The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

Isn't RedRidge in Tn? (Of course, may not be in the same area...)

there's a bunch of people in tn that I know of... dmrippy for one, tnbearchick, um... the person who bought 2 sfh from me (lol can't remember her name!)

if you're willing to give us a city near you, that might narrow things down a bit.

 

[trinoc]

In general, the Nashville area.

Thank you!

 

[RedRidge]

I live in middle Tennessee.  I'm sure there are plenty of chicken owners around here but I don't know how to find them.  I know some sell eggs at the farmer's market.  Maybe I'll try there on Saturday.  Thanks for the suggestion and the reassurance! 

Welcome to the thread.
I'm in East TN if you ever want to come over for the day just let me know.
The easiest thing to do in TN is call your local extension agent and find out who the local 4-H poultry kids are. I have found those 4-H kids know more than most about the details of their livestock. And they are usually more than willing to share that knowledge.

 

[trinoc]

Welcome to the thread.
I'm in East TN if you ever want to come over for the day just let me know.
The easiest thing to do in TN is call your local extension agent and find out who the local 4-H poultry kids are. I have found those 4-H kids know more than most about the details of their livestock. And they are usually more than willing to share that knowledge.

Thanks! Great idea on the 4-H kids. I'll call tomorrow (today? lol).

 

[lalaland]

i prefer the split ring bands, simply because they're reusable. any hen I can't tell easily from another (silver grey dorkings mostly) has a colored band on one leg. I have 11 colors of the rings (if I could find the bleeping things!) LOL I know they're around. just have to find where I stuck them.

the longer/wider zip ties work well for adults too, being wider it's easier to see from a distance. they also come in a wide variety of colors.

I use the split ring bands too, and also kept misplacing the unused ones. Finally, I put a nail in the coop wall and hung all of them on it. Right there when I need them or when I want to put one away! Then, I got even smarter

and tacked up an old storm window and tied a dry erase marker on it. I can put notes on the glass, but mostly I use it to identify the colors.
One of these days I might even get a calendar up there so I can track eggs better!

 

[lalaland]

hooray, it is going to be above zero today. I'll leave the coop door open, and risk Booster being chased out first thing while the windchills are still around -20 ....but there is a windbreak, and that is warmer than it has been anyway for the last few days. Now there is also a chance that the eggs might not bust open or freeze before I can get home tonight!

 

[ChickChickChicky]

Good luck!!! I didn't have one my entire cruise. I've been taking chantix. Even others smoking didn't bother me. But I got that cruise and had a stressful day and bought a pack. Smoking more than half than I did. My problem is I like smoking when I just want to sit and relax for a little while. But I don't smoke in my house so you would thing the bitter temps & blizzard would of helped me not want to smoke. I just dressed warmer

.

I FINALLY quit smoking 5 years ago with the help of surgery (surgery had nothing to do with smoking, but being doped up those 1st few days really helped get me thru the physical withdrawal); Chantix, which really did help with the cravings; and hypnosis http://johnmorganseminars.com . and writing down (and reviewing frequently) the 10 reasons I WANTED to quit.
I think the hypnosis went furthest in helping me quit, it basically made me substitute drinking water for smoking. I had my "final cigarette" more times than I care to admit to, so don't get discouraged, just keep trying. I smoked HEAVILY (chain smoker par excellance, I have gone through 5 packs a day at times) for over 30 years, if I did it anyone can. Now most of the time cigarettes smell horrible to me, but every once in awhile they smell sooooo good. No no no no no no is what you'll be saying forever, but it does get MUCH easier with time.

 

[Leahs Mom]

You said you have some that are wider. Are they just longer ones that come wider?

 

[Leahs Mom]

I just saw that Strombergs has colored and numbered zip ties.

http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/Numbered-Zip-Tie-Poultry-Bands

 

[Sally8]

...

There are freak accidents where your best could very well be dead. If they don't seek shelter in incredibly cold weather, would this be a cull point in your opinion? I'm personally not breeding for anything other than milk right now. I will sell the kids unless one is extremely well behaved and I fall in love - but I plan to sell them all. Use the males for meat. This is the calf story by 3acres: [COLOR=333333]Here's a few pics from a calf being born at the end of Feb last year. I watched her head off to have it. By the time I went and got the sled, which didn't take long, she had had the baby and it had flipped under brush where momma couldn't get to it and it couldn't get up....and was already cold enough it had started to stiffen up pretty bad. I took them to the barn and went to work warming it. I was very happy to watch it suck for the first time! That calf is eating hay out there now behind a windbreak.[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333] [/COLOR] [COLOR=333333] [/ Man, what a rough start to life. Used to see it all the time growing up. Dad used to bring nearly frozen calves and piglets in the house for a few hours if needed. Ahhhh, wish I could go back....... Did anyone see the Northern Lights last night? We were supposed to be able to see them but because we live in a gully, we'd have to drive up on the hill to see, so I didn't. Used to see them all the time growing up. Very beautiful.