The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

LM- I finally remembered to measure the height inside the hoop coop. 5 ft 10 inches to the the DL so probably 6 ft without the DL

Yay! Thank you.

Just for my clarification, do I understand correctly that you took 2 16 ft. panels, connected together, then hooped it up on an 8 ft. base to get that height?

 

[armorfirelady]

LM- I finally remembered to measure the height inside the hoop coop. 5 ft 10 inches to the the DL so probably 6 ft without the DL

Yay!  Thank you.

Just for my clarification, do I understand correctly that you took 2 16 ft. panels, connected together, then hooped it up on an 8 ft. base to get that height?

Yup that sounds about right. I will def have no problem walking around all winter as the DL gets deeper since I am 5'2

 

[lazy gardener]

Aoxa - another idea for gathering the cream that I haven't tried but have read about...

Some folks put the milk in a container that has a drain at the bottom. Like those iced tea type dispensers. Then after the cream rises, they open the drain and take out the milk from the bottom until it gets to the cream line.

I have never tried to skim goat milk but have done plenty of cow milk by skimming from the top with a small ladle. Works fine for the cow milk that is almost the top 1/5 of my container.

 

[delisha]

So I am curious. Any suggestions on how long I should be forcibly dust bathing the hens in wood ashes?

Today makes a week since I saw them. They have been dusted 3 times and had Nustock on their legs twice (I ran out of Nustock but more ordered) With 2 pans of ashes available at all times so they could dust bath themselves.

I took out the DL & threw it away when I found them and sprayed all wood with neem oil. Then I took out all the wood except the frame holding the hoop coop together. There is now a roost made out of tiger wood that claims to be insect repellent.

They have had garlic at least 3 times, some other herbs that are natural insect repellent, yogurt & cayenne pepper in their FF. I gave them extra meat protein at least 4 times including liver in case they were becoming anemic from the mites. Tomorrow they will have chicken hearts & livers.

Initially I saw the mites on the black hens easiest. Red who went broody then started moulting is still pale. But she still has pin feathers coming in. The 2 other PRs are moulting and it seems Edie is as well. But everyone but red has bright red combs and wattles. If I got 2 eggs in one day this last week that was a lot.

I haven't seen mites on anyone since Thursday. Just ashes. I also noticed the scratching I used to see when they roosted is almost non existent. Only Stella scratched while I was just in the coop. The last week all would be scratching or preening when I went in. I never found mites near their vents. Always on their back or under their wings.

So do I let them be for a few days and see if mites are found again at night? Or keep dusting them every couple days for another week?

Give them a break for a week and check every day till day 10 and re douse to get any new baby's

Quote: It comes in glass

http://www.target.com/p/oxo-fat-sep...edirectid=13816303857361575302310060302008005

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

Nu stock is awesome =) I have been very happy with the results on my dogs and livestock, tho I haven't needed to use it on my birds yet.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Milo wen that's is really cool!!! You are so creative

Delisha I love the chicks

So can anyone tell me what the problem with this pic is?

I should of named her trouble.......she spends her day hoping back & forth over the garden fence. Little snot thinks the tomatoes are better in the veggie garden. And apparently the dust bathing is better to

I left her in there just to see if she can get back over. She can but prefers it when you open the gate for her...........

3 rd dust bath in ashes tonight. Last night I didn't see any mites but the girls were still full of ashes from when I dusted them Thursday night. I also put a new roost in made of the tiger wood. Let's hope the mites are doa !!

LM- I finally remembered to measure the height inside the hoop coop. 5 ft 10 inches to the the DL so probably 6 ft without the DL

How about Houdini ? Are Rocks more intelligent or friendly or just Flighty ? I have 2 white Plymouth rocks ..they love to fly ..
Heres a example of one of them ...on our coop door at night . since they have matured all my chickens fly more ..

 

[lalaland]

good morning, everyone!

love waking up and reading this thread.
Delisha, even though it was dark, those chicks look wonderful!
Mlowen, like the oyster shell container. now I have to google rocket stove

armorfirelady, reading your description of everything you've done for your chickens is exhausting. If you take a break and follow delisha's advice, can you let us know if you are mite free after the 10 days of checking?

and I just noticed that there is a thread " vicious baby silkies...." lol, isn't that an oxymoron?

Question on processing birds: has anyone experienced both the hatchet/chopping block and the cone methods? My friend who is going to help me process the roosters (yeah, the list of who is going keeps changing daily) is sold on the hatchet on the wood stump method cuz that is what she grew up with on the farm, but I've read that there is less stress on the birds if you use the killing cones. Any thoughts?

 

[mlowen]

Question on processing birds: has anyone experienced both the hatchet/chopping block and the cone methods? My friend who is going to help me process the roosters (yeah, the list of who is going keeps changing daily) is sold on the hatchet on the wood stump method cuz that is what she grew up with on the farm, but I've read that there is less stress on the birds if you use the killing cones. Any thoughts?

No thoughts/info on processing, myself, haven't yet...but have you seen the "Killing, Plucking, Eviserating and Cutting Up Your Chicken...Graphic" thread? It's a fabulous pictorial.

 

[RedRidge]

Slowly but surely the breeding pens are nearing completion...
Removable partitions are finished and the roof is on.
Hopefully we will get the front doors and back access flip hatches done tomorrow'
(well... likely not... as you can see below, it is slow going when you have so much help)

 

[armorfirelady]

Delisha thanks is I ll give it a try. I'm sure the hens will approve of your plan. They shake and a dust cloud goes up around them. At least I know I got enough ashes on them

RR the breeding pens look awesome. And I love your extra help

Lala- I sure will keep you posted. Fingers crossed I beat these nasty bugs

Gramma- Stella is very vocal lol and she was where she was suppose to be when I went out this morning. I checked again about half hour later and she was back in the veggie garden having a dust bath :/ She has a Nice personality also. She doesn't fly per say just likes hoping fences. Funny tho she never hops the electric netting

Went out to let dogs out this morning and Large grey bird took off from near the coop. Def not a dove guessing it was a hawk and it was sitting on the cover over the pop door. Girls were all in the coop quiet as church mice. They are currently in the compost pile again. The PRs blend in well in there. The only one who stands out is Edie. But they always have an eye to the sky. Thank goodness since I know the hawk will be back. They are always around.