The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

thanks for the pics, Delisha.

My cans are metal, I keep chick mash, layer mash, scratch, boss, groats, and a grower crumble in them, so I have a lot of cans. Yes, I am going to an all flock mash, but still have stuff to use up.

I worked really hard last night and got the boss can totally rigged up with chains etc. When I got woken up by the coons in the trashcan noises, I was sooo mad, I flew out there with muck boots on and a t shirt, yelling like a banshee. grabbed a broom on the way, and those danged coons just sat inside the cans looking at me. not bothered a whit. So I beat them with the broom and chased them to the fence. Now, I know you shouldn't mess with coons, and they can get really nasty if cornered, so I made sure there was room for them to flee.

Dag nab it. Maybe I could get down to 4 cans. And build a big trunk or corral for them with a lid that could get propped open easily.

Mumsy, that is a gorgeous hornets nest. I had the slowest time painting a little shed that had hornets nests inside - a sentry would come out and watch me and I would have to back away and wait for it to leave. Sometimes it would stay 10 minutes! I would go paint on the other side, come back, paint a little til the sentry came out and bussed me, then back to the other side til it was safe to return. Even though I had to do some banging and drilling with hardware being removed to paint, I never got stung. Have to really pay attention and leave when the buzzing starts :)

glad it was far enough away from your picnic area that they weren't disturbed by you, and glad your husband didn't accidentally whack it with the golf ball or club!
 
I was quoting ok but today it took me to another page lol

Hot rod flash- I will try the drawing salve. One spot is small but the other is just smaller than a dime. Certainly can't hurt

Midnight Roo- maybe you could build a small storage area that you could open when you need feed? It would only néed 3 sides and a slanted roof if you put it up against the side of the coop.

Lash mom- EMT/ FF for 23 years & did other health home care before that (yes I am old! Lol)

Delisha- you come up with such cool ideas !!
 
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Lala -
You could set some traps. That's what I did last year.

Caught 15 Adults and 3 children raccoons. In addition to 3 opossums and 1 skunk.

I keep them set on a regular basis with meat as traps. Raccoons also seem to LOVE cat food according to friends of mine. They set their traps w/cat food.

So far I haven't caught 1 raccoon or opossum this year. I thought they'd migrate back in - and they probably will - but so far, none this year.
 
There is this guy on FB who is telling everyone there is an alternative meat bird out there that can free range where the cornish x can not. He said they have legs that won't support running/jumping/flying/etc...

I am tired of hearing all this false info on the meaties. They can totally free range! Run, jump, sorta fly (though not like light breeds).

People offer food 24/7 and wonder why they won't forage for bugs. Ticks me off!
 
AFL - I always think your just a young'un. I guess you just burst my bubble
gig.gif


On the drawing salve (icthammol) I found that it seemed to do pretty well on the bumblefoot...maybe even better than the NuStock, but I'm not sure I'm ready to declare that yet.
 
AFL - I always think your just a young'un.  I guess you just burst my bubble :gig

On the drawing salve (icthammol) I found that it seemed to do pretty well on the bumblefoot...maybe even better than the NuStock, but I'm not sure I'm ready to declare that yet.

Well I did join when I was still in high school......and I don't think I act or look old lol. Must be because I am young at heart or because I'm a women show and the work keeps me young lol

Maybe I will try one foot with Nustock and one with drawing salve. Tho I think I would have to wrap the Nustock one
 
I still wrapped their foot even when I was just putting on the salve or Nustock on my first bird.

Second bird I didn't wrap only because she is very skittish and I felt like I caused her a lot of stress just picking her up in the first place. She never acted sick and seemed to be navigating well.
 
OH... wanted to also say about the bumblefoot that I had purchased the fish antibiotic (Tricide Neo) and tried it on my first bird. However, by the time I got it I had already been working with her for 3 weeks and I was just plain tired of soaking feet on a bird in the middle of winter at night.

The antibiotic comes in powdered form and you dilute it at the correct ratio for the soak. In the future, I may dilute some and try soaking a cotton pad with it, put it on the site of the bumble, then wrap w/vetwrap. That way they can get the "soak" without me having to stand around with a bird in a bucket nightly for what felt like days on end.

Not sure how that would work, but it might be worth the try :D
 
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