The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

On the DE -

Just my opinion - I wouldn't put in in the litter. I know this has been said before, but I want to repeat it again.

The HEALTH advantage of the advantage of deep litter is to allow the growth of beneficial bacteria, etc., and to create a composting environment. In the studies that were done about the benefits of deep litter, it's the live activity in the litter that makes it beneficial. If DE does what they claim - which is (in layman's terms) to cut/shred bugs and kill them, then the introduction of DE has the potential to stop the healthy microorganism growth in the deep litter.

This would defeat the HEALTH benefits of deep litter.

Now if all you want to do is dry out the litter and the health benefits aren't of concern to you, then using DE wouldn't be an issue. I think, however, that if just keeping the litter dry was my goal, I'd change out the litter much more frequently than you would when using a "true deep litter" method.

If you think about it, just keeping litter dry would facilitate having more dry dusty "pooh" - and the DE itself - being stirred up and floating in the air when the chickens are scratching in the litter. Logically speaking, this would create an unhealthy environment in which they - and you - would be inhaling greater amounts on a regular basis.


Now...all of what I said above is just my reasoning and common-sense based on what I've studied. Just throwing it out there for consideration.



I do think DE has value added to dry feed to help keep weevils from getting into the feed, but that is the only time I'd use it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I like that...where can I get one of those?


A few thousand posts ago

I believe people were talking about feeders.....I took an old pig feed trough & put a 2x4 down the middle, it works pretty good for my guys & their ff

 

[Leahs Mom]

Its official! Were moving in! We are going to be renting out my old riding instructors farm. with it we get access to her pasture and barn. I don't get access to the indoor riding arena though as its being rented out for storage(Its what pays their land taxes). But that barn is HUGE(six stalls on the original side and the new side there aren't any that was added so I can build whatever the heck I want was her words lol). We get to move in as fast as March. The old tenants are moving out in February. Happy birthday to me!(Birthday is in Feb). I also might be getting a free horse. He has sway back and I wont be able to ride him as I'm too heavy but he will be a great pet horse. The place is a two minute walk to the beach.

I

Wow! Very beautiful - Glad to hear it!

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Its official! Were moving in! We are going to be renting out my old riding instructors farm. with it we get access to her pasture and barn. I don't get access to the indoor riding arena though as its being rented out for storage(Its what pays their land taxes). But that barn is HUGE(six stalls on the original side and the new side there aren't any that was added so I can build whatever the heck I want was her words lol). We get to move in as fast as March. The old tenants are moving out in February. Happy birthday to me!(Birthday is in Feb). I also might be getting a free horse. He has sway back and I wont be able to ride him as I'm too heavy but he will be a great pet horse. The place is a two minute walk to the beach.

I

We should start a pool and guess how fast before Camille fills the barn with chickens!

That is such great news!!!!!

 

[jlynnet]

Camille, that is great news! I see lots of chicks in your future. Looks like a great place.

 

[aoxa]

If you want to roast a whole bird and don't want those legs with all of that chewier texture, try wrapping them in tinfoil during the cooking. A good method is crock pot..and the DH does a surround tent on the grill...all the charcoal goes in a circle against the sides, the center is empty of coals. The bird is set in the center and a tent is built around the bird. It takes a long time, but, it is really juicy and smoky flavored. He takes the tent off after three hours and flattens the coals, to get the skin crispy. I than make grape salad with the leftovers that is to die for. However I have large dual purpose birds and they weigh close to 10lbs. I have no idea if it would work on a smaller bird.

We should start a pool and guess how fast before Camille fills the barn with chickens!

That is such great news!!!!!

I'll help her fill that barn up!

 

[Pullet Surprise]

I like that...where can I get one of those?


A few thousand posts ago

I believe people were talking about feeders.....I took an old pig feed trough & put a 2x4 down the middle, it works pretty good for my guys & their ff

I really like the feeder....looks like the next project here!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Congrats Cammille!! What a fantastic b-day present!!

On the brining- I had forgotten that my mother used to brine chicken. I didn't realize or know what she was doing, as I was young then. But I remember her cutting the chicken, and soaking it in salt water before cooking it. She didn't teach me anything about cooking though. My MIL did that.

How much salt to water to chicken ratio?

 

[galefrances]

Its official! Were moving in! We are going to be renting out my old riding instructors farm. with it we get access to her pasture and barn. I don't get access to the indoor riding arena though as its being rented out for storage(Its what pays their land taxes). But that barn is HUGE(six stalls on the original side and the new side there aren't any that was added so I can build whatever the heck I want was her words lol). We get to move in as fast as March. The old tenants are moving out in February. Happy birthday to me!(Birthday is in Feb). I also might be getting a free horse. He has sway back and I wont be able to ride him as I'm too heavy but he will be a great pet horse. The place is a two minute walk to the beach.

I

Congratulations!! Wow, that place is incredible.

 

[JeffOeuf]

On the brine/marinade -

-I'm going to be doing a brine (salt) today. After brining 24 hours, do I just pat them dry then freeze?

-I think Jeff may be right on the milk marinade - probably should do that just before cooking. So how long to you leave in the milk?

One of my favorite books in my small self-sufficiency library is Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie which is the art and science of curing and preserving meats. In that book Ruhlman says the basic brine is a gallon of water, a cup of salt and a half cup of sugar. To that you can add any flavorings you desire, but for freezing a batch of birds, I personally would opt to keep it simple and do any flavoring just before cooking. He suggests no more than 8 to 12 hours in the brine for a 3-4 pound chicken. The meat should be rinsed thoroughly with fresh water after the brine, patted dry and allowed to rest for a couple hours before freezing.