The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

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I agree with Aoxa you are mean

........the polar vortex is back with temps below zero......thankfully the winds have died down so it wont be as bad as our blizzard 2 weeks ago......but that can change with the lake so close & its no longer frozen from our 45 degree warm up last weekend.

I wouldn't actually mind 110 degree days. The heat doesn't bother me its the humidity that will do me in (asthma) but I am still happier with the heat than the cold. But I do admit I like the different seasons. Winter could be shortened though

Quote: I think Lucky is a great name. And Kassaundra is correct as well.

 

[lalaland]

Okay good. Mine aren't crazy My chickens like crickets best of all. I haven't bought any since last spring, but they went absolutely insane. Also have bought night crawlers intended for fishing. They loved those as well.

minnows! my flocks have always loved leftover minnows. I'm going ice fishing this weekend, and one of the women likes to use minnows, so I know I am coming home with some. Course where I live there are lots of bait shops close by, so I can always get worms, minnows, etc.

and Leah's Mom, it never occurred to me the meal worms could be from china. will have to look, I still have some from when mrs murphy was being coddled. I did notice the mice aren't touching them which could be a clue...

 

[lalaland]

I would love to able to turn the garden so that girls could enjoy it. Unfortunately I seem to have 8" of this white stuff on the top of the garden........and its frozen solid

x2 only its about 24+ inches.... although the wild turkeys and birds are working the dirt where the snow plow scuffed up the driveway.

 

[lalaland]

Wow, Karen. It will be interesting to see how he does!

Ki4got, keep us posted! that was one heck of a stressful day. better day tomorrow.....

 

[fenwickchic]

Gatsby 29 weeks.

Isn't he a stud muffin?

What a great name, Gatsby. He is just beautiful!!

 

[fenwickchic]

Les - I agree. I don't even like to buy mealworms from China and the only DRIED mealworms I've ever been able to find are from China. I've never found a US source for them. I'd love to know if there is one.

I also don't do much with supplements either and the nutritional yeast is more of a food product to me too. Way back in the day when I was having babies I would take some brewers yeast while I was preg and/or nursing for the "B" vitamins. I just got interested in it again thinking of using it for the birds. Then I decided to take a bit for iron and "B" vitamins since I had a "medical" need... for myself a few weeks ago. It was the first time I had purchased any since the 1970s!!!

I did get the Lewis Labs and it really does taste pretty good - especially compared to the stuff I used to get. But the substrate is different and that's probably why it tastes so good!

I have found a dried mealworm treat put out by the National Audubon Society. I've been buying organic feed and won't feed anything non-GMO. Unfortunately, I never even worried about mealworms being a problem. The product I bought is "Distributed by: Red River Commodities, P.O. Box 3022, Fargo, ND 58108. I just went to their site and could not find anything on the mealworms so I emailed them. I'll let you know if I hear anything.

I will say that my chickens go nuts when I put this mealworm block out in a seed block cage. They absolutely love it. Mine won't eat the BOSS I bought. I checked the ingredients and it is simply Black Oil Sunflower Seed made in the U.S.A. purchased at TSC. If I peel it they will eat it. LOL I'm thinking I'll try sprouting it. They also love their evening "crack"/scratch and I love watching them scratch up the DL and toss it on each other. Great chicken TV!

 

[delisha]

Kass..that is so very mean..

Karen..great story and I am sure you saved your new fella..quick thinking...

 

[wolfglen]

I also add a lot of greens from the surrounding gardens with lots of weed seeds to the diet. Since I have no other use for the carcass of the fish, I just feed them to the chickens as an added food. I've heard people say that feeding fish to the chickens makes the eggs and the chicken taste fishing. However, that might be the case if they feed meal made from extremely oily fish such as menhaden, candle fish and such. I've never had a person say that any of the eggs I've given them taste fishy.

Now, I remember the times when they fed hatchery trout liver and the people said that the trout tasted like liver. Like anything else, balance is the key.

 

[aoxa]

What a great name, Gatsby. He is just beautiful!!

Thanks My facebook group came up with it, so I don't take credit!

 

[ki4got]

Kass..that is so very mean..

Karen..great story and I am sure you saved your new fella..quick thinking...

ok I missed the mean part from kass... unless you mean her comment about warm and dead... and it's true. ems will (should) keep on working until the body is back up to reasonable temperatures and there's still no response.

oh nevermind... I see what kass was mean about. LOL temps. yeah that is a bit cruel. LOL