The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Sorry tried to edit my poor typing skills.
I also wanted to add those tail feathers you see in Sophie's pic are Greta's pretty and curvy tail feather :/

 

[lalaland]

kind of disappointed no new chick or duckling pics to look at, but had fun looking at greta!

Justine, if you are miserably hot, when you can sit and relax, get an old washtub, fill it with cool water and sit with your feet in it. Or sit a lawn chair in a kiddie pool. You will be absolutely amazed at how much that helps.
or heck, just sit in the kiddie pool.

I assume you have a kiddie pool for henry?

 

[BlueMouse]

aoxa, I did see the video but didn't watch it... silly me... I'll go dig it up and watch it. I was mostly worried that the new nestboxes had freaked everyone out and now they were going to go lay in the woods or something. (where the fox could probably eat the eggs and them.

)

 

[camilleathome]

*sighes* I found ANOTHER mottled houdan dead in my kiddie pool today. I just dumped the pool now. The chickens and ducks love going around it and having a drink in the morning when their let out

 

[Pozees]

Stick to the starter

Agreed - you can mix with grains if you worry about too much protein and/or to stretch the more expensive feed. My FF is ~40% starter 60% home mixed scratch, consisting of cracked corn, whole wheat, rolled oats, barley (new ingredient for me this mix) and wild bird seed. I am not one of those precise measurers, I just mix 50lb bags up together of the corn, wheat, oats, and barley, then when I mix scratch I combine 4 scoops of that for each 1 scoop of wild bird seed. When I mix my FF, which is probably less fermented than some because I scoop about 75% every day and add fresh ingredients back in along with water, I add 1.5 scoops of starter for each 2.5 scoops of scratch. Sits overnight and the birds really seem to like it best this way, where the grains are all swollen but still have plenty of texture. Like many others, I find when I scoop out what's left in the evening onto the floor/ground, they act as if I've given them a whole new treat, and usually clean it up before bedtime.

I also concur the hot weather often leads to less food consumed and less activity, although they will sometimes alternate days - yesterday it was in the high 90s here, the birds barely ate; today it was 100 and they all ate well.

 

[uglychickens]

Stony, 

When do ducks stop peeping and girls get their quacks?

Am I the only one who thought this line was the start of a dirty joke? Or am I skimming way to fast?

 

[loveourbirds]

Am I the only one who thought this line was the start of a dirty joke? Or am I skimming way to fast?

I didn't notice it until you pointed it out.

 

[BrownEggsnHam]

Quote:

X3

 

[aoxa]

just curious if the pattern/ splotchiness inlcudes wings? or just feathers on the breast area?

It's an all body appearance

Trying to catch up after vacation.

The pics are great.

Aoxa- regarding the alpaca shearing/spinning. Do you have 4-H program in Canada? I know they spin yarn and could probably direct you to so,end who could help you. Or maybe if you country fairs there would be someone there? I know that at our fair they put on demonstrations.
And I have a white EE with a few black spots but I have enjoyed your EE sexing lessons. I think she will remain a she. Skinny legs and barely any comb.

BDM love the baby Gunther

Stony you would be sorely missed if you left. I enjoy your no nonsense posts.

I have a quick question. I put the tots in with the big girls tonight since I am off tomorrow. The big girls are on the remaining layer feed & The babies on grower. Should I just put the big girls on grower till the tots start laying? I know the protein level is higher but I don't want the tots to have the calcium in the layer pellets. And the big girls barely eat their FF they are out foraging all day.
Any suggestions are greatly welcome.

The tots doubled in size while I was gone and must of went through a juvenile molt. Feathers are everywhere!!!
And Greta gained colors in her neck and her tail feathers curve.......I think she is a George instead

I keep calling her Greta hoping she is just an early bloomer

Big girls were not bothered by them at all

Oh that is so a boy

kind of disappointed no new chick or duckling pics to look at, but had fun looking at greta!

Justine, if you are miserably hot, when you can sit and relax, get an old washtub, fill it with cool water and sit with your feet in it. Or sit a lawn chair in a kiddie pool. You will be absolutely amazed at how much that helps.
or heck, just sit in the kiddie pool.

I assume you have a kiddie pool for henry?

It has cooled down considerably and I do have a kiddie pool Henry enjoys Thanks for the tips!

*sighes* I found ANOTHER mottled houdan dead in my kiddie pool today. I just dumped the pool now. The chickens and ducks love going around it and having a drink in the morning when their let out

Wow. Have you seen the ducks pulling them in? I just don't understand how it's happening. My kiddie pool is so deep and nothing. The only time I had an issue was with the calls pulling a chick in when they decided to try to drink from it when they were bathing.

Just give them something shallow that they can enjoy but won't drown any chicks.

Am I the only one who thought this line was the start of a dirty joke? Or am I skimming way to fast?

 

[armorfirelady]

Yeah that's what I thought. Especially since when I went out this morning and Greta now George started making this weird cawwww cawwww noise *sigh*. I can't have roosters here but if he quiets down and doesn't crow much he can since my neighbors can't tell them apart lol

On a good note the babies were fiancé this am. The tots were all in coop and big girls foraging. There was a tift when one of the big girls went in the coop but I expect that. Tots food & water is just outside the pop door in their safe house. Hopefully it entices them to go outside