The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[chickiemomy]

I'll take this conversation even farther away from chickens. It's about feeding chickens potentially though so it fits! I just sliced up a big pumpkin to give my chickens the seeds. There were TONS in there. (Must have been a very fertile pumpkin) I gave some to the chickies, am saving some to give later and would like to keep some to plant. How should I store them until I can plant them? They are currently dry and sitting on my counter on a cookie tray.

for seeds to plant, air dry do NOT put in oven - stir to keep from getting moldy - the most likely scenario around here! once dry, you can store in paper envelopes. Better than plastic as the paper will breathe & not be so subject to rot, mold, etc. I think squash seeds will remain pretty good for a couple of years, but you likely won't want to try to store them that long. Better to save out maybe 50% more than you think you want to germinate for the following year. The plumpest seeds are more likely to be fertile. any that look kind of skinny feed to the chickens, don't bother with them. You don't need to wash them before drying them either. the gucky stuff will just flake off later & won't hurt anything. think nature...

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote: sorry if there's a misunderstanding --I knew the eggs were not to be processed - My comments re water bath was with respect to the half gallon jars in general, not for the egg recipe. The jars are sold as canning jars, but I don't understand how you could really CAN in them. I use them for storage & fermenting - and I like that they will take a standard wide mouth lid. Even tho I've canned for decades I'd not seen the half-gallon jars until this last fall.

 

[Mumsy]

sorry if there's a misunderstanding --I knew the eggs were not to be processed - My comments re water bath was with respect to the half gallon jars in general, not for the egg recipe. The jars are sold as canning jars, but I don't understand how you could really CAN in them. I use them for storage & fermenting - and I like that they will take a standard wide mouth lid. Even tho I've canned for decades I'd not seen the half-gallon jars until this last fall.

Aww...Good! I did misunderstand. It would cause me great grief if someone took my recipe, canned them like vegetable pickles and got really sick.

I have recently seen those half-gallon jars for the first time in decades at the hardware store as well. I use my old vintage ones for lots of things. I still have three that are blown glass and have turned blue. My mom and Grandma gave me all their old canning jars and I treasure them.

 

[Leahs Mom]

CANADIAN BACON AND EGG PIE​

Yep! Going to try that one!

Here's a laugh for you all: every time I see "poultry seasonings" the first thing I think is "oh I should try this in their feed" then I go "ohhh yeaah that's not what that means..."

Isn't it amazing the things you think of since you got chickens!

Quote:
I sent my chicks out really early last summer. 2 weeks old was the earliest I had them all free ranging, and they were NOT broody raised chicks. They kept escaping their pen, so I gave up and just let them out.

I like your use of the sawhorse there. I was thinking of doing that same thing if I need in the future. My dad has a small (length-wise) saw horse in the pole barn that I was going to nab.

 

[Mumsy]

I'm in Snohomish also!! - Del's or the one by the fairgrounds? - when I was buying chicks I stopped by several - didn't like that the one by the fairgrounds allowed handling of the chicks by anyone, anytime - & from tub to tub. Thought it might introduce, or spread disease among the various chicks. When I was in there a small child was handling one, after another, unsupervised. Got my chicks from the Sno Co-op - who ask that only store 'ees handle the chicks. I know nothing -- but that policy made more sense to me. I'm happy with the chicks I got from them. (buy from all of the co-ops/feedstores - they've all been helpful resources from time to time - also fyi Dayville over on Springhetti has non-gmo scratch & forco - prebiotic.

Monroe Farm and feed (by the fairgrounds) sells Scratch and Peck organic feed.

I get to Monroe and Snohomish a couple times a year. The big Washington Feather Fancier Spring show will be held at the Monroe Fairgrounds in March. I plan on attending!

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote: It would be fun to meet up at the show! chicken chat!

 

[texasmomma]

I had two marraduna basque chicks hatch yesterday. They were local eggs and I kept the humidity much higher than my first two tries at incubating. The first one hatched at the end of day 20. It had some of the egg white still in the eggshell. In fact, it carried around a little bit of shell after it hatched. The second hatched on day 21 and had much less of the white.

I left the two in the incubator overnight. I kind of thought chick #2 had a leg problem, but wasn't completely sure until this morning. Here are some pictures. I am not sure if this is spraddle/splay leg or a slipped tendon. I have tried to pull the tendon back into place, but it doesn't seem to give. I am putting pressure on it until the chick squeaks.


In the "natural" position.





The leg that is not in the correct position.



The leg that is ok.







Hobbled with a band-aid.






Here is the pic of the white that came out of the egg.

 

[Bulldogma]

I had two marraduna basque chicks hatch yesterday. They were local eggs and I kept the humidity much higher than my first two tries at incubating. The first one hatched at the end of day 20. It had some of the egg white still in the eggshell. In fact, it carried around a little bit of shell after it hatched. The second hatched on day 21 and had much less of the white.

I left the two in the incubator overnight. I kind of thought chick #2 had a leg problem, but wasn't completely sure until this morning. Here are some pictures. I am not sure if this is spraddle/splay leg or a slipped tendon. I have tried to pull the tendon back into place, but it doesn't seem to give. I am putting pressure on it until the chick squeaks.
Hobbled with a band-aid.

Poor little thing - let us know how the hobble works. Weird about the egg goo - perhaps someone who has much more experience hatching will be of more help than me. I'm new at all this - looking forward to hearing what others have to say!

 

[Mumsy]

It would be fun to meet up at the show! chicken chat!

I get so excited while attending these shows. Between the gorgeous show birds, the sale pens, the classes, the exhibits, the sale table, the top name breeders, and all the noise! My hubby brings a folding chair for me to sit in so I don't hyperventilate! The Washington BYC folk sometimes meet for lunch so I've been told.

 

[Mumsy]

Poor little thing - let us know how the hobble works. Weird about the egg goo - perhaps someone who has much more experience hatching will be of more help than me. I'm new at all this - looking forward to hearing what others have to say!

Yes. That is splay leg and is common in early hatched chicks. Unabsorbed yolk is also the result. You can't do much more than you are for the chick. Keep notes on this one. The band-aid hobble should work but you will need to watch it carefully. Taking that off with olive oil will help from injuring it further. Keep notes and watch how this chick develops. This is not genetic so you don't have to worry about breeding it but it may never be show quality. If that doesn't matter to you then no worries.
I had trouble with too high humidity this last hatch as well. Nothing natural about incubators and they can be a real pain in the pa-toot to get just right. Keep good notes on what you did so you don't repeat it next try. I'm thinking that chick will be ok because you jumped on it right away with the hobble.