The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[cywiar merch]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Will now try the ACV with the cats.

Mumsy, I love your quote at the end but how does a beginner like myself know what a well bred strain is?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
I don't grind my grains because I'm able to get my feed to order from a local, old fashioned feed mill. HOWEVER... I do have a thought on that.

First - my CURRENT opinion is that the grains wouldn't need to be ground. That is why a chicken has a gizzard.

So if my birds were adults I wouldn't worry about them being coarse ground - I'd just feed it whole.

Second - I am (so far) a fan of Harvey Ussery. He has a lot in his book (The Small Scale Poultry Flock) and his website about making your own feed. He uses a grinder that he talks about. Here's a link showing what he has: http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Making-Poultry-Feeds-2.html (There is also a whole list of articles at the bottom of this page about different feed ideas: http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Poultry.html )

Hope some of that will be helpful!

Edited to fix link.

 

[cywiar merch]

I'm the person from the UK.

Orpringtons? Mmmn! They are quite popular here. I have never seen one for real but they do look huge I will have a read about them. Is there a difference between the US and UK ones?

 

[Mumsy]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Will now try the ACV with the cats.

Mumsy, I love your quote at the end but how does a beginner like myself know what a well bred strain is?

To me, a well bred strain could mean poultry, cows, goats, and...well...any farm animal.

A strain can also refer to a 'line'. For instance. With poultry, a good strain or line is from a breeder or hatchery or back yard farmer that has consistently bred good health, good meat or egg production, good temperment, or what ever the type or trait is for that variety of bird. Some breeders have been working their same line of chickens for over thirty years. Some have bought those lines and continued that strain in their own flock. Some people eventually bring in new blood lines and cross them onto their strain. Some keep them pure, only using family lines. The thing about bringing up your own flock standards to better strains is starting with the best eggs or chicks you can find available, and continue the process of refining them. There is no such thing as the perfect 'anything'. Good animal husbandry is about raising the best you can with what you have. Even barn yard hatchery straight run chicks can be culled and selected over many generations and bring about vast improvements into your own 'line'. That's how many of the great breeds started out a long time ago.

I just euthanized my dear little Grey Silkie pullet Binkus and did a necropsy on her in an effort to better my own flock for health. I'm feeling very sad right now and will go sit and have a good cry. Even after raising chickens for forty years, I still hate doing it. It was for the best. She didin't look right inside and was slowly wasting away.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Mumsy - a great post. Well said.
Quote: I know you tried everything you could. So sorry. Thinking about you.

 

[aaggjg]

I just euthanized my dear little Grey Silkie pullet Binkus and did a necropsy on her in an effort to better my own flock for health. I'm feeling very sad right now and will go sit and have a good cry. Even after raising chickens for forty years, I still hate doing it. It was for the best. She didin't look right inside and was slowly wasting away.

Mumsy I am so so sorry. I can't imagine having to put down one of my silkies ... You did all you could for her. Go stare at your incubator!! The exciment of the new hatchlings should help ease the pain!!

 

[aaggjg]

I'm the person from the UK.


Orpringtons? Mmmn!  They are quite popular here.  I have never seen one for real but they do look huge  I will have a read about them. Is there a difference between the US and UK ones?

There is a big difference!! Yours are HUGE amazing fluffy birds!! Go over to the imported English orpington thread to see some good pictures!! I'm sure delish has some in her profile too. Ours are smaller and lovely but nowhere near the size of yours

 

[delisha]

Orpingtons

UK=US

The difference is in size, feathers and temperament. I will go out later and take some pictures so you can see size difference....side by side.

 

[Mumsy]

Mumsy I am so so sorry. I can't imagine having to put down one of my silkies ... You did all you could for her. Go stare at your incubator!! The exciment of the new hatchlings should help ease the pain!!

Thank you Leahs mom and aagg. Feeling so awful but trying to focus on those eggs in the bators and the healthy birds in my barn. The Binkus necropsy reassured me she didn't have Mareks but she did have what looks like a chick pea sized tumor. She was just a little skeleton with no fat and barely any meat at all. I'm not sure I have the heart to post pictures. I want her death and the results to have meaning and give her dignity. I don't want them to be a cause for posts commenting on how weird or gross Silkies look on the inside. She was a sweet little girl. I will miss her.

 

[kian]

So sorry aboit Binkus Mumsy. You did the right thing. *hugs*