The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Lacy Blues]

Also, am culling 3 roosters from this spring's hatch today.

Hate to do it, two are really good kind roosters and one too early to tell...handsome devils too. But, I have that teeny tiny legbar rooster and thats enough. He has just started calling the legbar pullet over for treats, and he is so small, no bigger than a small kitten. I know the legbars are small, but he is mini sized. Very funny to see.

This time, I'm following Delisha's brining instructions and hope for better results. It will be interesting to see if these boys have worms .

If you only have the one little tiny guy left and you want to have a rooster, I'd wait to cull one of the others. Anything could happen, unless your run is absolutely predator proof.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland
I'll be interested to hear if any of the worm remedies work for them.

 

[Turk Raphael]

I hope you folks don't mind me visiting and even commenting on this thread. So much of what I read is very interesting and could well play a part in the way I work with my flocks but much of the natural worming scares the hell out of me.

All of my flocks (except the recent capons) are due their follow-up worming Monday and I would love to use something natural but I do what comes second best ...to me. I use Valbazen because it works for a fact and I wouldn't be afraid to use the drug on myself if my condition required.

While we boil the eggs and feed most of them to the chickens, If we want a couple eggs for breakfast or a quick sandwich, we fry them up and gobble them down. I know...most folks say don't feed the eggs back to the chickens, much less eat them myself but it works for me.

I do know that my grand ma poured stuff down my throat when I was too small to out run her that is far more dangerous than Valbazen.

 

[Leahs Mom]

So....this is my thinking on many things "natural". Just my personal thinking.

When I think of "natural" chicken keeping, I think in terms of prevention. So I try to use healthy husbandry methods - which include clean water, room to roam outside when possible, runs that aren't impacted and unhealthy, good feed including animal-based protein and trying to avoid or eliminate items they wouldn't eat if given a choice (soy for example), adequate housing, fresh air, sunshine, etc.

I try to emulate as best as I can - with the resources available to me - what they would get if they were a wild flock.

So the hope is that they will be raised in a health-producing environment that will help prevent many of the maladies that are common to 'modern" CAFO-type farming operations.


That being said, if I do have an issue that needs to be addressed, I will address it. So far I'm never had to worm. But one thing I do know is that using an herbal approach when needed is my first choice because the herbs come at the issues from a multi-facited approach which makes it much less likely that the parasites, or bacteria, or virus can become resistant. It seems to be the same with the Shaklee. And if they work, neither of them cause issues in the soil on which the animals are housed and don't add to the "super bug" issues.



A couple of books that are excellent on explaining the difference between how herbs work on bacteria and virus are: Herbal Antibiotics for Antibiotic Resistant Diseases and Herbal Antivirals for Antiviral Resistant Diseases.

They provide a very eye-opening and sober picture of where we are in our country today regarding some very dangerous diseases and how we got there. I highly recommend reading the introductory chapters of the Herbal Antibiotic book so that you can get a picture of how things work.


@Turk Raphael
Of course you are welcome! And welcome to post, and question, etc. I hope that no one has made you feel unwelcome!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I forgot to add a couple of things. I said there are things that would be my first choice in treatment and that's exactly what I meant. If for some reason they didn't take care of the issue I would do what I needed to do then try to re-build their own immune system after the fact as best as I can.


And about those books...there is some pretty interesting info in them about how they are being used in medical situations when "all hope is lost" and they are working. We are at a very dangerous point with antibiotics, antivirals, herbicides, and anti-parasite pharmaceuticles at this point in history. Definitely worth learning about.

 

[armorfirelady]

I forgot to add a couple of things.  I said there are things that would be my first choice in treatment and that's exactly what I meant.  If for some reason they didn't take care of the issue I would do what I needed to do then try to re-build their own immune system after the fact as best as I can.


And about those books...there is some pretty interesting info in them about how they are being used in medical situations when "all hope is lost" and they are working.  We are at a very dangerous point with antibiotics, antivirals, herbicides, and anti-parasite pharmaceuticles at this point in history.  Definitely worth learning about.

You know I have to are. I stopped buying antibacterial soap. Just dawn dish soap and regular hand soap. I've some natural home made bar soaps I'm going to try for me as well. Right now I use baby soap since it has a lot less chemicals in it. The fancy ones make me itch. Same with laundry soap. I use plain gain. And this fall I make going to make my own to try. I ven bought soap up in canada that's shampoo/conditioner soap for your hair. And for cleaners around the house I use homemade citrus with vinegar to clean. Safer for me and my critters.

I've learned not only are they cheaper they actually work BETTER
(Just my 2 cents tho)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Some musings on GM/Glyphosate
You know I have posted in the past that I'm wondering if glyphosate (common name: roundup) may be a bigger issue (or at least as big) as the GM grains. In fact, I've wondered if that is the main issue rather than the GM but I'm just "wondering".

When a plant is GM, it is engineered to be able to withstand a higher level of glyphosate and other herbicides so that it can survive while the weeds are not able to withstand it. (Of course we are starting to have roundup resistant super weeds but that's a different subject.) The glyphosate is taken INTO the plant...it doesn't just reside "ON" the plant. Glyphosate has been proven to cause reproductive problems in humans and animals among other things.

Anyhow...interesting article regarding glyphosate and "celiac" or "gluten sensitivity" that I thought I'd share for anyone that may be interested.

"Hi lights" of the article:

Quote:

 

[lalaland]

very depressing.

 

[CherMoz]

Makes me glad to have been buying organic grains (for personal use and for feed) for as long as I have.

 

[Shan30]

So if you remember last week I was trying to figure out which of my birds had been attacked due to clumps of barred feathers all over the place. When I checked all the barred birds no one was so much as rumpled up...all very strange.

Well on Saturday two of my juvenile silkies disappeared. No feathers, fences look fine, not a trace just gone. Then yesterday I was working on a rabbit hutch in the yard and heard that very ****** off hen noise but on the other side of my house up near the woods far from where our birds ever venture. So I jogged up there (wow clearly need to work on cardio) to see a clearly rumpled barred bird run into the woods. I went after it but it was terrified and disappeared into the thick area near the property line.

Went back at dusk, spotted it but it took off again. Went back to coop and counted, all my birds are there. This was definitely an Ameraucana x Chantecler and I did have one of mine go missing at the beginning of August.

Now I'm wondering if its been out there the whole time or is it possible that my neighbour (who is definitely a bit different) could have had her this whole time and she escaped....and why were her feather all over by the run but she didn't go home? She's not even laying yet so I doubt she's broody.

So I want to catch her before something else does. Live trap? Tried after dark last night but couldn't find her. Also to check the area properly I need to trespass and am a bit scared of the neighbour.

Any ideas on how to catch a hen gone feral?