The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

handwashing is an interesting thing - all those studies on how much healthier kids are when they have pets, and even more healthier are kids on farms with animals - all that exposure to germs/bacteria strengthens their immune system. a kid with no pets and a parent with a penchant for antibacterial soaps? more likely to have allergies and autoimmune disorders.

I say, bring on the dirt!

Yep. I raised four children that liked to play with the dogs, play with the chickens, make mud pies, and drink from the hose. All before coming into the house to wash up before dinner. They caught the occasional cold and things from kids at school but other than that, they were healthy. So were the dogs and the chickens. Can't remember ever losing a batch of chicks to anything that they caught from my kids. It never crossed my mind that they could. My sister the nurse was a germ a phobe and was constantly making her kids wash their hands. Those kids were always sick. They lived on a dairy replacement farm. Go figure.

About weird wrinkly eggs. I got those a few times from the pullets the first week or two they started laying.

Congrats to Mumsy? Gee....Thanks...I guess. Nothing new happening here yet. I got a message with a link to watch the tracking on my Fogle line HRIR. I'm kind of nervous about them coming out of the mid west with that cold storm out that way. They are coming from Arkansas and I looked up the weather there and it's 54 degrees and raining. About the same as here. If they arrive tomorrow, they go straight into the LG.

Today I planted more garlic, Chinese cabbage, Russian kale, and some flower seeds and bulbs in the butterfly garden. Right after sowing, a gentle rain started in. Waiting on eggs to hatch and seeds to grow. Spring is nearly here.

 

[lalaland]

mumsy, it is so fun to hear about your garden - I admit to picking up some seed packets yesterday, although I am months away from being able to plant. Peas in late april.....tomatoes after memorial day.....oh I want something green now!

garlic, we plant it in the fall here, harvest in July. if you are planting it now, when do you harvest it?

snowstorm today dropped 13 inches. After shoveling to the coop twice, I shooed the girls outside and dumped a bunch of leaves in the coop for them. Gave eggs to the guy who plows for me, he told me they are the best eggs he has ever eaten .

 

[delisha]

mumsy, it is so fun to hear about your garden - I admit to picking up some seed packets yesterday, although I am months away from being able to plant. Peas in late april.....tomatoes after memorial day.....oh I want something green now!

garlic, we plant it in the fall here, harvest in July. if you are planting it now, when do you harvest it?

snowstorm today dropped 13 inches. After shoveling to the coop twice, I shooed the girls outside and dumped a bunch of leaves in the coop for them. Gave eggs to the guy who plows for me, he told me they are the best eggs he has ever eaten .

We are well on the way to 13 inches..I shoveled twice, I figure I will be shoveling 10 more times. I can't get the snow blower running. I need to shovel by hand since I will be picking up chicks Thursday. stupid snow blower

I also plant garlic in fall.

I have my tomatoes and peppers started in the basement. It is almost time to transplant.

 

[Sally8]

There just was an article in our local newspaper about it needing to be 65% or greater. I tried to find it but I think the chicks got to it first. lol I don't use it. Just good old soap and water for me. No antibacterial. Call me crazy.

The egg that Thor, the hammer, poked a hole in hasn't gone any further. I tried to take a pic with the ipad, but they don't turn out well. (Send my Nikon, send my Nikon) My question, will the membrane dry out too much? It doesn't appear to be where the beak is, I can see very tiny feathers trying to peek out.


My funny egg did have tiny cracks but it also had a tiny peck hole. I normally can't candle green eggs but could this one.

 

[Sally8]

snowstorm today dropped 13 inches. After shoveling to the coop twice, I shooed the girls outside and dumped a bunch of leaves in the coop for them. Gave eggs to the guy who plows for me, he told me they are the best eggs he has ever eaten .

We are well on the way to 13 inches..I shoveled twice, I figure I will be shoveling 10 more times. I can't get the snow blower running. I need to shovel by hand since I will be picking up chicks Thursday. stupid snow blower

.

I am so jealous We were supposed to get the last two storms and nothing. Even the one coming along the coast, I think is going to miss us.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks! My first batch of chickens will be a year old in April. So, I consider myself a newbie. The only place I knew to get chickens from was TSC for chick days or a hatchery. I got my current batch from Privett. Am learning there are other options now. Still have not figured out the ropes toward getting the breeder stock like Mumsy has in her little bottom bar. Her quote intrigued me about it costs the same to feed and keep low quality chickens as it does pure breds.

I'm new at this too - and learning TONS from the folks here. "The 6" (my original little flock...they'll be "the 6" from now on I guess) will have been with me 1 year at the end of the month. They are all hatchery kiddos.

Now that I have a little experience I'm going to try to determine which breeds I want to continue with and hope to get started with better birds that I can continue to breed from my own stock as I get more diversified. It's going to take awhile to get there (and I'll need more room for what I think I'd like to do) but in the meantime, I'm enjoying what I have and may even get a few hatchery kids along the way too!

Since one of the hatchery kiddos went broody, she is raising 4 Swedish Flower Hens. Those are where I'm getting started for the future!

 

[armorfirelady]

Sorry Mumsy I thought you had the silkies hatching but now I see it was Sally .........oops lol

Leah did you make the hoop coop or was it BDM? I tried to find the pics again but couldn't. I'd like to see how you set up the roosts and nesting boxes inside. I'm hoping next week my friend will get the door on it and I can put the ends on so I can hopefully move the hens in their by the end of the month. Hopefully Uncle Sam sends my tax $$ so I can order the electric fencing soon. Girls are sick of scratching in mud lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sigh....wish I had all you gardeners here to plant for me. For some reason I just don't like the planting...like animals, just not the planting. My husband is the garden guy!

We're suppose to get up to 8" of snow today then it's supposed to be mid 40s on Thursday.

 

[delisha]

There just was an article in our local newspaper about it needing to be 65% or greater. I tried to find it but I think the chicks got to it first. lol I don't use it. Just good old soap and water for me. No antibacterial. Call me crazy.

The egg that Thor, the hammer, poked a hole in hasn't gone any further. I tried to take a pic with the ipad, but they don't turn out well. (Send my Nikon, send my Nikon) My question, will the membrane dry out too much? It doesn't appear to be where the beak is, I can see very tiny feathers trying to peek out.


My funny egg did have tiny cracks but it also had a tiny peck hole. I normally can't candle green eggs but could this one.

Sally..it should be fine if your humidity is good. What are you at?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sorry Mumsy I thought you had the silkies hatching but now I see it was Sally .........oops lol

Leah did you make the hoop coop or was it BDM? I tried to find the pics again but couldn't. I'd like to see how you set up the roosts and nesting boxes inside. I'm hoping next week my friend will get the door on it and I can put the ends on so I can hopefully move the hens in their by the end of the month. Hopefully Uncle Sam sends my tax $$ so I can order the electric fencing soon. Girls are sick of scratching in mud lol

It was BDM!