The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Guess what I got today

ADORABLE

SFHs?

 

[littlechickies]

I am sure you guys have answered this question but I can't find it so..... I want to start using herbs in my coop to help with any smells, increase the comfort of the hens laying and repel pests. is there a book or place i could look that has what herbs are good for what and if they can be dry or fresh.
Right now I use sand in my coop ( Love it) and rake out the poops usually every other day. I use straw in the nesting boxes. I think the straw smells worse at times than the poop. I starting using a spray I read about that is for repealing bugs and has a nice smell. My daughter doesn't like it but the hens don't seem to care either way. I don't have a bug issue just trying to be proactive.
I also have put a compost pile in the one corner of the run and blocked it off so they can scratch in it all they want but they can't spread it to the entire run. They love it and I hope to get some good compost by the end of the summer.
My hubby has built me 2 boxes I am placing in the coop and planting different seeds like lettuce and such, when it gets taller I will remove the box and let the chickens go for it. I am hoping to increase their green area in the coop just a little and decrease the mud when it rains. I don't want to add sand to the entire run. Most days they free range in my yard and only return to the run or coop area as they please.

any other suggestions?
thanks

 

[armorfirelady]

I am sure you guys have answered this question but I can't find it so..... I want to start using herbs in my coop to help with any smells, increase the comfort of the hens laying and repel pests. is there a book or place i could look that has what herbs are good for what and if they can be dry or fresh.

Dried citrus peels, lavender, dandelions, sage, basil, oregano......just about any herb you want. Sage, catnip, & citrus peels are natural bug deterrents.

Also here is a link with other uses for herbs
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/02/natural-lice-and-mite-prevention-using.html

 

[littlechickies]

thanks for the link.
in regards to citrus peels, do they have to be dried and do you cut them up or zest them.
If I were to just throw in what I have extra of would that work or do I need to set up a certain recipe?

 

[mlowen]

I've had two chicken-keeping "firsts" in the past week. I got my first "rubber" egg...completely shell-less but the membrane was so firm, I could pick it up and bring it in the house. I had to really whack it with a fork to break it and scramble it. All 5 hens are about a year old, now, so I was surprised. I would have thought this would happen to beginning layers.

The second thing was the Wyandotte. Yesterday I was putting up a fence around beets & chard--the bed is in their "paddock" area--and Margarite looked like she was straining to poop. I watched her closely, thinking if she's egg bound or impacted in some way, I'll take her in for a warm bath. After straining about 4 times, stepping forward after each strain & "cooing" a little, she lifted her wings and bore down and laid an egg right on the ground in front of me!! Perfectly fine egg. She had just been in the coop where the nest box is, so I just don't know whether she's dumb about her body's signals or didn't care.

 

[mlowen]

thanks for the link.
in regards to citrus peels, do they have to be dried and do you cut them up or zest them.
If I were to just throw in what I have extra of would that work or do I need to set up a certain recipe?

I don't know if it's "necessary," but I found directions (on Pinerest, I think) for making dried orange peels for cooking. It looked interesting, so I peeled the white stuff away from the skin and cut them into little strips and dried them in the oven and kept them in a jar in the refrigerator. I use those peels in the nest box, along with some lavender that someone gave me.

 

[gevshiba]

Here's my big ex-pen top. I also have one that covers 1/2 an ex-pen. Ex-pens come in several different heights. They can have doors or not. The one's with doors are more expensive and I don't think are really necessary. I have one of each. I have a 24", without a door and a 48" with.

This is a trigger snap.

 

[armorfirelady]

thanks for the link.
in regards to citrus peels, do they have to be dried and do you cut them up or zest them.
If I were to just throw in what I have extra of would that work or do I need to set up a certain recipe?

Dried citrus peels. After I made my homemade cleaner with them I put them on a piece of screening outside to dry them out (Thanks LM for reminding me to use them for this) They are just in pieces. I don't zest them or anything.

I also throw picked dandelion heads and throw them in the nesting box. I do not dry them out they do that in the box. It smells pretty in there and if the girls want them for a snack so be it.

Has anyone tried drying kale, beet greens, etc? I was curious if they would still have the same nutritional value dried. It sure would be easier to store them dried than in the freezer

 

[littlechickies]

Dried citrus peels. After I made my homemade cleaner with them I put them on a piece of screening outside to dry them out (Thanks LM for reminding me to use them for this) They are just in pieces. I don't zest them or anything.

I also throw picked dandelion heads and throw them in the nesting box. I do not dry them out they do that in the box. It smells pretty in there and if the girls want them for a snack so be it.

Has anyone tried drying kale, beet greens, etc? I was curious if they would still have the same nutritional value dried. It sure would be easier to store them dried than in the freezer

I have seen dried and spiced kale for people to eat so I am assuming that dried has the same nutritional value. I wonder if I could crush it when it is dried and put it in with my feed. I have been supplementing my feed with the bulks stores sale items like mung beans and peas and such.

 

[Kassaundra]

The young ones got their first taste of comfrey today, and the little pirrahna stripped those leaves clean!