The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ChickChickChicky]

I'm not really sure. All I read was that the twigs they planted were dormant.. when they start to grow they root themselves and go all pretty like that. I know that when my nephew was born, my aunt got his mother a flower arrangement that had twigs in it called Parking Willows (my nephew is named Parker, hence her picking them). After they were done with the arrangement, they planted the twigs and it bloomed into a great big tree really quickly. Maybe it's the same kind of concept.

Willows are probably THE easiest of all plants to root, usually just sticking them in the ground is good enough (just make sure that you place the end that was originally closest to the dirt into the dirt... in other words, don't turn them upside-down or they'll likely never root).

 

[delisha]

It is called a foil..the blade that is being held by the chipendale man.

thanks for the info about willow

 

[delisha]

It is called a foil..the blade that is being held by the chipendale man.

thanks for the info about willow

A fencing foil

 

[jendodd79]

Thought I would share this - thought it was interesting. Has anyone else figured out that keeping chickens was either money-saving or money-taking?

http://www.motherearthnews.com/city-to-country/chicken-economics.aspx

Right now it feels to me like lots of money going out but that's because I had to build a coop and buy feed and bedding with still a couple more months to go before I even see an egg. Can't wait!!

Our coop cost quite a bit, but we're counting it as bumping up our property value

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Seems counter-intuitive. Why would anyone want to foil their efforts at fencing?

 

[Mumsy]

Thanks, Oahu was nice, just to much "big city" for me. We are planning on pigmy goats in the distant future(have to get other 900' of property line fenced first), but in the mean time I have hedge trimmers to keep at bay. I actually could let it be a little overgrown to help keep coyotes from seeing into my back yard. Then they would only have 2 sides to see into it, helping me keep them out.

Yep. I hear yah. Husband and I steer clear of Oahu. It's what we are trying to escape. We love Kauai. Reminds us of Whidbey Island in the tropics. Down home, country, small town, but in the tropics.

If you want a better hedge at keeping unwanted critters away including trespassing people, consider Rugosa Roses. They are cheap, easy to root or transplant. Very shrubby. Grow extremly well in our climate. Prickly as all get out but don't grow taller than about six feet tall. Live forever. Never have to spray or prune. Come in White, pink, or purple-y red. Take salty winds if you are on the coast. Best of all. Chickens love the huge juicy hips formed in the fall. My chickens like to hide behind them when hawks threaten. They grow thickly and densly. I'll tell ya what. I'll bring you some starts to the Monroe show. You save me a couple eggs from the cute little Buff Silkie you have for a someday trade. Deal?

 

[jendodd79]

Since we're on the topic of fencing.. Anyone ever see a living willow fence?



This guy here is starting it out with dormant willow cuttings..



That's beautiful! I wonder if I can get it to take at my back fence - the sand is so ugly there

 

[Leahs Mom]

If you want a better hedge at keeping unwanted critters away including trespassing people, consider Rugosa Roses. They are cheap, easy to root or transplant. Very shrubby. Grow extremly well in our climate. Prickly as all get out but don't grow taller than about six feet tall. Live forever. Never have to spray or prune. Come in White, pink, or purple-y red. Take salty winds if you are on the coast. Best of all. Chickens love the huge juicy hips formed in the fall. My chickens like to hide behind them when hawks threaten. They grow thickly and densly. I'll tell ya what. I'll bring you some starts to the Monroe show. You save me a couple eggs from the cute little Buff Silkie you have for a someday trade. Deal?

Wow...those are really pretty.

I wonder....if I had a goat or lamb...I wonder if they would eat those? (I'm still thinking I'm going to get a couple for meat this spring.)

I'm looking for something to run across the front fence line since it's state highway and I'd like some privacy up there. That would be beautiful, I think. I don't plan on the goats or lambs to be in that particular pasture but... goats may end up over there of their own accord!!!

Mumsy - what do they look like in the winter?

 

[delisha]

Quote:
Seems counter-intuitive. Why would anyone want to foil their efforts at fencing?

 

[stonykill]

put a stunning very Randy RIR/Buff Orphington rooster in the roosterless coop. Not his permanent home, but for now it will settle things down a little in the front yard. He has been chasing RIR's around, all 7 of them. They aren't "his" girls. He is or was

a "free agent" getting whatever he could...when he could. I want to breed him to my RIR's....but he needs to grow up a little. This isn't him, but he looks almost exactly like this.

6 or 7 months old and full of hormones.

. Hopefully 7 of his own girls will calm him down a little