The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[LoveChickens123]

I found this thread from the inventions thread. Didn't know it was here. Glad to find it. I don't have chickens yet, but the plan is in the works. Learning all I can for now.

I skimmed a few pages and thought I would post about this all natural product called Waxelene Petroleum Jelly Alternative. You can use it on your chicken's combs to keep them from getting frostbit. I read about it on Fresh Eggs Daily's facebook page.

something the people in the north or where it is cold might need!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Interesting stuff. For me, since I avoid soy, I personally wouldn't use it. Mostly due to the estrogen content in the soy. But is sure does look like a better alternative than petrolium-based products which leach the oil soluble vitamins out of the system.

I've been finding that just plain coconut oil is pretty good for a lot of things. Aoxa has a lot to say about using coconut oil and it is both anti-fungal and anti-biotic in nature. Some pretty good stuff!

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
nope not for me... I like a clean poodle face and short body.

clean feet also. they track in MUCH less mud than shaggy ones do. LOL
This is Sunny, my standard poodle. he'll be 4 at the end of Feb and is my "part time LGD"

 

[Sally8]

Your dogs are so beautiful. I also like the longer fur. Thanks for sharing your pics.

I'm posting several pic's of my chickens and frostbite. Every year Wrinkles get frosted but has never so badly that he lost any of it. Right now he has black peck marks as he was in a pen with 8 other roo's (All his son's) He's quite passive but pretty good to his girls. The 2nd pic is of my Buff Orpington and I noticed that she has a little frosting too and finally is my Wyandotte and she was left outside one night at 13 below and she looks fine. I've chosen to leave the combs alone, at least for now.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Yes he is.
She is a Miniature Poodle. People don't expect them to look so floofy. I haven't clipped her yet, because I adore her long wavy hair!

Her coloring is awesome. I have never seen a poodle look like that before.

 

[lazy gardener]

I've spent a lot of time in Maine (40 years ago)
I have three ponds, the biggest is 400' by 100', the smallest 120 x 50.
I'm raising tilapia, catfish, bass, etc. I feed them the floating catfish pellets. The biproduct of this is a lot of nitrogen and phosphate in the water. I've added water lettuce and a floating plant similar to duckweed and water hyanthics (*sp?{. They bind up the minerals as vegetable matter. Then, I harvest about two wheel barrows a day and feed it to the chickens.

As you know, the little buggers are gluttons, so they pig out on the veggies first thing in the morning. After that, I feed them their corn and mash. The plants as I understand are about 8 percent protein, so it's filling and nutritious

Since the fish are used to eating those little pellets, I tie fishing flies out of deer hair, trimmed and dyed to imitate the pellets and fish for them just like you would for trout in a river or lake. They get up to 12 lbs, but the average adult is about 5 pounds. that's about 20 inches and the 12 lb fish is nearly 30 inches in length.

After filleting the fish, I take the carcasses par boil them and feed them to the chickens. At first I was afraid that they might choke on the bones, but in several years of feeding, I've never had it happen.

Also, I've found several plants which grown in my butterfly gardens which overpopulate such as the spanish needles and the birds love them. It cuts my feed bill by 50 percent. I have 140 birds and use slightly over two bags of food per week.

Jack

Hello from other threads. I'm from Louisiana.

I am joining in too!!!! I am from Northwest, OH!!!!

I'll get some pics this weekend. Going up to +6C. Can't be bothered to convert, but that's around 40 I believe.












I can't remember the last time I posted photos of Henry, so here you all are

Hi may i Join???

I found this thread from the inventions thread. Didn't know it was here. Glad to find it. I don't have chickens yet, but the plan is in the works. Learning all I can for now.

I skimmed a few pages and thought I would post about this all natural product called Waxelene Petroleum Jelly Alternative. You can use it on your chicken's combs to keep them from getting frostbit. I read about it on Fresh Eggs Daily's facebook page.

Wolfglen: I've heard that dried duck weed is 30% protein. do they eat water lettuce? Do the birds eat the fish, bones and all? Have you considered adding Black Soldier Flies to the mix? Though, with all the protein you're able to offer from your ponds, it may not be needed, though the fish would benefit from BSF. How much maintenance time are your ponds requiring? What planting zone are you in?

Welcome to Primrose Mom, Courts Cacklers, LoveChickens123, and Ms Jellybean. Ms. JB: You're wise to do a lot of reading before actually getting your birds. You'll have a blast!

Thanks all for the beautiful dog pics. I'm dogless, so have to get my doggie doses where and when I can.

 

[aoxa]

Interesting stuff. For me, since I avoid soy, I personally wouldn't use it. Mostly due to the estrogen content in the soy. But is sure does look like a better alternative than petrolium-based products which leach the oil soluble vitamins out of the system.

I've been finding that just plain coconut oil is pretty good for a lot of things. Aoxa has a lot to say about using coconut oil and it is both anti-fungal and anti-biotic in nature. Some pretty good stuff!

nope not for me... I like a clean poodle face and short body.

clean feet also. they track in MUCH less mud than shaggy ones do. LOL
This is Sunny, my standard poodle. he'll be 4 at the end of Feb and is my "part time LGD"

Here's mama Chloe I keep her short all the time. Rosie's face has been since clipped, as have her little feet. Not her body though. I need a new blade, I only have a #7 and it clips VERY short.

Her coloring is awesome. I have never seen a poodle look like that before.

Thanks! She's apricot It's actually a very common poodle colour after black and white. Black is the most common.


Here is Rosie's brother Cooper. We breed them in case you haven't realized that yet... This would probably be one of the most uncommon colours - Phantom.

 

[LoveChickens123]

Here's mama Chloe I keep her short all the time. Rosie's face has been since clipped, as have her little feet. Not her body though. I need a new blade, I only have a #7 and it clips VERY short.



Thanks! She's apricot It's actually a very common poodle colour after black and white. Black is the most common.


Here is Rosie's brother Cooper. We breed them in case you haven't realized that yet... This would probably be one of the most uncommon colours - Phantom.

I think Rosie is the best out of all your dogs!!!! the black and the Carmel are just in the right spot

 

[aoxa]

Hands in the air for a heat wave!!!!!!!!!

 

[wolfglen]

I don't know anything about the black soldier flies. but yes, they love the water lettuce. The floating plant here is not actually duckweed, but quite similar with a leaf of perhaps a quarter of an inch across. The birds eat everything on the fish except for the bones. Another tip I've discovered about using fish carcass'; I put some on the stove and simmer them until most of the water is gone and add this to my dog's dry food. They really love it. If you put the liquid in the refrigerator you will be amazed at the gelatin and fish oils which are in the broth as it congeals. I've seen this keep dogs relatively arthritis free for years and years past what you would expect and give a decent amount of relief to those already affected by the condition. I had one large dog which lived for 20 years, an almost unheard of age for a big one. Now, I'm not scientifically sure, but I feel the concentrated broth had a lot to do with it.

I'm in SW Florida, so we don't have many frosts with which to deal, although we did get a record breaking freeze about three years ago when it dropped to 22 degrees killing a few hundred orchids I had out on my nature trails. I'd say that my ponds and chickens take about an hour a day minimum maintenance, but if you add in all of the time I spend in veg. garden, planting new stuff, playing with my birds and fish, It's about 25 hrs a day (i wish, ha ha!!!0