The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Kassaundra]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EZYNQ8...TF8&colid=1TH1A2R5IZ0PC&coliid=I2QA5LX3EWM82Q

Has anyone ever tried these?

The manufacturer has discontinued it, and it only has 2 stars in the reviews. I have never tried it though.

 

[jsmith2952]

just wanted to start by saying thanks for all the help with my chicken/feather eating problem. In all my intense body searches, I did find lice on one of my girls, so everyone got a DE bath and the coop got a huge clean out! I still haven't stopped the feather eating and have upped their protein intake in an effort to quell the need for snacking on each other's plumage, so I guess it's just a wait and see situation!

Quick question: should there be feathers around the vent?? I've tried googling it, but can't find the answer. The one girl with the lice on her vent, was obviously a bit barren feather wise, and i wanted to know if there should be feathers at all there or if it's supposed to be bare. I've looked at their vent areas before, but because they were soooo fluffy on their bums, I never really noticed if feathers actually grow at the vent site. Also, is it normal for the feathers to be sort of snapped off at the halfway point? Like she's been vigorously grooming or something?? I just want to rule out that the feather eater is finding other victims. The site around the vent is not irritated or red, it's just a nice flesh colour. There's no evidence of feathers even being there at all.

Any thoughts on beak clipping? Is it cruel to the chicken or does it hinder their foraging abilities? Can I clip just one bird's beak?

thanks in advance!

 

[armorfirelady]

 




The manufacturer has discontinued it, and it only has 2 stars in the reviews.  I have never tried it though.

Yes I saw that afterwards. I really was hoping it had better reviews :/ I'm just going to have to break down and buy an electric one. I don't want to fuss with making one

 

[hoosiercheetah]

I have a question about storing large quantities of feed.

I'd like to buy feed mill feed in large quantities, and I'd like to know how long I can realistically store the feed. I think that I can also get desiccant and oxygen-absorbing material to put in the buckets; will that extend the storage life?

Just to get an idea of the timeframe I'm looking at - I've read that mills usually want you to buy 300 lbs at a time for a custom mix (I don't know if I'm going custom or not, but I want to be prepared in case I do) and my little flock seems to eat around 50 lbs. a month - so I'm looking at six months to the bottom of the last bucket. Give or take.

Has anyone else engaged in this kind of madness?


Edited because I realized that moving around 55 gallons of feed at a time is nuts, and I'm going to use 5-gal buckets instead.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

I have a question about storing large quantities of feed.

I'm on the hunt for some 55gal poly drums so that I can buy feed mill feed in large quantities, and I'd like to know how long I can realistically store the feed. I think that I can also get desiccant and oxygen-absorbing material to put in the drums; will that extend the storage life?

Just to get an idea of the timeframe I'm looking at - I've read that mills usually want you to buy 300 lbs at a time for a custom mix (I don't know if I'm going custom or not, but I want to be prepared in case I do) and my little flock seems to eat around 50 lbs. a month - so I'm looking at six months to the bottom of the last barrel. Give or take.

Has anyone else engaged in this kind of madness?

Use dry ice to preserve your feed, that's what those who store emergency food reserves such as whole wheat, do. When stored this way, grains can keep for many years. Here are some easy instructions http://www.dryiceinfo.com/food.htm Just make sure that any barrels you get are airtight.

 

[armorfirelady]

I have a question about storing large quantities of feed.

I'd like to buy feed mill feed in large quantities, and I'd like to know how long I can realistically store the feed.  I think that I can also get desiccant and oxygen-absorbing material to put in the buckets; will that extend the storage life?

Just to get an idea of the timeframe I'm looking at - I've read that mills usually want you to buy 300 lbs at a time for a custom mix (I don't know if I'm going custom or not, but I want to be prepared in case I do) and my little flock seems to eat around 50 lbs. a month - so I'm looking at six months to the bottom of the last bucket.  Give or take.

Has anyone else engaged in this kind of madness?


Edited because I realized that moving around 55 gallons of feed at a time is nuts, and I'm going to use 5-gal buckets instead.

I buy feed in large amounts because it's cheaper. I'm only feed normally 8 hens so i dont use a ton of feed. I mix together the grains to make a 50# batch at a time. All the feed is stored in heavy duty totes in my garage. I've never had a problem with the grains going bad. And the tight lids ensure critters won't get in their either. I store the mixed up grains in a tote that has a hinged lid on the front so I can easily fill my container without having to move tubs to get to it. The extra grains after making batches are stored in their bags in heavy duty totes I can stack easily

 

[texasmomma]

Today, we butchered one of our 20 week old cockerels. After defeathering, I noticed that there were some gooey looking bugs on the skin. I think they are dead lice. Ugh.

There have been no other signs of lice on any of the other chickens. I did look at one of the other cockerels and I cannot see any lice on his skin. We plan to give all of the chickens a diatomaceous earth and wood ash bath to help get rid of any lice that the chickens have.

Now that this cockerel is butchered, is it safe to make broth or soup out of?

All of the internal organs looked good. No signs of parasites or lice there.

Thanks!

 

[texasmomma]

Pics of the cockerel with lice.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Today, we butchered one of our 20 week old cockerels. After defeathering, I noticed that there were some gooey looking bugs on the skin. I think they are dead lice. Ugh.

There have been no other signs of lice on any of the other chickens. I did look at one of the other cockerels and I cannot see any lice on his skin. We plan to give all of the chickens a diatomaceous earth and wood ash bath to help get rid of any lice that the chickens have.

Now that this cockerel is butchered, is it safe to make broth or soup out of?

All of the internal organs looked good. No signs of parasites or lice there.

Thanks!

If the mess washes off, why wouldn't it be good to eat? If folks only know what has walked, slithered or crawled across most of the food we eat, there would far fewer fat people.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't think you're describing lice at all. were these gooey spots moving? or just sitting there? did you scald the birds. Any creepy crawlies would have been killed with the scalding. I believe what you were seeing is the pigment that is sometimes left behind where the feather shaft was removed from the skin. Just use the blade of the knife to scrape these dark spots, and you'll see that the pigment/gel, what ever it is comes right out of the shaft spot.