The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I've noticed my chickens pick out the clover leaves first too.

Isn't it fun to be outside with your kids and chickens wandering around? Makes me think of a simpler time.

My chickens won't eat the clover once it has gone to flower.

There is this stuff in much of our pasture that no one will touch either. Not even the goats. That says something...

ETA: It's called Selfheal, and smells minty when you cut the grass. AKA Prunella

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
i free range with minimal anything for them. many insects they find on their own have a high enough calcium content to assist with egg production.

that being said, I do toss out the dried crushed egg shells when I have a full bucket, which os maybe once a month.

 

[aoxa]

i free range with minimal anything for them. many insects they find on their own have a high enough calcium content to assist with egg production.

that being said, I do toss out the dried crushed egg shells when I have a full bucket, which os maybe once a month.

I caught the teenagers standing by the open barn door at dusk last night catching junebugs and mosquitoes that dared come near.

The sound of the junebugs as they devour them makes me feel sick.

I do offer oyster shell regardless. They seem to need it. They go after it when I toss it out.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

The sound of the junebugs as they devour them makes me feel sick.

There's an old-timey saying about a hen on a junebug. ;-)

 

[LindaB220]

ok folks, i've got you all beat regarding red neck cleanliness. When hubby and i were building our home, we were the only family living on our dirt road. Our only water source that first winter and through the first summer was from a tap on the extrol tank in the basement. So, we would draw a bucket of water, tote it upstairs, add some hot water to it... (we were really classy when we finally got a kitchen stove to heat that water!)... then we'd tote it back down the front steps and out doors where the truck was backed up to the front steps. One of us would stand in the bed of the truck, and pour the water, while the other one showered!! We've since finished our house, and live a somewhat civilized life. But, when we re-modeled the bathroom 3 years ago, (in the late fall) I left the little kiddie pool out on the deck. A couple bucket fulls of warm water made for a wonderful and invigorating moon light bath. A couple of times, i actually slipped on the frost when walking back inside (bare footed). You haven't lived until you've taken a moon lit bath on a frosty night!!!

As a city girl, we moved to the country in 1964. I was 17 and loved my comforts. The house had one bathroom for the 3 of us. One shower and a broken hot water tank. We were so broke after all the closing costs , yada yada, that it took us 8 months to get a new tank. We moved in October so cold showers were not an option. What we did was bring one of those galvanized wash tubs inside and heat water for it. Thank God I was a lot skinnier back in those days. We made a game of it. Lets see how long we can make do without having to buy the water tank. I'm always open to making do. Today, my grown kids would not even consider staying one night. Also had no A/C. That was the first purchase after the tank the next summer. Good Times.

 

[LindaB220]

Your "funny" for the day. Copied from an email I got:

My God, who thinks these things up. It tired me just reading all of them.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

As a city girl, we moved to the country in 1964.  I was 17 and loved my comforts.   The house had one bathroom for the 3 of us.   One shower and a broken hot water tank.    We were so broke after all the closing costs , yada  yada, that it took us 8 months to get a new tank.   We moved in October so cold showers were not an option.  What we did was bring one of those galvanized wash tubs inside and heat water for it.  Thank God I was a lot skinnier back in those days.  We made a game of it.  Lets see how long we can make do without having to buy the water tank.   I'm always open to making do.    Today, my grown kids would not even consider staying one night.  Also had no A/C.  That was the first purchase after the tank  the next summer.   Good Times.    

Once my washing machine broke down and there was no money to replace it right away, so I'm washing the whole family's laundry in the bathtub, by hand, for months. It was a jetted tub, though, so I could get some good agitation and sudsing going on, but still nuisance enough for me to feel really irritated when my easy-going, mend-and-make-do husband poked his head in and commented "That seems to be working out really well then for you, eh?"

 

[aoxa]

Once my washing machine broke down and there was no money to replace it right away, so I'm washing the whole family's laundry in the bathtub, by hand, for months. It was a jetted tub, though, so I could get some good agitation and sudsing going on, but still nuisance enough for me to feel really irritated when my easy-going, mend-and-make-do husband poked his head in and commented "That seems to be working out really well then for you, eh?"

Oh I've been there too. But mostly because we were so broke and didn't have a washer and dryer and did not want to spend the money to have it done at the laundry matt. Plus you had to use gas to get it there and wait around.. We strung clothes up to dry all over our first place.

I can remember my first appliances. Oh how awesome it was... I was so obsessed with doing laundry that way. I once even took clothes off the hanger to wash and hang dry out on the line.. Yeah.. Before I had chickens to occupy all my time I guess lol. The laundry thing way overrated now If it doesn't stink or doesn't have dirt/shavings/poop on it - it gets another wear.. Except underwear of course.

We recently lost use of hot water and had to sponge bathe. The first real bath after that was heaven.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

I got used to taking cold showers when my water heater went out, and I haven't gone back to hot.

You'll think I'm joking, but I used to live in a van, and I took baths in an out-of-the-way bend in a creek. I got a wash board at a flea market and did laundry in the creek, too. I had to do it at night so I wouldn't get busted.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
LOL we call them (well, most large insects the chickens like) crunchbugs.