The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aaggjg]

Just the fact that you have "food scraps"... you don't want compost... you want fermenting grains and food scraps.
I have weekly access to excess food thrown away by the local food pantry at a church.
Enough to feed a LOT of BSF.

BSF convert to a much healthier and more consistent diet than the scraps themselves... and provide several things in addition to animal protein that the scraps don't provide (like calcium for instance).

RR I'd love to see how you set up your bin... I have watched videos on youtube but I worry about attracting rats ... and we have a ton of urban rats!

 

[aaggjg]

A skinny hen specially an Orpington with egg issues is not normal IMO. She has something going on.

Yeah that is my thought too.... I have 2 from the same hatch and this one is just SKINNY.... The other one isn't heavy by orpington standards but weighs a lot more then Daisy....

 

[Leahs Mom]

WOOD ASH WARNING

Be sure you don't use ash from anything that may be treated lumber. LOTS OF PALLETS ARE MADE FROM TREATED LUMBER. BEWARE. If in doubt, don't burn it or be around a fire in which it may be....and DON'T USE IT IN YOUR CHICKEN DUST AREA!




Additionally... Please don't use treated lumber around your chickens or other animals. Even if the wood is free. It's not worth the risk.

This is a pretty quick read with other resources if you're interested in knowing more.
http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HENV/HENV-100-W.pdf

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Ugh. You have no idea.

I am younger, shorter, female and sometimes speaking a second language. But really? My conclusion is that I must be very, very annoying. The other day I googled "how not to piss people off" ... could be useful info presuming that really is the problem ... turns out there are more resources available for people wanting to be MORE annoying.

Gonna chime in here and please do forgive me if I overstep any boundaries....

Sounds like the issue is plain old disrespect. Maybe I'm making assumptions based on my personal experience, but... if it's a case of folks just blowing you off constantly then being nicer is probably not going to help. I tried that... And if I could have been considerate enough to dry up and blow away completely I'm sure it would have worked eventually.

 

[Sally8]

So far I've given my chickens kitchen scraps that I think they'll like, and put the rest on the compost pile (which is not very near the coop). But I wonder if it's OK just to have the whole compost pile in the chicken run?

I guess I would put things like banana peels (which they don't like - I tried) and flaky onion skins and grapefruit halves, etc. It seems like this might be OK, but I'm a little worried about having a giant pile of rotting food in the middle of their run. Honestly, I have no idea if that would happen or not because our regular compost pile never has anything in it very long - I think raccoons and opossums get into it and clean it out, so I don't know what a compost pile does if food actually stays in it!

Right now the run is just bare dirt with a little grass on it. It was all grass when I put them in it in September, but it's not doing so well now.

Yesterday I raked up a bunch of leaves and put them in the run so it wouldn't be mud this winter. But the chickens were terrified of it! They had been out free ranging when I did it, and they refused to come back in to get to the coop to roost. I was able to chase some of them in, and catch a few of them and carry them in, but one of them wouldn't let me catch her and wouldn't be herded in. She just kept running around the run looking for another way in that didn't involve the scary leaves, and making her pitiful scared noise "eep eep.....eep eep!"

Finally I opened up one of the nest boxes and she flew in from the outside. Then this morning no one would come out onto the leaves, even when I dropped their food on the leaves! I pushed the leaves and made a path from the coop door to the run door, and sprinkled their food on that. Some of them came and ate the food, but the rest just ran straight out of the run into the yard. Good grief!

So while they were free ranging I scooped the leaves into big bags and carried them out. I only left a few inside, and I guess I'll just put a small pile in one end of the run to get them used to it instead of covering the whole run with those scary, noisy leaves.

Anyway, my point is that I will hopefully be having leaves in the run along with the food to compost.

A week ago I hauled 6 - 8 tarps full of leaves over in my chickens run. The leaves stacked as tall as myself. 5ft. The chickens left them alone for many days and now they go through them as if looking for a needle in a haystack. I thought about taking a before pic but didn't and this is today. Just an idea, just throw some grain or something else they like to scratch for in/on the leaves. Maybe that will help.

Seriously, the leaves were going over the fence, they were stacked so tall.

 

[lalaland]

Just making sure I got the acronym... SLW = silver laced Wyandotte? sure dang cute as babies!

x2, chryso... the chicks are pretty.

I have used all of the natural wormers a lot and constantly yet I still had a amerucanas poop out round worms! I also added the Shaklee's Basic H , wormwood, cinnamon and have now added the ropapoultry oregano concoction.... My hens must be penned up when I am not around as there are too many predators looking for a snack! So I think it has to do with soil overload... I try to constantly add new organic matter to refresh their runs but I'm not sure how much that helps.

how are you using the wormwood? just curious, and how much cinnamon and how often? clearly, I have a long way to go!

A week ago I hauled 6 - 8 tarps full of leaves over in my chickens run. The leaves stacked as tall as myself. 5ft. The chickens left them alone for many days and now they go through them as if looking for a needle in a haystack. I thought about taking a before pic but didn't and this is today. Just an idea, just throw some grain or something else they like to scratch for in/on the leaves. Maybe that will help.

Seriously, the leaves were going over the fence, they were stacked so tall.

looks wonderful! love the pic of your flock, too.

 

[lalaland]

WOOD ASH WARNING

Additionally... Please don't use treated lumber around your chickens or other animals. Even if the wood is free. It's not worth the risk.

This is a pretty quick read with other resources if you're interested in knowing more.
http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HENV/HENV-100-W.pdf

I didn't know that it could be that toxic! I don't use it, but glad to be forewarned.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Well tonight is a test. I may not get any eggs tomorrow for the disruption but will see.
I went out and outed "charlotte" from the little coop nesting box and the rooster out t of the little coop roost bar. Closed it up to force them to roost with the newest girls on the roosts to the large coop.

I had let them stay in the little coop and once quarantine was done added them to the coop and let them in the big coop together for a couple days. Pecking order established quick and they free ranged together but roosted apart. So since I want the little coop for broody in spring and baby protection tonight was the force them to roost together night.

They were mad but rooster didn't take long joining girls on roost. I came in Charlotte was still figuring it out but did give up trying to bite a hole in the wire into little coop and did fly up on top of the peak in front of the woods coop roosts where the others were. Looked like she was deciding where she should attempt a squeeze in on the roosts. I will do a late night check to see how it works out.

They were still shifting and arguing about who gets which positional squatting rights when I came in... hopefully this breaks Charlotte of nest roosting. :/

They are all the laying stock so.... they better figure it out before I get the HRIR I want next year. They will have to share that side of the coop and HRIR get other. Wire divide of course.
Everyone pray (that believes in it) or wish me luck in the adjustment if that is your forte,

Thursday is supposed to be decent so hopefully will finish the coop up by weekend. After the first and bills are paid will see what funds I have for more Tar paper to cover outside all the way. Cutting and hinging the pop door tomorrow when neighbor drops off his sawsall. Maybe some trim work too.

 

[armorfirelady]

Wow Leahs Mom that's a scary article............I burned pallets last year as starter wood.

My friend thinks I am nuts because I won't burn colored newspaper in my wood stove or anything that's painted or varnished but I never thought of pallet wood. I am also the same way for outdoor fires when we cook

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Gonna chime in here and please do forgive me if I overstep any boundaries....

Sounds like the issue is plain old disrespect. Maybe I'm making assumptions based on my personal experience, but...  if it's a case of folks just blowing you off constantly then being nicer is probably not going to help. I tried that...  And if I could have been considerate enough to dry up and blow away completely I'm sure it would have worked eventually.

Yep. There is no perfect perfect enough to meet the prerequisites.