The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

My DL is a balanced blend of pine shavings, local grass hay, leaves when I have them, and Peat moss. I fork it every day when the flock is outside. I have a layer of grass hay in every outside run attached by pop door to the barn. I love it there too. So do the chickens. I should have bought more when I had the chance. Lesson learned.

Hay is a bad choice if you don't use it correctly or don't bother turning it if the chickens aren't. I hate straw. Won't use that any longer.

I got attacked on another thread for my use of Peat moss. I kicked that thread to the curb.

I don't judge others with what they use if it works for them. Not sure why some people feel the need to attack me. We all live in different parts of the world and our circumstances are all different.

My DL is one of the best things I ever learned how to do. Love that earthy rich goodness. I planted fifty bare root strawberry plants in my potager beds. Looking forward to summer!

 

[Ashdoes]

What does the peat moss help with in the DL? The moisture?

 

[Mumsy]

What does the peat moss help with in the DL? The moisture?

Yes. My barn is situated in deep shade. Never gets sun. The Pacific Northwest is notorious for dampness. The Peat-moss is blended throughout the DL. It soaks up the dampness inside the barn. I have to be very careful when forking it in th asile because it can be dusty. I have one Silkie roo that gets breathing difficulties for a few hours so I close him outside when I do it in the morning. Other than that, it's a good value and mixed into a finished product for the garden, it really aerates the mix. The chickens love love love dusting in it.

 

[Ashdoes]

I don't see how anyone could argue with that logic.
That sounds like a great addition for the rainy season, with all the chickens going in and out with wet feet and damp feathers. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Bulldogma]

I LOVE my ducks!!!! We have 2 pekins and 2 Rouens. The Pekins definitely have the most personality. You will have soo much fun with your ducks. When one of mine was little, I could pat my leg and call her name and she would jump into my lap. So cute! They don't jump into my lap anymore but they hang around and nibble on my clothes. When your ducks are old enough, you can always win their hearts if you have peas in hand!


Bulldogma - I think I have posted different links to the natural keeping blog about 10 times in the last few days to people who have questions about all kinds of things. I love it and am constantly sharing!!

So glad you are enjoying it! It is a group effort and much of the thanks goes to the fantastic contributors like Leah's Mom, Aoxa, Delisha, Stonykill, CAPeeps, ki4got... Basically when folks have good information backed up by research, etc. we try to get it up on the blog so it can be easily referenced in the future.

Just a word of warning. Be cautious if you share it on BYC. We got in trouble for that before. If you do share it, just write something like "see this link," - - highlight that phrase and hit the link button - - that way all that will show is those words and it won't be as likely to be seen as "advertising" the blog.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

My DL is a balanced blend of pine shavings, local grass hay, leaves when I have them, and Peat moss. I fork it every day when the flock is outside. I have a layer of grass hay in every outside run attached by pop door to the barn. I love it there too. So do the chickens. I should have bought more when I had the chance. Lesson learned.

Hay is a bad choice if you don't use it correctly or don't bother turning it if the chickens aren't. I hate straw. Won't use that any longer.

I got attacked on another thread for my use of Peat moss. I kicked that thread to the curb.

I don't judge others with what they use if it works for them. Not sure why some people feel the need to attack me. We all live in different parts of the world and our circumstances are all different.

My DL is one of the best things I ever learned how to do. Love that earthy rich goodness. I planted fifty bare root strawberry plants in my potager beds. Looking forward to summer!

Yea, I don't know what happened with that. There was a lot of attacking that day. I had to back off too for a few days. Did a lot of PMing with the peeps I like on there. Hopefully you can come back someday.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Leahs Mom Your hen house is lovely! I like the neatness of it.

Thanks! It's not always that neat but having that people side really helps! I actually like to go out there and sit from time to time and enjoy the environment!

I'm so grateful to have a husband that did all the work. With the exception of the wire, he used all old wood and stuff that he salvages and keeps. A carpenter taught him how to use warped wood in such a way that it would go straight in the construction. You should have seen most of that wood before it was painted. The panels on the walls were also some "trailer siding" that he had around for sign substrates (he does vinyl signs as a side business). Whenever stuff like that is a good price he buys it - mostly from salvage. So the cost wasn't bad but he put a lot of work into it!

white wash

I wonder if I can use whitewash just in the seams where the wall panels hit the floor and ceiling and on the roosts and such... think that would be helpful? (there's a metal siding on the walls with seems). I don't have an infestation but I'm thinking in spring as a preventative?

uote: I want to use hay when I can get my hands on some. I'm also going to look into getting someone to cut and bale the native grass in my 2 acre piece to see if it's worth the price. Can you tell me how to use it correctly? I love the idea that they can eat the grass and have it as bedding too.

I remember people saying that peat moss was evil but my birds love it ... I put it in the dust bath. I had quit doing that until you told us that you were using in in your litter with success. You gave me the inspiration to go back to using it for the dust bath. It seems a little like "chicken crack". As soon as I put some new in the dust box they go nuts...like a cat with catnip or something. (And Harvey Ussery uses is in his dust boxes too...)

Strawberries!!!! Ah Spring!

 

[Bulldogma]

My mom comes to visit and I get way behind.

Lots of exciting things going on. Wonderful coops, beautiful birds and a new book to look forward to.

I bought my dh some crayfish and now that he's enjoyed them I was going to give them to the chickens. I thought someone had done that with lobster, but when I search I can't find I. Could the original poster point me to the post number or date time frame or let me know how they gave it to their chickens? Thanks.

Also have some good news to share! I got an egg yesterday! I can't imagine what it is like to have babies hatch when we get this excited over our first egg! Can't wait to try it.

LOL - I've been reading like a mad woman to try to catch up today, too! LOL!

Congrats on the egg! That's BIG news!!

 

[Bulldogma]

OK - I have big news!

Three Swedish Flower Hen eggs under the Silkiebator made it through the 2nd round of candling, but I thought one of those three looked like a quitter based on too small of a dark part (chick) indicating lack of growth/development. But... she wanted the egg back, so I went ahead and left it, figuring after the other two (hopefully) hatched, I'd toss it.


But...
















The chick from the "egg in question" is smaller than the others and not as strong. I noticed when it hatched that although the yolk had been completely absorbed, there was still too much of a blood supply adhered to the inside of the shell. There was a lot of blood when this little one hatched and I didn't think it was going to make it. Yet... so far it seems to be improving in health as opposed to declining. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed... I'd sure love to have all three of them make it!!!



You can certainly tell which egg the "runt" came out of. Has anyone else had a bloody egg like this? You can see blood veins all over the inside of the shell.



And tomorrow I should be putting the finishing touches on the new horse trailer coop! (Yes - there will be pictures when it is done to my satisfaction.)

Anyone have some clever name suggestions for my new coop? My dollhouse coop is the "Pollo Club," a little play on words/language since we keep chickens on a horse farm. Now my new coop is a horse trailer. The name doesn't have to stick with that theme. Could be anything, but perhaps something that highlights the mobility factor or something. All suggestions welcome!

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Quote: Mumsy, where do you get your peat-moss? Is it commercial or did you "make it" yourself? I too have a lot of shade back on one of my coops & secure pen, as of now it has a thick layer of forest soil from years of leaves and that is on top of what we have so much of here...sand. The chickens can't get down to the sand in that area, so I was thinking the peat-moss might work well.