The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

So, Aoxa, shouldn't all that garlic and oregano help ward off the fleas and ticks - sounds alot like what's in the natural remedy.

I ended up going to one of the little local "natural food" type shops that sells Frontier spices and herbs. I asked them if I could just get the whole bag...they order extra for me if they don't have one in. It cost me $11 when I got it. Might be more now.

Yes I suppose. It would be added work to add all those ingredients to my dog's diet though. The flea free is so easy, and I have it in a glass soap jar and just pump it right into the food. I wet down their food every night. Supposedly wet food helps with bloat too in dogs!

My Current Favorite Hen House Tool

I had a narrow plastic "leaf rake" that I was using in the hen house to stir/turn litter from time time. Even though the plastic was fairly rigid, it wasn't strong enough to really get down in there and a couple of the tines broke off.

So...I was looking for something else and quite by mistake, I was in a Menards a few weeks ago and saw child-size garden rakes. Not a toy, a real rake but just child size.

I took a chance and bought one. Oddly enough, it has worked GREAT. I love that thing. Shorter handle helps maneuver into strange spaces that are often found in hen house spaces, and the smaller rake head is perfect for the same reason.

So...there you have it. A "tool review" Only $5.99. Tell 'em Leah's Mom sent you.

http://www.menards.com/main/outdoor...ing-tools/kids-bow-rake/p-1495038-c-13241.htm

I have a child sized shovel, and LOVE it as well. At one point I did have a child rake, but I have no idea where it went. I made Parker rake around the shavings with it, and used it for the brooder.

 

[aoxa]

I think I am going to get some and dose myself! worse year for ticks ever - in the meantime, gonna make the garlic -iest guacamole you ever ate, and a big vinegary salad. Heading over to my neighbors to pick nettles, then picking dandelions here for salad. I only like dandelion greens early early in the spring, they just started blooming yesterday so I might be too late already.

Someone needs to create something natural that works for mosquitoes.. I have at least 10 new bites this evening. Not black flies, but mosquitoes.

Summer is coming..

It is extremely humid right now, in the 90% range. I feel like the air is a fog. This makes the bugs so much worse.

 

[Quailsong]

Thank you for this

turns out they are not the same bears. Our neighbor saw mama and her cubs yesterday. These guys did seem too big. The other also returned yesterday...

Tried to open the windows of the coop, scratched on the rabbit hutch and ate half a beer can. Glad someone is enjoying themselves.

Oh I see. What type of dogs do you have if you don't mind my asking? Do they bark at all when the bear comes by? If they're indoor dogs maybe an open window would help the dogs smell/hear them to alert you. Or even as some folks use here, a chicken cam or motion sensor/noisemaker might do the trick.

I don't know how far off your farm is from the neighbours but you could put in a word to them that you'll share some bear meat w/ anyone who gives you waring in if the bears are heading your way. Anything could help at this point. Also helps to protect your neighbours property if the bears go for theirs right after yours.

Really got me thinking about you & your situation. I know that may be mine one day (I have dreams of living way out in a forest), so I'm doubly cheering you on, hoping for the best.

 

[delisha]

Justine..

The barn looks so good already!! I am so excited for you!

Quote:

The thing holding me back on the goats (bc I want milk goats) is their level of care required during the summer with kidding and milking and the like. We always have some event we have to travel "back home" (Kansas/Nebraska) for over the summer. I would not be comfortable asking my friend that cares for my chickens to also milk a goat- she is in school, works as a nurse full time, AND has 4 kids under 7, one of whom is a newborn. And her own chickens. I feel bad enough asking her just to throw some food at my chickens and collect eggs once a day. In fact this next trip I'm thinking about asking someone else. Anyway, anyone with dairy animals have any suggestions? One thought I had was getting in touch with the local ag/FFA teacher and asking if he/she knows of any teens who live on my side of town who want to earn some extra $$$ a few times a year while getting some experience. Is that a bad idea? And I have no idea how much would be appropriate to pay...

I have the same questions every time I think of getting a milk animal. Always makes me re-think...

They kidd in early spring..if you let them nurse you would be fine to go on vacation for a few days. You could never leave a milking goat with out milking them with no kidds.

You can also call your local college that has animal husbandry classes and take on a student for 6 weeks.(Internship) You will have paper work to do to give the student credit. It cost no money to you, just time and a 6 week work schedule.
You can call your local 4H group and ask them if they would have a program for you in your area.

I've been reading along and thought I'd offer another flea/fly/tick/itchy-scratchy remedy that we're going to try here, that was highly recommended and pretty natural...

Wormwood and garlic, grown and then dried and braided together to hang in a coop loft is said to work WONDERS to keep most bugs/pests/bloodsuckers out of the coop. Everyone around here swears by it. I've got seeds sown now and am waiting for the first batch to grow. Anyone else had luck with this?

I would love to know if I could grow wormwood.

 

[armorfirelady]

BDM- you can use whatever you want from my hoop coop page. I actually updated it today to show the new vents.
Here is a link of the ones I have. Pretty inexpensive http://www.lowes.com/pd_157025-5259...ts&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=roof+vents&facetInfo=

Key newbie- I'm intrigued by the garlic & wormwood, I have never heard of wormwood. Need to do some research and see if it can be grown here.

Anyone need pumpkins? All those pumpkins fed over winter have happily reseeded themselves........I've easily pulled out a 100+ and there is at least that many growing again...........it rains and more magically show up!!! I keep throwing them in the compost pile or in the girls run........if they take root there they can happily grow........I might have a pumpkin stand come fall

 

[Quailsong]

Someone needs to create something natural that works for mosquitoes.. I have at least 10 new bites this evening. Not black flies, but mosquitoes.

Summer is coming..

It is extremely humid right now, in the 90% range. I feel like the air is a fog. This makes the bugs so much worse.

I never had issues with mosquitoes till I had major estrogen issues due to soy. They go after dark, furry/rough clothing, anything that's sweating & people who consume a lot of sugar.

They don't bother me much anymore now that I've cut soy out of my diet but around monthly period time they're more likely to fly about me. Not THE way to get rid of them, but maybe some of that ramble above gives you ideas for avoiding them.^^

 

[salt and pepper]

Have a question about fermented feed.... Does it make their droppings more runny?? They are all acting healthy, but ever since I started feeding them the fermented feed, they've had it. Is this normal???

 

[aoxa]

I never had issues with mosquitoes till I had major estrogen issues due to soy. They go after dark, furry/rough clothing, anything that's sweating & people who consume a lot of sugar.

They don't bother me much anymore now that I've cut soy out of my diet but around monthly period time they're more likely to fly about me. Not THE way to get rid of them, but maybe some of that ramble above gives you ideas for avoiding them.^^

That's really interesting.

Here is more on that:


Quote:

Recommended Related to Allergies​

Fall Allergies and Sinusitis
Autumn has arrived, and you don’t feel so good. You can’t stop sneezing and sniffling. The return of cool weather leaves you feeling not invigorated but miserable. What’s going on? You may be suffering from pollen allergy, a.k.a. allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Thirty million Americans do, and symptoms typically flare in fall. Like all allergies, hay fever stems from a glitch in the immune system. Instead of attacking harmful foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses, it tries to neutralize...
Read the Fall Allergies and Sinusitis article > >


Who Mosquitoes Like Best

Although researchers have yet to pinpoint what mosquitoes consider an ideal hunk of human flesh, the hunt is on. "There's a tremendous amount of research being conducted on what compounds and odors people exude that might be attractive to mosquitoes," says Joe Conlon, PhD, technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association. With 400 different compounds to examine, it's an extremely laborious process. "Researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface," he says.
Scientists do know that genetics account for a whopping 85% of our susceptibility to mosquito bites. They've also identified certain elements of our body chemistry that, when found in excess on the skin's surface, make mosquitoes swarm closer.
"People with high concentrations of steroids or cholesterol on their skin surface attract mosquitoes," Butler tells WebMD. That doesn't necessarily mean that mosquitoes prey on people with higher overall levels of cholesterol, Butler explains. These people simply may be more efficient at processing cholesterol, the byproducts of which remain on the skin's surface.
Mosquitoes also target people who produce excess amounts of certain acids, such as uric acid, explains entomologist John Edman, PhD, spokesman for the Entomological Society of America. These substances can trigger mosquitoes' sense of smell, luring them to land on unsuspecting victims.
But the process of attraction begins long before the landing. Mosquitoes can smell their dinner from an impressive distance of up to 50 meters, explains Edman. This doesn't bode well for people who emit large quantities of carbon dioxide.
"Any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, even over a long distance," Conlon says. Larger people tend to give off more carbon dioxide, which is why mosquitoes typically prefer munching on adults to small children. Pregnant women are also at increased risk, as they produce a greater-than-normal amount of exhaled carbon dioxide. Movement and heat also attract mosquitoes.
So if you want to avoid an onslaught of mosquito bites at your next outdoor gathering, stake out a chaise lounge rather than a spot on the volleyball team. Here's why. As you run around the volleyball court, the mosquitoes sense your movement and head toward you. When you pant from exertion, the smell of carbon dioxide from your heavy breathing draws them closer. So does the lactic acid from your sweat glands. And then -- gotcha.
With a long track record -- mosquitoes have been around for 170 million years -- and more than 175 known species in the U.S., these shrewd summertime pests clearly aren't going to disappear any time soon. But you can minimize their impact.

 

[aoxa]

Have a question about fermented feed.... Does it make their droppings more runny?? They are all acting healthy, but ever since I started feeding them the fermented feed, they've had it. Is this normal???

It usually takes about a week to get their intestines all used to it. It should make their stool more firm and less smelly ideally.

 

[Mumsy]

I'm intrigued by the garlic & wormwood, I have never heard of wormwood. Need to do some research and see if it can be grown here.

I love this plant. Many uses. Wormwood also goes by Latin name Artemisia. There are a half dozen varieties. It's a Mediterranean plant so is going to want the same conditions as Lavender, Rosemary, and the like. Hard winters may take it out but you can grow it new every year like an annual if you want. It's very pungent. Has lots of uses. Watch out for toxicity with livestock and humans. Not the kind of thing to throw to the chickens for fodder or making a tea out of. Dried in bunches and hung in the rafters or a closet you can deter lot's of nasty insects. Planting Artemisia is a great idea.