The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Melabella]

Combs & Wattles....

These two are the same age and from the same hatchery. Look at the dif. in the size of wattles and combs!


Little Red (Broody Mom) This was just after the fray..looks like she has a wound above her eye there.




Big Red. Huge size difference.

I have the same thing here...genetics.. so varied. Is that scratch over broody mama from the world war? Your play by play description was great, I felt like I was in the coop with you! I let the little flock free range today for a bit as I saw being stuck in the run for so many days, they have been picking on one of the RIR a bit too much. I can't imagine what it is like with a mom protecting her chickies. Love the pics too, thanks for posting them!
MB

 

[pigeonguy]

Combs & Wattles....

These two are the same age and from the same hatchery. Look at the dif. in the size of wattles and combs!


Little Red (Broody Mom) This was just after the fray..looks like she has a wound above her eye there.




Big Red. Huge size difference.

That's a hen and rooster right.
I can see it now they are both hens. whats up with that.

 

[Melabella]

200 lbs a day how many horses do you have.

An average horse produces beween 40-60lbs of manure a day. In winter when grass isn't available any more, you tend to feed a bit more hay, subsequently, a bit more poo!

I have 4

Skeptical, my 15 year old Thoroughbred.

Rosie, my daughter's pony

Molly, a 5 year old Haflinger

Levi, DH's SpottedSaddle/Tennessee walking horse.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote: I tried some in water and didn't like the taste either, but it's pretty good in apple juice.
I have the trick for you guys..
two shot glasses
one have ACV
the other has Tequilla
Tequilla is first..the ACV does not taste like ACV after the Tequilla LOL

x2. I haven't had any alcohol since '99. My choice, not a drinking problem to clarify(Went to a Tool concert and don't know how I got home)

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Pigeonguy, the ear recipe you gave for my dogs ear is working. 2 treatments and has a 20-30% improvement. He still has old age hearing loss, but now when he is awake, he can hear me.

 

[chickiemomy]

Aoxa & LM - The chick pics are wonderful. They make me want............resisting, resisting and resisting. Well, maybe this spring.....they grow up ..... (trying to talk myself out of it) sigh

x 2000 !!!

 

[chickiemomy]

Let us all know when you come up with a solution. Those cups are awesome!

I've got a little off topic question but I think you all are the ones to ask. All this talk of the health benefits of ff and ACV makes me wonder what else I could feed this to. Do any of you feed your horses ff and acv? Rabbits?

back to the forco I mentioned before -- similar effect - pre-biotic -- there are those feeding this to dogs, cats, & labelled for horses -- I think we all can use improvement in digestion --

and I don't put ACV in water - I do mix a paste with some feed & glop it onto a dish - they slurp it up - so it doesn't HAVE to be in the water... Just ingested.

 

[jockeyeba]

Let us all know when you come up with a solution.  Those cups are awesome!


I've got a little off topic question but I think you all are the ones to ask.  All this talk of the health benefits of ff and ACV makes me wonder what else I could feed this to.  Do any of you feed your horses ff and acv?  Rabbits?


 

I know some people take a shot of ACV daily. I tried and just can't handle it. I tried putting it in a 16oz glass of water with lots of honey and still can't do it.

I tried some in water and didn't like the taste either, but it's pretty good in apple juice.

I have the trick for you guys..
two shot glasses
one have ACV
the other has Tequilla
Tequilla is first..the ACV does not taste like ACV after the Tequilla

I put a little ACV in my breakfast smoothies every morning

 

[jockeyeba]

200 lbs a day how many horses do you have.

An average horse produces beween 40-60lbs of manure a day. In winter when grass isn't available any more, you tend to feed a bit more hay, subsequently, a bit more poo! I have 4 Skeptical, my 15 year old Thoroughbred. Rosie, my daughter's pony Molly, a 5 year old Haflinger Levi, DH's SpottedSaddle/Tennessee walking horse.

Nice horses We have plenty of horse manure everyday too Now I'm going to have to show mine

 

[jockeyeba]

A TALE OF TWO CITIES Or...Why did the chickens cross through the gate? Okay....I opened the door between the 2 sides this afternoon to see what would happen when the oldsters wanted to get near the chicks. WORLD WAR 3

For one thing, mom parks herself in a really crazy place in a corner right in front of 2 doors - 1 leading out of the hen house and the other leading into the other side. So I open the door as you can see. The others venture over to see what's to eat and really aren't minding the chicks at all. But mom GOES BALLISTIC!

I call mom "little red" because her combs and wattle are small compared to "big red" whose are really quite large for a lady. Anyway...Big Red comes over and mom flies at her talons to front and a huge brawl ensues. I finally stick my foot between the 2...rest a min....then back at it. Separate them again and Big red goes outside. Then comes a Barred Rock. Fight again. Barred rock puts up a fight but it ends more quickly and she goes outside. Then poor Charlie - the total underdog - comes over to check out the food. Mom goes after her but Charlie is not a fighter and she's out the door right away. Then Charlie's sister (these 2 are Hatchery Araucanas). BIG FIGHT...and Charlie's sister seems to want to really have it out but I give her "what for" and out she goes. Now...mind you...I didn't interfere a lot... just enough to keep it from coming to bloodletting. I figure they need to learn what she'll tolerate and what she won't. This is after the fray...in that crazy corner again and watching the others carefully. (And that's Charlie by the waterer.) After the chicks are completely terrorized with a crazy mom doing things they've never seen before, she tries to get them to eat but everyone's kind-of dazed...she backs into the corner THAT I THINK MAKES SENSE FOR HER TO BE IN, and they all rally behind and under. With the door still open...the others are keeping their distance, but 3 of them venture over to the kid's side while mom is in this far corner. They're completely ignoring mom and scratching around for food in the litter. There was some spelt and barley on the floor there. They finally wander away. I could see her visibly relaxing while she was watching the others on her side eating since she was in a "position of strength" in that corner... Afterwards she got up and enticed the kiddos to eat and hang out. THEN WENT BACK TO THAT STUPID CORNER BY THE DOORS AGAIN! I finally had to go in so I shut the doors between. Enough for 1 day. And...I kind-of chased them back to the corner that makes sense to see if she'll take up permanent residence there. We'll see.

Too funny

Chick Pix - 2 Weeks Old (These were taken after WW3) Mom still being vigilant just in case someone comes her way. FF in the foreground. Digging into FF. Dry feed in background. I still offer a little dry free-choice.

cute chicks & I know I've missed a lot of posts to comment on but goodnight everyone