The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Happy Tax Day (If "happy" and "tax" can go together....)

It's still happy for me. And I ask my tax lady every year if I can claim my critters yet. She finds it amusing

 

[trilliumcoop]

Before we talk about bumblefoot, would you be able to post a photo?  Sometimes folks treat because we've been told that if there is any black mark on the foot it needs to be treated.  Sometime that's not the case.  So... yes, I have some ideas for bumblefoot.  But I'd like to see some photos from all angles before commenting

This is the one pic I have from today. I can get some more tomorrow if you like. Thanks for your help. v

 

[tjo804]

Quote:
I have found that things put in the food processor and then mixed with either tuna fish or scrambled eggs never last the morning in my chicken coop.
Garlic pumpkin seeds mint all gone! no complaints its kind of like the people that make veggies into sauce to cook with so their children will eat them.

 

[tjo804]

Quote: did you also do a before test?

 

[Phoenixxx]

O

did you also do a before test?

didn't need to. Live wrigglers in some poops, bloody poops from others. I wouldn't have done a worm treatment otherwise. And the only chemical one I can get is piperazine which doesn't work on the tapeworms.

 

[tjo804]

The orange slices still have enough smell to them when you dehydrate them? I've brought some home from a co worker and they dry so quick I often wonder if they do anything?

My gallon cleaner last only a couple months top since it's all I use.

I would of never thought of adding lavender or eucalyptus to the orange cleaner? Huh. Last year I put eucalyptus oil in water and sprayed it in the coop throughout the summer to try & keep bugs at bay. Plus I liked the smell in the coop

We have temps below freezing here as well but he big waterer is in one of the lean to with plastic still on it so I hope it unfreeze while I am at work for a long day tomorrow lol. Not like the girls,drink much from it. They prefer mud puddles YUCK !!
Lavender has a lot of uses: natural insecticide, good for circulatory system, relieves stress & smells good.
Chamomile is good for people so since I grew some I added to the nesting box.

I have catnip seeds so I plan on growing that in pots and around the coop. Mint also. I have mint growing in a spot in my yard so I hope to transplant it to around the coop. If the girls don't eat it at least it will smell good when I mow

Keep in mind that Cat nip or Cat Mint attracts Cats

 

[tjo804]

Quote:

got cha

 

[lalaland]

lala - do your birds normally get out to run when it's not winter or are they confined to a run?

Snowed here last night. Will barely get above freezing today. Then supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow. Had to bring the waterers in again last night

yes - the run itself is quite large, and when I am home they can free range. I was pretty cranky Sunday because I was home, the ground was bare and I let them out and they were really working hard to eat the miniscule grass sprouting up, and along came two big dogs out of the woods. I had to scramble to get the chickens back in the run before the dogs came through, and then I was fearful the dogs would return.

I am pretty close to making a decision on the electric poultry netting. That will help extend the time they get to be outside of the run - and help them spend more time on "clean" ground.

I haven't seen any evidence of worms, it is just that I can't understand the drop in egg production, so I think it will likely be worms or mites. Still no sign of mites, so....

Oh...and when I add those dehydrated orange peel slices to the nest boxes I only use a few. I store the rest in a vacuum sealed canning jar (sealed w/a vacuum sealer attachment) and keep them in a dark place and only put a few in every now and then when I add other lice/mite deterrent herbs to the boxes.

Sue, would you post your cleaner recipe again?

I did run out of dried wormwood, mint, tansy, etc that I was throwing in the nest boxes - ran out about Feb.
The run is chock full of wild birds. junco flocks. chickadees, woodpeckers, etc.

 

[tjo804]

hey patriot, would you ask your grandma what she did about mites and worms?

its gonna snow again. 6-12 inches on wed. its 19 degrees. I got spoiled by a week of warm weather and actually seeing some bare ground.

I know I'm whining.

good news is I'm getting a few legbar chicks
bad news is those danged girls have cut their egg production in half, so ....must be mites or worms. Not seeing anything in daylight. I'll do the soapy water thing and get out the wood ashes. You know its kite flying season, so ash is a tricky thing as AFL found out a few days ago.

sheesh.

If you are not seeing evidence of mites or worms what makes you think that is it?
could it be cloudy where you are and not filling their sunlight needs? Or are they staying in a closed up dim coop?
is something stressing them at night? mice rats or other critters?
Have you made any feed changes?
How old are they?

I am not trying to be an expert but sometimes we can over look things we already know thinking it cant be that easy.

 

[tjo804]

Quote: Yes Please I missed that one!
and now I am craving Oranges!