The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Amberjem]

 

[COChix]

Marigold/calendula is used to deter mice and has many other uses.  Great for feeding to your flocks too. 

yes marigold too but not sure I want to sprinkle dried Calendula around, we use Calendula a lot in salves.

 

[islandgirl82]

planting it around your coop during the warm months will help deter the mice and you can harvest what you want/need for drying too.

 

[armorfirelady]

planting it around your coop during the warm months will help deter the mice and you can harvest what you want/need for drying too.

I planted wild spearmint around my coop last spring. It spread into the coop lol

My Mom and a couple friends find it in their yard & bring it over for me. Girls dont really bother with it. I am hoping by next summer to have the coop surrounded by it.

I also found giant marigold seeds last year. They got over 4 ft tall. I saved a large canning jar full of seeds. My plan is to plant them around the coop. The peepers used them for shade last year

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Yes, they have their own coats for a reason but as far as being natural...the same argument could be made for every breed of every beast we humans have come up with.
I'm actually not a fan of dressing animals up for our amusement but I do think that there are exceptions to be made...like for a chicken who is going through a heavy molt in extremely cold weather.
Those ponies are just adorable (imo)...and I love the sweaters no matter who they were made for.

I don't believe in making exceptions, even for people. We're just another animal, after all. I say if God meant us to wear clothes, we'd be born with them.

 

[islandgirl82]

I don't believe in making exceptions, even for people.  We're just another animal, after all.  I say if God meant us to wear clothes, we'd be born with them.

Hahaha! Touché

 

[mlowen]

I don't believe in making exceptions, even for people. We're just another animal, after all. I say if God meant us to wear clothes, we'd be born with them.

I see what you did there! Keep throwing humor at us...we'll get it, eventually.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Someone posted chicken sweaters on Facebook also. It made me chuckle.  I couldn't imagine putting a sweater on a bird. I am lucky I put coats on the dogs when temps are in the teens or below

Its only myself & my son.   I don't eat a ton of veggies for scraps.  But I made a compost area from free pallets and just put metal stakes inside between the pallet holes so that they stand up on end.  Its set so its up against my veggie garden so I can toss used/dead plants in it in the fall.  It also makes it easier for when I toss the compost into the garden for the spring.   I fill it with leaves, grass clippings (in the fall I pick up ones that neighbors leave out for the town to pick up) and any veggie scraps I have.  I also get scraps from friends and neighbors.   The hens have access to it when they are out in the yard.  Its one of their favorite places to get out of the sun or dig for yummy bugs.   They break down the leaves/grass very fast in the spring.  

Sorry to hear about the hen,  My friend told me that the neighbor behind me got a pic of a local hawk nabbing a squirrel.   I know its been around when the hens are quiet as church mice during the day.   I like it better when the crows are back in the area.   Around here its been a weird winter but I wouldnt think the haswks would be lacking for mice or other varmits to eat since its been really mild this winter.  Well minus the 7ft of snow and a couple weeks of sub zero temps

I have been known, if I see or *hear* a hawk, to imitate a crow loudly. Within a few minutes usually the hawk leaves and/or a few crows answer the call and patrol the area. Many times they have come to the rescue to harass and chase off arial predators and even occasionally find themselves a mouse to carry off.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have been known, if I see or *hear* a hawk, to imitate a crow loudly. Within a few minutes usually the hawk leaves and/or a few crows answer the call and patrol the area. Many times they have come to the rescue to harass and chase off arial predators and even occasionally find themselves a mouse to carry off.

That's really funny.... I used to do that too and I had forgotten! I may just have to try that again!

(Sorry..this crow looks like he has hiccups )

 

[COChix]

Ok alll you natural chicken keepers here is the question of the day. What type/brand of oyster shells do you all feed?

I was getting some stuff from our feed guy that the girls loved. I am no longer going with that feed, but was wanting the shells. It looked like this..

When I ran out I was feeding the crap from Manna and we wre getting less than 14 eggs a day. After the Manna ran out I started feeding their dried, crushed eggshells back to them and two days later we started getting 18 eggs a day. So I am on the hunt now for better oyster shells as we cannot eat enough eggs to keep up with their eggshell for oyster shell swap. We have 25 birds and they will completely empty the cat food tins that I use for shells in a day. That is usually 2 tins full each day sometimes more.