The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Melabella]

Completely off topic, except in the way that it funds chicken math...

I have sold $2,500 worth of "stuff" on eBay since mid-December. Not ONE of those things has been missed. The purge continues.

WOW,,, I am afraid my "stuff" isn't that valuable... but I will keep a close eye as I purge. WoW

 

[Leahs Mom]

A dream addition to my "someday" mudroom hopefully in the future! Complete with one of those blow dryers they have in dog grooming places. My dogs were DISGUSTING yesterday.. dragged pounds of dirt in the house yesterday. Having a mudroom to dry off first would be so awesome!

Before I got to the end of that post, I thought you were showing us photos of your place

That's impressive!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Edited Post:

After I ran this heater for a little bit - even at a lower setting with the dimmer - the fumes were pretty strong. I decided to turn it off and quit using it in the hen house until I can find out more information regarding silicon fumes and bird's health. The fumes made me think of the teflon coated light bulbs causing death of the flock: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/i...t_bulbs_toxic_to_chickens_the_full_story.html

http://www.birdtricks.com/blog/non-stick-cookware-kills-another-parrot/



I tried to look into it a bit and found this: http://www.debralynndadd.com/_blog/greenlivingqa/post/Offgassing_From_Silicone_Bakeware/

Then there are tons of items that say the fumes are completely harmless (but that's what they said about the teflon coating fumes too...)

So at least for now, better safe than sorry. I turned it off and won't be using it.

 

[PeepsCA]

can you elaborate on the value of guineas in the flock??? Lost my first chicken to a coyote (I think) last week. It was a space-case GSL - but the coyote snuck up thru the brush & snagged her quickly. Have now set up temp fence to keep the chickens from the edge of the brush, but have wondered about how effective guineas were - sounds like you are using them as 'guard birds'. Are there disadvantages to the guineas - have heard they are loud - which is ok with me. anything else we should know?

I can weigh in on that...
Guineas are exceptionally vocal "barnyard watchdogs"... they are very watchful/alert (especially the males) and super quick to sound their alarm call which alerts the rest of the flock (and you) to anything they perceive as danger. Their perception of danger isn't always accurate tho, lol (could be a leaf falling or a plastic bag blowing by) but mine definitely alert to any predator they see ground or air, even someone pulling into my driveway can set off their alarm. A large flock of them makes quite a ruckus, just ask my UPS lady, my horse shoer, my vet etc lol. (They do become seasoned to the normal sights and sounds of your property around a year old, but even then they can still be very loud). There are a lot of benefits to having Guineas... pest control and barnyard watchdog abilities being at the top of the list, but not everyone enjoys them once they have them, lol. I have good days and bad days with mine, as I am sure most that have them do.

The downfalls to Guineas are more than plentiful for some... just to name a few; they can become aggressive towards your flock, and are prone to ostracizing and cannibalizing random birds for random reasons only they understand. They can harass laying Hens to the point they don't/won't lay. They are extremely flighty/wild natured, not easily tamed and are hard to catch/hang onto. They need lots of space in the coop and pen (especially if not free ranged daily), I mean LOTS. They are notorious for flying over a fence and then forgetting how to fly to get back over... even a 4 foot tall fence suddenly becomes 25 feet tall to them once they are on the wrong side of it. They aren't always cooperative about cooping up either, even if you've spent hours days weeks months teaching them to coop up (if given the choice they will choose the trees or a rooftop). They may roam a lot farther than your flock of chickens does, which may lure your chickens to go farther than they should, and farther from safety. The Hens are super secretive about laying/nesting and will sneak off and disappear once they've accumulated a pile big enough to go broody on. Broody Guinea Hens are especially viscous, but are very vulnerable to predator loss. Sometimes the entire flock can just decide to wander off too far and not come home.... etc etc.

Guineas are a lot of work but if you have the time, patience and set up for them the good outweighs the bad, and they are (IMO) worth the extra effort...at least on my land they have been. (I do not keep mine with my chickens tho, only with Turkeys and Peafowl

 

[darkmatter]

can you elaborate on the value of guineas in the flock??? Lost my first chicken to a coyote (I think) last week. It was a space-case GSL - but the coyote snuck up thru the brush & snagged her quickly. Have now set up temp fence to keep the chickens from the edge of the brush, but have wondered about how effective guineas were - sounds like you are using them as 'guard birds'. Are there disadvantages to the guineas - have heard they are loud - which is ok with me. anything else we should know?

It took me a while to figure out how to integrate Guineas into my Chicken flock, left to their own devices they will "fly the coop" so to speak and roost in the trees where they are subject to the night Owls;


But by raising the keets with chicks and having a broody hen hatch out guinea eggs I finally got a flock of guineas that teach the young ones to roost at night in the Coop with the Chickens.



I originally got Guineas for Tick control on the property, I want them to fly out of the Chicken Run and spend all day roaming the property eating bugs. And they do a fine job of it, before I had Guineas and walk around the yard and property would have us picking off multiple ticks. After we got Guineas, the first Summer I only found one Tick the whole year-----So yes, I will keep Guineas even if when they nest in the fields I lose them.

P.S. Click on my Profile gives you the link to my Facebook page where I have albums of the Chickens and Garden. I already have several FB friends from BYC, but bear in mind I'm a Curmudgeon and likely to be opinionated to the point of stubbornest.

 

[Sally8]

My new addition on my chicken coop kind of has a dirt floor. My husband put down wooden boards here and there to keep us dry when we were building and they just got left there. I had wanted it left bare for the DL but didn't really care. As was said, everyone has to do what works for them or make the necessary changes to make it right. Apparently, my DL won't compost but because I don't have to clean it every week any more works as "DL" for me. Same with the ff. mine only "ferments for about 2 - 3 days and then i start over. I have let it go for up to 2 weeks but the mess and smell is more than what I want to do. I keep it in the house/livingroom and if I have to hear dh say one more time "What the #### is that smell?", I might just snap. My chickens just love it even after the shorter time. Thankfully this thread is much more forgiving than some. I just love all the advice given, the pictures shown and the humor spread. Thank you all.

I've also been simplifying my home and lifestyle but if I posted it on eBay, they may pay me to keep it!

 

[Melabella]

Thankfully this thread is much more forgiving than some. I just love all the advice given, the pictures shown and the humor spread. Thank you all.

I've also been simplifying my home and lifestyle but if I posted it on eBay, they may pay me to keep it!

 

[aoxa]

My new addition on my chicken coop kind of has a dirt floor. My husband put down wooden boards here and there to keep us dry when we were building and they just got left there. I had wanted it left bare for the DL but didn't really care. As was said, everyone has to do what works for them or make the necessary changes to make it right. Apparently, my DL won't compost but because I don't have to clean it every week any more works as "DL" for me. Same with the ff. mine only "ferments for about 2 - 3 days and then i start over. I have let it go for up to 2 weeks but the mess and smell is more than what I want to do. I keep it in the house/livingroom and if I have to hear dh say one more time "What the #### is that smell?", I might just snap. My chickens just love it even after the shorter time. Thankfully this thread is much more forgiving than some. I just love all the advice given, the pictures shown and the humor spread. Thank you all.

I've also been simplifying my home and lifestyle but if I posted it on eBay, they may pay me to keep it!

Sally, even wet food or partially fermented is very good for them.

You keep up the good work!

 

[Arkansas81]

Well an update on my drama..it is sleeting/raining/snowing so hard you can't even see out the window. my daughter/sister is stuck at her school, can't go no where, mom is stuck in a car pile up (not hurt, just stuck) i'm at the house with no way of getting to anybody. so i guess everyone has to stay in cars till the road/police can clear the streets. all cars/motor transits are in wrecks in ditches, car pile ups no one is going anywhere!!! i don't know what to do? i know i can't do anything...just sit and wait.

 

[Melabella]

Just came in from letting out the girls, and I have been noticing a bit of a bald spot on my black Australorp just to the right of the back of her comb. I think Duke grabbed a big chunk of feathers when he mates with her. Now it is larger, about the size of a quarter, with the skin looking very dry and cracked. I actually was able to catch her, and bring her into the tack room where I keep the Nustock since it's heated in there. I hope he leaves that spot alone, she is such a pretty girl, now she has this big spot. I have noticed feathers off the other girls hanging sometimes up near their head where he grabs them, but she is the only one where it actually wore a huge spot.

Do you think he will just leave it alone now that the Nustock is on there? Can't taste very good, might stay on there a bit better with the cold weather.