The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[LeslieDJoyce]

I'm sure there are some pullets that do so looking for food, just saying so far young chicks that peck at my fingers - not looking for food - have all been males.

I think this is generally true in my experience, too, though I've never had silkies.

 

[Kassaundra]

Good to hear! Hope the re-integration goes well





That's got to be funny. I had a Sheltie that we'd take to Lake MI and she'd try to bite the waves coming in to the shore. She would run and bark at them and try to bite them like they were some kind of intruder.

If I didn't rein her in she would have done it all down the beach until she exhausted herself. Craziest thing to watch.

I had a Lahsa apso, who would bark and snarl and "attack" rocks, for hours if you didn't remove them.



He also disliked puppies, but ADORED kittens?

 

[Scott H]

We just had a herd of quail come through the yard to clean all the leftover BOSS and 3 grain scratch the chickens hadn't gotten to yet.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I posted this on the Indiana thread but I thought you all might like to see my heritage RIR first egg I got close to noon.

 

[Scott H]

I posted this on the Indiana thread but I thought you all might like to see my heritage RIR first egg I got close to noon.

Need a pic of the proud Mamma too!

 

[armorfirelady]

Recycling all our pumpkins! Does anyone know if you can cut them up and freeze some sections for the winter? Someone just offered us a freezer so I'll have room to put extra things away.

Yes you can!!! I have a small chest freezer full of squash, cukes, zukes, beet leaves, beets, kale, apples........and other fruits and veggies I can't remember . All for the chickens for thru the winter. I collect whole pumpkins people around me out out for the trash. My mom and friend collect them to. We have over a dozen so far. They are all setting in the run for the winter. Some are on wood pallet to keep them off the ground. Once a week or so thru the winter I will break one open for the girls to enjoy. They loved them last year. And they were FREE I also got 3 bales of hay free the same way. They are wind breaks on the outside of the coop. I love FREE Balmy 60 degrees,today with high winds. My mom came over and raked leaves for me out of the electric netting and in their run area to put in the compost pile. Hay bales are on the outside of the hoop coop on the east mad west sides. Girls are enjoying the ones they can get to

Some of the pumpkins are here. Girls are enjoying the Johnny cakes I put out last time it snowed. Apparently it was a group effort I also took the plastic fencing I had and cut it in half lengthwise then took my plant stakes and weaved it thru the plastic fencing into the metal fencing to extend it about 6 inches higher. Hopefully this discourages my escapees Stella & Edie. While we working we were watching the girls happily dig thru the veggie garden & leaves. All of a sudden girls ran for the coop. My mom was laughing at them but I looked up and the hawk was about 20 ft above us circling. It never made a sound. My mom couldn't believe it was so close. Girls didn't stay in long after it flew away. I opened the pop door to the veggie garden so they could go btw both areas. They don't know where they want to be today but their crops are filling up nicely and I haven't even fed them yet L

Red finally stopped molting and looks beautiful again. She was enjoying a little dust bath in the veggie garden

Mrs green happily scratching thru the hay bale. Edie is below her scratching thru what she has tossed down Trying to enjoy are last day if nice weather. Temps are suppose to drop into the 30s tonight

 

[Jewelwing]

He tries to catch it out of the snowblower.....

That's hilarious!

Wow your view is magnificent! And the colors of your house match you coop, yes? I'd love to see a picture of your house too, if you're comfortable with that.

 

[Nickeyo]

Just had to stitch up my Phoenix bantam hen pebbles. She had a large chunk of skin pulled of the back of her neck by a vicious rooster that we have now put down for eating. You could see her tendons etc and the entire back of her neck was on view because the skin was pulled round to the front so we stitched her up and I'm hoping for the best, I kept clucking to her to keep her calm and fingers crossed she will survive

 

[mlowen]

[quote name="CedarAcres"

Recycling all our pumpkins! Does anyone know if you can cut them up and freeze some sections for the winter? Someone just offered us a freezer so I'll have room to put extra things away. 
[/quote]


This winter I'm trying something I read about on "the Gnarly Bunch" thread. I have a bunch of pumpkins (also, yay! free) on a pallet covered with a tarp. I'm going to let them freeze and thaw naturally outdoors and feed to my girls in the winter.

 

[Scott H]

Quote: We just had the house resided as we built the house with rotten LP siding so that's why our coop is the same colors. Left over stain.
Now the deck needs stained....uggghhh.




A winter pic my wife took last year from the front deck....



It's a small house on a small lot but it's just us, a cat, dog and 3 chickens.