The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

If you free range you can put more birds in your coop. If you have small birds you can put more than 6 in. If the 6 birds meet your needs you are perfect! With smaller coops and lack of free ranging, some birds get bored, and some get mean. Some breeds of chickens were not designed to be *locked up*. However some breeds do very well with confinement. If you are adding birds, just do some leg work and choose what is right for the birds and right for you and you will do just great if you add birds..or don't.

If you do..we need pictures!!!

Yes.

 

[Sally8]

I have been thinking a lot of doing this LaLa and like you said Google is full of ideas on how to do it. All part of my "return to self sufficiency" goal. 10 years ago we were really good at living frugal...real frugal. Working back towards that previous life and beyond

 

[lalaland]

Lala- thanks..yes I did a google search for making it in the crock pot. Wow its easy! Im gonna try it today.

I have been wanting a jersey cow for a long time. I am hoping this is the year i can get one. We process our own beef, have the chickens, seems like a milk cow is the next step.

I hope you can get a jersey cow too! would love to do that but am not home enough to care for the cow. If I had access to raw milk, I'ld be making buttermilk. Good stuff, n othing like the fake stuff sold in the stores.

After postig about crockpots, decided to try it so I am trying the crockpot method this morning, it occurred to me that I could get rid of the yogurt maker (make more room). I am not liking trying to figure out the timing on how long it took for the milk to get to the right temp, and now am trying to figure out how long it takes to cool back down.

 

[Bulldogma]

First and foremost for those of you who follow that blog, you need to go check as an announcement has been made about a certain giveaway.

I just need enough people in my old fashioned co-op to buy what equals 3/4 of a ton between them. I have some but not enough yet. OH and all my feed is fermented I think most know that.

Awesome that you're putting all that together and helping your friend with their feed needs at the same time!

I just got horrible news yesterday and it had to be while I was sitting in a restaurant.

I hope so too. I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Shes my old riding instructor and has always been great.

Sorry about the first farm and keeping my fingers crossed on your instructor's farm!!

*****

And for those of you following the saga of my sick Orpington... when it became evident to me in the middle of the night last night that she was failing, I helped her along quickly and quietly and then put her in the freezer so she would still be "fresh" for a necropsy this morning... no way I was going to do a necropsy at 3:30 AM!!

My 9-year-old helped me with the necropsy. It was an apparent tumor and an almost total obstruction of the intestine. Poor bird! Part of me feels like I should have put her out of her misery sooner, but the truth of the matter is that it presented much like an impacted gizzard and the bird did show some signs of improvement after warm soaks and massages... giving me false hope.

I took photos which I will post on the thing with complete necropsy details. Don't know if I'll be able to do it today, but I'll post it as soon as I can, so keep checking back!

 

[Pullet Surprise]

*****

And for those of you following the saga of my sick Orpington... when it became evident to me in the middle of the night last night that she was failing, I helped her along quickly and quietly and then put her in the freezer so she would still be "fresh" for a necropsy this morning... no way I was going to do a necropsy at 3:30 AM!!

My 9-year-old helped me with the necropsy. It was an apparent tumor and an almost total obstruction of the intestine. Poor bird! Part of me feels like I should have put her out of her misery sooner, but the truth of the matter is that it presented much like an impacted gizzard and the bird did show some signs of improvement after warm soaks and massages... giving me false hope.

I took photos which I will post on the thing with complete necropsy details. Don't know if I'll be able to do it today, but I'll post it as soon as I can, so keep checking back!

It's so hard to know when to do "it". You can't see inside them until it's too late. I wish there was some hard and fast rule, like 3 days or 5 days or whatever. I really think you are to be commended for working with what information you had about what was going on with the bird without prolonging her life too long. There's much to be learned from this experience and it is good to know that it was a tumor and not some illness. Sorry.

 

[pigeonguy]

First and foremost for those of you who follow that blog, you need to go check as an announcement has been made about a certain giveaway.
That's great.

Awesome that you're putting all that together and helping your friend with their feed needs at the same time.
Really helps me in getting a better quality feed.

*****

And for those of you following the saga of my sick Orpington... when it became evident to me in the middle of the night last night that she was failing, I helped her along quickly and quietly and then put her in the freezer so she would still be "fresh" for a necropsy this morning... no way I was going to do a necropsy at 3:30 AM!!

My 9-year-old helped me with the necropsy. It was an apparent tumor and an almost total obstruction of the intestine. Poor bird! Part of me feels like I should have put her out of her misery sooner, but the truth of the matter is that it presented much like an impacted gizzard and the bird did show some signs of improvement after warm soaks and massages... giving me false hope.

I took photos which I will post on the thing with complete necropsy details. Don't know if I'll be able to do it today, but I'll post it as soon as I can, so keep checking back!

I think you did fantastic with this bird.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sorry to hear about your hen BDM..

 

[delisha]

Quote: I am glad you did..hugs..this is a learning experience for everyone.

I still hold fast to my rule. Treat for 24 hours. If vast improvement, continue treatment. If not cull

You did it better than last time. I am so proud of you.

I culled a baby chick myself. It was weird acting. I am not sure if shipping eggs might not scramble a few brain cells. I am watching another one who is acting different too, but, not psyco like the last one. That chick would run and run and run and try to run up walls stomp and scream and try to pick out eyes..was simply abnormal and stressing the other chicks.

 

[lalaland]

bdm, am sorry to hear about your orp. thanks for planning on sharing the photos, though.

 

[SandBsmom]

BDM I am so sorry about your Orp. I was so excited when it sounded like she was doing better.

Can I ask you all a slightly gruesome question? When you have to cull, like really cull not just rehome, how do you do it? I haven't had to do that but if I did I would have no idea what to do.