The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Quote:

Thanks Del.

I don't know why I worry so much if I avoid the morning feeding.. I mean, I NEVER EVER feed the rabbits.. and look at how plump they are. I should just relax and stop feeding in the morning. I will try this weekend when I can enjoy their extended free range.

I took some videos that I will edit tonight of them running around. The fattest ones waddle around like a pregnant woman (or a penguin..)

They are such sweet birds. Honestly I'd love to keep one or two of the smaller ones to raise like you do. We shall see...

So excited right now! My friend is coming down to get me with my moms car(Shes about half an hour away). We are going to pick up goats! One of them is already producing milk as well! Going to be a fun busy weekend. Im picking up insulators to convert one of my paddocks into a goat area and I have friends visiting from the city that I havent seen in a long time(Their coming tomorow). My landlord is down from our west and Im hoping I will get to see her and hopefully go riding with her as she was my old riding instructor and I now have her old horse(He was her first horse) so I cant wait to see her up on him after so long. Its going to be a great weekend!

Sounds like a fun weekend..

When my son was a baby, goats milk was the only thing we drank. I've been trying to convince DH to buy one but he's not giving an inch. Ours were Nubian Goats.

I raised nubian, alpine and myotonic. I was not crazy about the meat or milk, but it was great for the kids. We sold our milk to the hospital back than for the premies.

 

[aoxa]

Keep smaller ones if you do. They never stop growing. If you choose some to keep to breed, put them with the general population as soon as you can and get them off feed.
Sounds like a fun weekend..
I raised nubian, alpine and myotonic. I was not crazy about the meat or milk, but it was great for the kids. We sold our milk to the hospital back than for the premies.

Wait you can give goat milk to infants? I did not know this!

I mean, I haven't had a kid yet or anything, but they were so strict about offering milk before a year old with my nephew, Parker. My niece is being born August 7th I will have goats milk to offer them if they are allowed to have milk like this.

Yes there are a few already with general population. Sleeping with them and not getting the feed. At least I don't think they are.. because I never see them go back in the other pen. They are smaller, but not skinny. They are more feathered out. Probably what they do get to eat goes to developing feathers rather than meat?

 

[delisha]

Quote: Yes, that seems to be what happens. They do not put the food into body growth and sort of evolve to look like the others and blend in. I guess it is a form of self preservation. They will also most likely be females. Males are more food aggressive. Even during matting season. Males are not good around chicks and food. That is the only thing I disliked about them. They can and will kill a chick over food once they grow to sexual maturity.

Yes goats milk have much small fat globules and are easy to digest and process. Infants receive better immunities in goats milk and grow faster. Most infants are not allergic to goat milk and in a raw form it is good for the gut. I was in foster care and used raw goat milk for all infants. I did not use formula. I had a tiny little girl who had such bad ezema she was brought to me filled with scar tissue and infection from it. She was cleared up in a month.

 

[echosrevenge]

For most of European history, the standard practice when a woman died in childbirth but the baby lived, and a human wet nurse couldn't be found, was to acquire a nanny goat to feed the baby. My niece was raised on raw goats milk from pasture fed goats from day one (in addition to breastmilk), she's healthy as a horse and has always been ahead of the "milestones" for pediatric development.

Raw milk is where its at. We get grass fed Jersey milk from a farm down the way, and its amazing. Can't handle pasteurized milk at all anymore...we go through a gallon a week per person of raw, but are hard pressed to use a quart of the store bought within the same time frame.

 

[echosrevenge]

I will post pics when the fence is done, right now it's just a brush pile and a stack of poles in a cleared area...not much to see. Should have it done in a couple of weeks, if we can stop this whole scorching-to-pouring temperature swing thing.

 

[lalaland]

sulphur!!!

I just found this formula for a dip for mites from a 1956 usda book on animal diseases. The page is referring to "parasitic chicken mites", including red mites, scaly leg mites, northern fowl mites, depluming or body mange mites.

"Sulfur has been used for many years. The treatment of individual birds with powdered sulfur is satisfactory if liberal amounts of dust are used and if application is thorough. Dipping the birds in sulfur baths is laborious, but the results are gratifying. Dips may be prepared by mixing 2 ounces of finely ground sulfur (325 mesh) and 1 ounce of powdered soap or detergent to a gallon of lukewarm water. The feathers should be wet to the skin, and the head ducked. It is always advisable to dip fowl on warm, sunny days or in heated buildings. Treatment with either sulfur dusts or dips should be repeated as required."

I have added sulphur to the feed, but it is in such minute quantities and since it is so hard to tell if it is working with feather mites. So, tomorrow afternoon I am planning to "dip" all 9 adult birds. Not sure about the ducking of the head. Hope they close their eyes automatically when their head goes under!

 

[aoxa]

Yes, that seems to be what happens. They do not put the food into body growth and sort of evolve to look like the others and blend in. I guess it is a form of self preservation. They will also most likely be females. Males are more food aggressive. Even during matting season. Males are not good around chicks and food. That is the only thing I disliked about them. They can and will kill a chick over food once they grow to sexual maturity.

Yes goats milk have much small fat globules and are easy to digest and process. Infants receive better immunities in goats milk and grow faster. Most infants are not allergic to goat milk and in a raw form it is good for the gut. I was in foster care and used raw goat milk for all infants. I did not use formula. I had a tiny little girl who had such bad ezema she was brought to me filled with scar tissue and infection from it. She was cleared up in a month.

Yeah I wouldn't keep any males.

I find the males now very obvious, and they definitely are fatter. The bigger chicks will pick on them and they duck under them to get under the bird who is pecking them. Clever move if you ask me. lol

For most of European history, the standard practice when a woman died in childbirth but the baby lived, and a human wet nurse couldn't be found, was to acquire a nanny goat to feed the baby. My niece was raised on raw goats milk from pasture fed goats from day one (in addition to breastmilk), she's healthy as a horse and has always been ahead of the "milestones" for pediatric development.

Raw milk is where its at. We get grass fed Jersey milk from a farm down the way, and its amazing. Can't handle pasteurized milk at all anymore...we go through a gallon a week per person of raw, but are hard pressed to use a quart of the store bought within the same time frame.

Interesting!

 

[Sally8]

sulphur!!!

I just found this formula for a dip for mites from a 1956 usda book on animal diseases.  The page is referring to "parasitic chicken mites", including red mites, scaly leg mites, northern fowl mites, depluming or body mange mites.

"Sulfur has been used for many years. The treatment of individual birds with powdered sulfur is satisfactory if liberal amounts of dust are used and if application is thorough. Dipping the birds in sulfur baths is laborious, but the results are gratifying. Dips may be prepared by mixing 2 ounces of finely ground sulfur (325 mesh) and 1 ounce of powdered soap or detergent to a gallon of lukewarm water. The feathers should be wet to the skin, and the head ducked. It is always advisable to dip fowl on warm, sunny days or in heated buildings. Treatment with either sulfur dusts or dips should be repeated as required."

I have added sulphur to the feed, but it is in such minute quantities and since it is so hard to tell if it is working with feather mites.   So, tomorrow afternoon I am planning to "dip" all 9 adult birds.  Not sure about the ducking of the head.  Hope they close their eyes automatically when their head goes under!

Any thoughts on Sulfur for fleas on canines? Our Aussie is tormented by fleas. The vet had us giving him Frontline Plus AND Comfortis. We changed vets and they felt it was too much and he is just on the Comfortis. He is still itching. He weighs 82 pounds but has lost nearly 10 pounds from being tormented. Our Cocker Spaniel can be treated with baths. ???
I cannot bathe the Aussie as I cannot get him in the garden tub and the last time I picked him up to get him in, I put my back out for a month.

 

[Italia]

Thanks for the info lalaland,
I have read that sulfur in garlic is what makes it work. Is sulfur cheaper than garlic? I was just about to do an online search for bulk garlic powder but maybe I need to be looking for just plain sulfur instead. Chopping up the garlic is getting old pretty fast.

 

[NanaLynn]

I have a question for everyone. I was wondering if there is anything else I can give my BR that was injured by the dog a few weeks back? She really has improved a whole lot. She now has established herself at the top of the pecking order. Her wound seems to be healing well too, she has put on weight too.

She still is not where she used to be. Her comb and wattles are shrunken still and her face is still pale. Is there any type of food or treats that I can give her to help her in the healing process or should I just continue to wait?

Here are before and after pictures of her:
Here is Oreo before, nice and plump and red. She was right at POL


Here she is today:




Any ideas? or just give more time?

Thank you! - Lynn