The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[MumsyII]

that is absolutely amazing! congrats to bulldogma.

X2.

 

[countrygirl74]

Just opened up 2 bags of organic chick starter for my new silkie babies - purchased them just yesterday. They are full of little bugs!!! Now, I know they can eat the bugs but my question is if I should return the feed because it might mean it's old??? I can't even store this feed in my kitchen or I will have little bugs all over the place. I won't be able to return it until tomorrow so I will give them some eggs and other scraps until then if needed.
Thoughts??

 

[MumsyII]

Just opened up 2 bags of organic chick starter for my new silkie babies - purchased them just yesterday. They are full of little bugs!!! Now, I know they can eat the bugs but my question is if I should return the feed because it might mean it's old??? I can't even store this feed in my kitchen or I will have little bugs all over the place. I won't be able to return it until tomorrow so I will give them some eggs and other scraps until then if needed.
Thoughts??

This is one of the few times I would use food grade DE. Mixed into the feed, it will kill those bugs. Harmless if they eat it. Food grade DE in my stored rice or cornmeal will do they same.

 

[armorfirelady]

So I have a question.....do hens eggs size grow larger even after they are a year old? I went to collect eggs & see if red was still broody and this is what I found

The blue egg is Edie's (12th egg she hasn't missed a day) the extra large one then a normal one. I have never had an egg this large. I usually get 2 from the PR that are size of the one to right of tape measure one just a little smaller & than a pullet sized one (red lays the pullet sized ones, she is smallest hen with prolapse, crooked comb,etc) I've also never gotten a double yoke egg either. This egg is also heavy.

I'm thinking Lucy started laying. She has red combs & wattles and eating oyster shell. Sally8 & I decided she is a BCM/EE cross. Her pea comb def isn't from a RIR or leghorn. Tho I thought I would get an olive egg from her with the cross.

What do you guys think?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Woohoo!,
Quote:

Leigh managed to hatch a swedish flower hen egg that she had dropped and was a little cracked. She put a medical bandage on it and put it in the incubator and when it pipped, put it under her broody. Little miracles happen every day!

It a good story...well written on her blog. I was amazed and very pleased!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

So I have a question.....do hens eggs size grow larger even after they are a year old? I went to collect eggs & see if red was still broody and this is what I found


The blue egg is Edie's (12th egg she hasn't missed a day) the extra large one then a normal one. I have never had an egg this large. I usually get 2 from the PR that are size of the one to right of tape measure one just a little smaller & than a pullet sized one (red lays the pullet sized ones, she is smallest hen with prolapse, crooked comb,etc) I've also never gotten a double yoke egg either. This egg is also heavy.

I'm thinking Lucy started laying. She has red combs & wattles and eating oyster shell. Sally8 & I decided she is a BCM/EE cross. Her pea comb def isn't from a RIR or leghorn. Tho I thought I would get an olive egg from her with the cross.

What do you guys think?

From what I understand is the Blue egg gene is closely linked with the Pea comb, but after an F1 EE, you can loose that link and just end up with all sorts of color possibilities. And also has to do with how dark on the color scale the BCM lays.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thank you..

Good thing you locked up tight. My neighbor came over this morning and was asking questions. He has lost over 50 chickens to fox, racoon and coyotes in the last month. He wanted to know my secret. He did not believe me when I showed him the tennis balls in my tree.

I just dropped into this thread today. Can you tell me about your tennis balls, and what they do to deter predators?????? I'm in a high predator area, surrounded by woods. Have 5 pullets in a cattle panel coop where they're locked into the loft at night, coop is in a electronet enclosure, girls only out to free range when I'm out with them. Can't get out much until blueberry crop is finished. They like the berries too much! But, I don't care how foolish my yard looks... I'd hang beach balls if it would send the predators packing!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Just opened up 2 bags of organic chick starter for my new silkie babies - purchased them just yesterday. They are full of little bugs!!! Now, I know they can eat the bugs but my question is if I should return the feed because it might mean it's old??? I can't even store this feed in my kitchen or I will have little bugs all over the place. I won't be able to return it until tomorrow so I will give them some eggs and other scraps until then if needed.
Thoughts??

My first thought was the bugs would be good food for the chicks, which they would, but they have eaten the nutritional value of the grains in the chick food and left the "fiber" and I don't know if they (the bugs) would add back all the nutrition and calories they ate??? I would take them back.

 

[delisha]

Quote: x3..it was a nice story to read..

Just opened up 2 bags of organic chick starter for my new silkie babies - purchased them just yesterday. They are full of little bugs!!! Now, I know they can eat the bugs but my question is if I should return the feed because it might mean it's old??? I can't even store this feed in my kitchen or I will have little bugs all over the place. I won't be able to return it until tomorrow so I will give them some eggs and other scraps until then if needed.
Thoughts??

hmm..free proteins..I have a huge bag of pasta that someone dropped off. It is filled with bugs so they could not sell it. I have not made it for the birds, I was thinking of feeding it dry for the bugs and they will not eat the pasta. I am not crazy about feeding pasta to my birds.
If it is not a long drive, give them a call and exchange the bags. You did not pay for old feed. The bug do not concern me.

Quote: Or you can spend more money and do this.

So I have a question.....do hens eggs size grow larger even after they are a year old? I went to collect eggs & see if red was still broody and this is what I found


The blue egg is Edie's (12th egg she hasn't missed a day) the extra large one then a normal one. I have never had an egg this large. I usually get 2 from the PR that are size of the one to right of tape measure one just a little smaller & than a pullet sized one (red lays the pullet sized ones, she is smallest hen with prolapse, crooked comb,etc) I've also never gotten a double yoke egg either. This egg is also heavy.

I'm thinking Lucy started laying. She has red combs & wattles and eating oyster shell. Sally8 & I decided she is a BCM/EE cross. Her pea comb def isn't from a RIR or leghorn. Tho I thought I would get an olive egg from her with the cross.

What do you guys think?

They do not always show with green eggs. Not even all EE's lay blues and greens. Some of those lay brown.

Quote: I originally purchased 3 packs of tennis balls. I opened two up and filled the chamber with ammonia. I let the balls soak for 24 hours and placed them around my yard and in the attics of the coops. I have three tennis balls always soaking. I try to remember to replace them every three months. Racoons hate the smell and coyote and fox are not a fan of it either. It is in addition to a 6 foot fence around all of my coops. I live in a shrub/wooded area and my coops are in the back. You can't see into the woods and coyotes, coons and fox live here. Most of the neighbors have chickens, cats and dogs. Those are favorite snack foods of coyotes. Skunks like eggs and it really does not deter them. However they do not usually kill chickens.

 

[aoxa]

Darn fruit flies are driving me crazy. How do they get through covered feed is beyond me... I am soaking, not fermenting. The maximum amount of time I leave feed sitting is 24 hours. It does start to ferment a little, but not a whole lot. It's usually bubbling, and we have way too many fruitflies to handle.. I think they are fruit flies.. anyway.. GAH!