse pile. I have no idea if they eat them or not. They certainly have access to them.

 

[PeepsCA]

Sorry about your Hen BDM, she's very pretty... hope you can save her and not have to cull her.

If you've already gloved up and checked for an egg and ruled that out, then I agree with Aoxa's diagnosis, and Delisha's treatment suggestion... but I would also add molasses to that mixture too, and get that into the bird ASAP. This past Fall I went thru a round of what I initially thought was sour crop on a Silkie Cockerel that was more than likely an impaction (of the gizzard or gut) instead... he had a very ballooned crop at first, was hunched and all puffed up, and was only pooping liquid. I was able to save him.

I can describe my method of treatment, in detail if you'd like... it's pretty hands on, and not that easy, but it worked.

 

[aoxa]

Peeps,

Please do share!