The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Scott H]

Here's a surprised coon....I expected to see him explode but he didn't until he figured out he wasn't going anywhere. Still got to weigh him. He's huge.



He kinda tore the snow up and I even had a picture of him hanging upside down from the railing. Still kinda makes me feel bad that we can't coexist.



Came home last nite to an unplowed road....my neighbor, who is retired and notoriously lazy, was at the bar and had left me to do it. I work in the snow all day and come home to a road with snow so deep I can barely make it up the hill to the house while he's drinkin'.

So I plowed him out and myself out. Then I hung that coon from his outhouse...looks like a freaking bobcat hanging there it's so big and he still hasn't noticed it yet. Watched him come home and he parked his truck within 20 feet of the outhouse with the headlights lighting it up. Have another beer.....

 

[lazy gardener]

Now you have me thinking.... Do you know where you saw that?

My dad has an in-ground pool that recently collapsed due to not being maintained. My husband and I are living on that property now.

We've been contemplating what to do with it. There is a cement patio all around it and we've had all kinds of ideas...even just making a large root cellar. But this is an interesting idea!

I just looked it up. It's in the book written by Sylvia Bernstein "Aqaponic Gardening" It's an excellent how-to intro to Aquaponics. Details a lot of set ups. the basic principle is that you have a heavily stocked tank. Some people even use shrimp. The fish or shrimp obviously get fed, they excrete waste into the water that gets pumped through the media in the growing beds. The media has a good balance of bacteria, and is also stocked with red worms, which break all the waste product down into nutrient for the plants. The plants clean the water, and it flows back into the tank to repeat the process all over again. It's automated with a timer. Set ups can be as simple as a series of 2 liter soda bottles with plants and growing media so the water goes to the top bottle and trickles through to the bottom bottle before entering the tank. Then there's the larger systems with people getting creative, using wood, pre-fab containers, bath tubs... you name it.

 

[aoxa]

I'm amazed that the water stays thawed for that long!

What do you estimate the indoor temperature to be?

I should stop estimating and buy thermometers..

I'd say no colder than -10 on the coldest days.. probably more like -5 (we're talking Celsius, so like 15F at the coldest. More like 20F. It is a great deal warmer if I keep the big door closed and keep them in. I always have the windows open 5-6 inches on one entire wall so there is fresh air. If it is warmer out they get the door open, and still they won't go out for more than a few minutes trying to jump the dutch doors and poop in the hallway. I swear they do it just so they can poop on my floor.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My waterers do okay if it's above the teens F. It's when it hits the teens that we have problems.

 

[Leahs Mom]

LG - thanks! I'll look for that book. Wonder if the library may have it.

 

[hellbender]

Yes all the time when they are eating. Sometimes they eat too fast and it gets up their nose or is dry in their throat. Completely normal. I do find my roosters do this more than my hens.

I feed my 'special mash' year round and never have any problems. Additionally, it virtually eliminates waste.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

Now you have me thinking.... Do you know where you saw that?

My dad has an in-ground pool that recently collapsed due to not being maintained. My husband and I are living on that property now.

We've been contemplating what to do with it. There is a cement patio all around it and we've had all kinds of ideas...even just making a large root cellar. But this is an interesting idea!

I have the exact same situation of an inground pool past saving (for swimming or holding water, anyway). I always wanted a root cellar so was going to build one in the deep end with catenary walls, and put an underground water cistern to store excess rainwater in the shallow end. Health, time and money have thrown a monkeywrench into my plans... I do have a cistern (in the deep end) but all else is just a big gaping hole. Someday............

 

[RedRidge]

All of my livestock (cows, sheep, and poultry) are watered year round with rain water from gravity fed tanks which also contain gold fish. There is enough water change out that any contamination the fish may cause is far less than the algae that would grow if they didn't have gold fish.
For aquaponics, since it's in the basement in two 100 gal stock tanks, that water is just used to water the plants which filter it and it cycles back to the tilapia. There is a small pump which recirculates the aquaponics, but all other water for both human and animal requires no "consistent" power and is gravity fed. The house tank is filled only on sunny days we are making power.

 

[mlowen]

All of my livestock (cows, sheep, and poultry) are watered year round with rain water from gravity fed tanks which also contain gold fish. There is enough water change out that any contamination the fish may cause is far less than the algae that would grow if they didn't have gold fish.
For aquaponics, since it's in the basement in two 100 gal stock tanks, that water is just used to water the plants which filter it and it cycles back to the tilapia. There is a small pump which recirculates the aquaponics, but all other water for both human and animal requires no "consistent" power and is gravity fed. The house tank is filled only on sunny days we are making power.

Some day...if I drive down to MS to visit my daddy instead of flying...I sure would love to meet you and get a tour of your operation! I'd pay admission! It just sounds so beautifully planned and thought out.

 

[RedRidge]

We don't do fancy but try to do efficient, it's a constant work in progress.