The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Scott H]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ns_Where_Did_They_Come_From-Kauai_Hawaii.html

 

[Leahs Mom]

Am I right that owls will take out hawks if they have the chance?

Maybe the owls are around because you have the hawks around. So if the owls scare the hawks away, and the chickens are locked inside at night...that might just be a win-win situation.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Scott...that's amazing. Are there chickens like that everywhere on the island?

 

[Scott H]

Scott...that's amazing.  Are there chickens like that everywhere on the island?

Pretty much....really interesting to watch their chicken interactions. Roosters run together, crowing at each other....no scraps that I have seen.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Seems like you could go for one heck of an easter egg hunt around there.

 

[tjo804]

i was reading about sulfur rich vegetables in your diet and I started to wonder if i put more of these in my Chickens diet if it would help keep them from another mite infestation?

What exactly qualifies as a sulfur-rich vegetable? Any and all fibrous non-leafy (although some have leaves, they’re never the culinary focus) usually-green vegetables that steam well and emit a distinctive, offensive-to-some odor probably contain considerable amounts of sulfur and can be called “sulfur-rich”:

• Brassicas – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and related vegetables.
• Alliums – onions, shallots, garlic, leeks

 

[Leahs Mom]

i was reading about sulfur rich vegetables in your diet and I started to wonder if i put more of these in my Chickens diet if it would help keep them from another mite infestation?

What exactly qualifies as a sulfur-rich vegetable? Any and all fibrous non-leafy (although some have leaves, they’re never the culinary focus) usually-green vegetables that steam well and emit a distinctive, offensive-to-some odor probably contain considerable amounts of sulfur and can be called “sulfur-rich”:

• Brassicas – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and related vegetables.
• Alliums – onions, shallots, garlic, leeks

Thank you


A lot of folks make garlic available for their chickens on a regular basis...and their dogs... and say that it helps with keeping down the lice/mites. They even make garlic-based products for pets for that purpose but might as well give them the real thing

Besides that it also has other health benefits. I'm thinking it is @delisha that plants it for her birds to have a good supply year-round...if not Delisha someone on here!

I would love to get a "wild" area growing along a fence or somewhere similar with wild onions, garlic, etc that would come up every year that they could help themselves to as they desire. I kind-of have this dream of having that kind of thing with all kinds of herbs thriving in an area and re-seeding that the chickens can use at will. I guess that if they really decimate it I'd have to replant, but I"m thinking scattering seed and letting it just grow wherever along an area. That way I'm not "force-feeding" anything and they take what they want.


Edited for typo

 

[armorfirelady]

You might be able to ID your owls here http://hubpages.com/hub/OwlsoftheUS-AWhosWhoofOwlsOwlCallsIdentificationandCulturalSigificance

ETA: I live in town too and hear (and sometimes see) owls on a fairly regular basis. I don't mind them at all as they eat a lot of rabbits, mice and other rodents. I also love listening to them, I think the calls are so pretty.

Thanks I will check it out.

have to love the owls calling. and they call at all hours during the night and early morning and dusk. I love it when they do the monkey cackling sounds too. I have owls and this time of year they are really calling.

I do love their sound. It sounds so pretty & peaceful.

Am I right that owls will take out hawks if they have the chance?

Maybe the owls are around because you have the hawks around. So if the owls scare the hawks away, and the chickens are locked inside at night...that might just be a win-win situation.

That I do not know. I have not seen the owls during the day nor the hawks. But I have had the crows in the yard a lot lately. I tell them they are welcome to stay & make many nests

Quote:
I saw some when we were in the Bahamas as well. I didn't see any eggs tho. Very cool to hear the roosters crowing back & forth.

 

[Mrs Rebecca]

Am I right that owls will take out hawks if they have the chance?

Maybe the owls are around because you have the hawks around. So if the owls scare the hawks away, and the chickens are locked inside at night...that might just be a win-win situation.

We have several owls and many hawks. We see the hawks during the day and the owls at night, morning and evening. I have never seen any interaction. I have only seen the crows interact with the hawks. I have noticed that when an eagle is patrolling an area, the hawks stay away.

My rooster has done a fine job of training my hens to take cover when there is a predator in the air. Apparently they think any flying bird is a predator though. Yesterday a bluebird flew into the pear tree they were under and perched on a limb. My chickens went berserk and ran to safety under the porch.

 

[stonykill]

We have several owls and many hawks. We see the hawks during the day and the owls at night, morning and evening. I have never seen any interaction. I have only seen the crows interact with the hawks. I have noticed that when an eagle is patrolling an area, the hawks stay away.

My rooster has done a fine job of training my hens to take cover when there is a predator in the air. Apparently they think any flying bird is a predator though. Yesterday a bluebird flew into the pear tree they were under and perched on a limb. My chickens went berserk and ran to safety under the porch.

low flying geese or Ducks landing about 50 yards behind the coops in water REALLY freak everyone out! Pileated woodpecker. Forgetboutit! FREAKS them out to no end