The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Mumsy love your garden photos as always. Amor do you have black eyed Susan's, cone flowers, blackberries blueberries? Our chickens love those bushes/ plants. Some provide food for them and some for the birds and you if the chickens share. I have heard pea shrub is another good plant to grow and I think it provides food, but double check. I haven't gotten any for myself yet. If you don't mind a plant spreading I have more then enough Jerusalem artichokes that I could share with you. They grow tall so they would provide shade,.their roots are edible and even if you think you got all the roots, you didn't, so they will come back. Plus in Sept. they flower. I like perennials also so I try to get multi uses out of my plants. Have you looked into permaculture gardening? There is a video and book I borrowed from our library that talks about plants that are perennials that are for food and nourishing the soil. The person in the video has chickens, which is part of permaculture design that I love. Trying to get as much from your yard without much input once it is set up. With the heat I noticed the chickens weren't eating all the food I put down for them and the feed was going moldy on the ground. So I wetted it down and kept it in bowls. What they don't eat right away I put into the freezer until next feeding time. They seem to like it and it makes me feel like they are getting a cool off by eating cold feed. Plus, I don't have to look at ugly moldy spots in the yard.

...

Lynn- I looked them up on google. They are beautiful !!! I will have to see if I can find them around here. I would love to put some of those around the coop for natural shade. You said they spread? Must be like day lilies. Plant a couple and the following year you have 12

Maybe you meant this post for Mumsy? It sounds very interesting whichever plant you're talking about. Or there might be another Lynn on here, not sure? (I am curious about the plant you are talking about though

) Ahhhh it was midnight Roo!!!!!!! I hadn't had my Pepsi yet this morning when I replied (Pepsi is my coffee )

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'm hoping to do the same with this new place. It's so bland & bare like some dying Monsanto field. Totally looking for a natural, welcoming look w/ fruit trees, fruiting vines & other perennials. Oh Mumsy, I wish I could take you into my backyard, tell you my fav plants & just let you ramble on, "They should go here, and this would work..." Or even pictures, I'd send you dozens of photos & plant lists (how much would you charge for a garden planning estimate? lol)

ME TOO!!!!!!!!

Seriously.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well, BDM.... I don't know what to say but yodeladihoobockbockbock

 

[armorfirelady]

Well, BDM....  I don't know what to say but yodeladihoobockbockbock  :cd

X2. I thought the guy was a little weird .......

 

[delisha]

Quote: x3..but funny

 

[midnightroo]

BMD - speachless

Armor pm me if you are interested in any of the artichokes. You plant one you get 50, no lie. I dug thought I dug them all up and 50 + plants came back this year. They would make excellent shade for chickens.

 

[beccasev]

Bulldogma-
I've used my vita mix to grind grains to various degrees. I used it to just barely grind for my chicks and I've used it to make flour. It can heat up if you are doing a large batch for a long time (like to make flour). If you just want o barely crack them, you will have to do about a cup at a time, turn it on, then flip it right back off. ,maybe count to 3 with it on. Shake, check the grind, repeat until you like it. Honestly, it will take a while. A better choice may be a food processor if you have one, because it could handle larger loads without turning it all to powder. Or even a hand-crank grain mill. They are fairly inexpensive and you can set them to different widths. Since the grain feeds through the blade one time, there is no chance of over-processing some and leaving others whole. That would probably be the best choice long term with the smallest investment. I know Harvey ussery has a high-powered grain mill that he uses, but they are not cheap.
Honestly, I ferment my legumes with the rest of my grains and the girls have no problem eating them.

 

[MumsyII]

That's so wonderful, the pictures are out of this world. I love the Secret Garden theme.

I'm hoping to do the same with this new place. It's so bland & bare like some dying Monsanto field. Totally looking for a natural, welcoming look w/ fruit trees, fruiting vines & other perennials. Oh Mumsy, I wish I could take you into my backyard, tell you my fav plants & just let you ramble on, "They should go here, and this would work..." Or even pictures, I'd send you dozens of photos & plant lists (how much would you charge for a garden planning estimate? lol)

Thank you.

I will pm you tonight and tell you how to get your mind set focused in a direction that is doable and not over whelming. It would be my pleasure. I was in the garden/nursery business a long time and now I just help folks for the joy of it. There is a life time of plant knowledge knocking around in my head. Once I start rambling, it all starts to spill out until you yell, "Stop!"

Oh! In chicken related news! I did the fourteen day candle of my eighteen Silkie eggs. Still 100% viable! It is astonishing to me really. This is a first.

 

[MumsyII]

Mumsy - when I see your garden pictures, I always think of fairies. The Secret Garden has always been one of my favorite books.
Your garden and chick coop are absolutely beautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing. Hope it's OK if I use some for the Weekly Country Shoot Out on the thing. Beauty has a language of its own.
Oh Camille - I'm so sorry! Don't be discouraged. Poodles are VERY smart and can learn to leave chickens alone. Heck - I have an Olde Victorian Bulldogge who had a rough start to life. I worked with her - turned her into a Certified Service Dog for my kids and now she is great with the chickens, too.
LOVE it! Thank you for sharing it here!
What a lovely boy!!

Thank you BDM. Yes you may use any of the images of mine for the thing that you wish. It's funny you mention fairies. My three daughters used to play they were faires all those many years ago. I used to hide miniature fairy houses and tables and chairs that I would make out of twigs and sea shells and out under flowers and roses for them to find. They are probably still out there even now. Sweet memories.

That lovely boy is in a pile with all his ladies tonight. A very happy boy. The pullets are adjusting to the new guy in charge.

 

[Alibabe]

My chicken luck went south again. Found henry with Steven in his mouth(My silkie rooster) He didnt make it. I had to process him. Im so mad at this dog right now I could shoot him. Hes also the dog that almost killed my mottled houdan last time

so sorry, hopefully you can get the dogs trained to work around the chickens without harming them.