The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

All this Christmas talk and the snow photo is making me cold.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

All this Christmas talk and the snow photo is making me cold.

time for some hot apple cider with cinnamon.

 

[aaggjg]

Here's her bio baby that I found by the pole barn.

So glad she found a good hiding place!!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Do you use any in the litter in your coop? I still haven't tried spraying the whey from cheesemaking but I think the next time a make a batch I'm going to put some of that in the litter.

Yes, I have, haven't noticed any big difference though.

 

[pigeonguy]

I know we covered this a long tine ago but I had a gallon of pasturized ACV given to me. How do I turn this into the good stuff?

 

[Gramma Chick]

It's currently sitting just to the right of the garden just outside the photo. That's where they were all congregated. The hawk got Miss Gray way behind that area of trees you see behind the garden.

I am sorry you lost your miss Gray ...She was a cutie ! We can only protect them so much .
After our last hawk / fox ? attack ( chicken just disappeared ) I was literally babystitting them . they only went out when I could be with them ..
It looks like you have a lot of open areas ...not many places for them to hide ...The dog cage could become a trap .
I would do more Landscaping...small - medium bushes or shrubs ...places they could hide or not be seen at all .
What about wind socks ? in open areas ? flags or balloons ? something that will move with the wind .
or do you have access to pallets ? you could raise some off the ground ...they could have a place to hide
=o====o=

 

[delisha]

I know we covered this a long tine ago but I had a gallon of pasturized ACV given to me. How do I turn this into the good stuff?

add a dose of good stuff..or

make an apple pie and save the peelings and cores
stuff the peelings and cores in a glass jar, cover with water and a tablespoon of sugar. Let it ferment on the counter covered lightly (a good week) when it smells like booze, drain it off and smash the peelings and cores to get as much pulp out as you can. You have to go by smell. Fermentation takes time and your house and my house is different and so is the bacteria.
Put it in a clean jar and cover it. I put mine in the closet and it took a good month for the mother to form.

 

[pigeonguy]

add a dose of good stuff..or

make an apple pie and save the peelings and cores
stuff the peelings and cores in a glass jar, cover with water and a tablespoon of sugar. Let it ferment on the counter covered lightly (a good week) when it smells like booze, drain it off and smash the peelings and cores to get as much pulp out as you can. You have to go by smell. Fermentation takes time and your house and my house is different and so is the bacteria.
Put it in a clean jar and cover it. I put mine in the closet and it took a good month for the mother to form.

Made my own from apples not my goal this time do you think all it would take is put a 1/4 cup of unpasturized in with the pasturized or would it also take sugar to get the yeast active again.

 

[CoopChick719]

Lost another Red Star. I decided to do a necropsy. I happy to say I saw NO mites or worms! The first thing I noticed was the skin was green near her vent. Can anyone tell me what I'm looking at and what looks wrong? I know the pictures are small but I had a heck of a time uploading them in a larger format. Thank you in advance for advice & comments!!

Green skin near vent


Cavity


Liver


Ceca?


Inside the thing from above.


Egg


Fat or Egg Yolk?


Gizzard contents


Inside of intestines


Lung?


Ovaries & Kidneys?


Inside of Spleen--I think


Heart?

 

[Sally8]

Thanks for sharing the pics. I can't comment as I'm still learning about this also. Waiting to hear from more experienced, too.