The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[hellbender]

We use a Bobcat because of the large areas to clean but if we were smaller, this little wheeled dump wagon would be great, with many applications.

EDIT...my thoughts are that this would be better than a barrow for several reasons...for one major thing, it would be easier to traverse rough ground and would be less likely to 'dump' itself due to overload or or having the load uneven, especially in the front.

 

[lazy gardener]

I wonder if I can get advice on what to do with this little hill of old sod?

I dug up lawn by hand, made a pile with most grass upside down in April. Only a few weeds coming up. Can I plant a cover crop without breaking it up? Should I cover the sod pile with coop bedding and plant in spring? I want this to be a grazing garden for the girls but the soil here is horrible. Tested it and nutrients? are 35 Ph 5.9. We are in zone 7.

Do you intend to leave it in a pile where it is... kind of like an instant raised garden??? How big an area does it cover? You could plant a cover crop over it. You could probably get in a crop of annual rye grass. This will grow now, and winter kill (double check to see if it will kill in winter in your zone) resulting in a layer of mulch that you can just roll back to plant what ever in the spring. Or you could plant something that you could actually eat! ? if peas could be grown to maturity in your zone now. I'm not "in tune" with garden seasons in zone 7, so can't give you a lot of guidance. But if the pile is in a location that would work for this, you could even surround it with some hay bales on the north, east, and west side, and cover over top and south with plastic for an instant cold frame. You could be growing salad greens all winter, while improving the soil at the same time. In the spring, you can break the hay bales apart and use them for mulch. You could even use the seed in the hay bales to provide a polyculture forage mix for your flock.

Hey...wheelbarrow experts ( @lazy gardener )

I was debating on getting a "dump wagon" type wagon rather than a barrow. Any comments on advantages/disadtantages? I like the idea of having something firmly on 4 wheels with double duty as a wagon...

Something like this except NOT PLASTIC.

I don't have experience with those carts. All I can suggest is that you go somewhere where they are sold, and take one for a test drive. Try out several different models of different configurations, then base your choice on what feels best to you. The one issue I see with that model that would make me not want to buy that one is that the handle looks like it's designed for pulling with one hand. That puts a lot of stress through the back, hips and legs, including twisting. Also more stressful to shoulder and neck than if you were spreading the load through both arms. Also, do the front wheels pivot? Would this cart be able to get into the tight spots that a two wheeled cart would?

Once you make your own mayonnaise and salad dressing, its hard to go back! I found out that if I use the immersion blender, its a snap, and it makes the oil in the dressing emulsify so fast - hardly will separate out.

I need to start playing with my smart stick!!!

 

[JanetMarie]

An article on the subject...with footnotes for anyone that wants to read.

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/the-great-con-ola/

This is a very good informative article that anyone who cares about their health should take the time to read. Thanks for posting it.

 

[JanetMarie]

Isn't it amazing how good things taste when you actually make them yourself or grow from scratch....it's a whole different culinary experience!

It's really a necessity to make your own food. Restaurant food is gross.

 

[slordaz]

The stick blenders all seem to work about the same, I picked one up at a garage sale for a couple bucks and works great.

here is a couple of pics of how we set up an improvised way to incubate a small cache of eggs have 5 in there could have done a few more if I had made my own instead of using a mitt can fit 6 in that comfortably, that was what we had as we had at the time. She is the one there and doing it, she says she wets her hands when she takes the eggs out and turns them in her hand then puts them back inside the mitt. we are now starting to mist them daily instead.


. Countdown is at 3 days and they are getting pretty tight in their shells

 

[Leahs Mom]

@slordaz
Can you elaborate on exactly what you have there?

Are you using a heat pad or is it the heat from the heated bowl?
Have you tried this before or is this your first try?

 

[slordaz]

This is the first time we are trying that. we are using the heating pad on low setting with a towel between the heating pad and the mitt containing the eggs then another towel over the top. the bowl is just to keep them from getting knocked of or rolling off the counter, and to remind people that something is in there. Today we are stopping the turning and will start misting them with a sprayer. 3 day count down for 21 days, one does seem to be a little slower growing but is still growing. we have 2 corrnish x eggs, and 3 barred rock eggs in there all but one is looking pretty full and the other one isn't that far behind and can still see it move . Friend thinks it might take a few more days, but we aren't to worried if it does. we were just getting hands wet on the morning turn and adding a little moisture up to this point.

We dismantled the hay bay cave and now have our first hen sitting on eggs too, the others all seem to be interested in this as non of the hens would go full broody, but now she hasn't gotten off other than to eat and drink and stretch in there for a bit but it's in the coop and the others are facinated and want in, but she's not being bothered so maybe when they see the little ones hatch they will figure it out.

 

[beginnergirl]

Do you intend to leave it in a pile where it is... kind of like an instant raised garden???  How big an area does it cover?   You could plant a cover crop over it.  You could probably get in a crop of annual rye grass.  This will grow now, and winter kill (double check to see if it will kill in winter in your zone) resulting in a layer of mulch that you can just roll back to plant what ever in the spring.  Or you could plant something that you could actually eat!  ? if peas could be grown to maturity in your zone now.  I'm not "in tune" with garden seasons in zone 7, so can't give you a lot of guidance.  But if the pile is in a location that would work for this, you could even surround it with some hay bales on the north, east, and west side, and cover over top and south with plastic for an instant cold frame.  You could be growing salad greens all winter, while improving the soil at the same time.  In the spring, you can break the hay bales apart and use them for mulch.  You could even use the seed in the hay bales to provide a polyculture forage mix for your flock.

The pile of sod is about 20' long and 6' wide. I will leave it in place for now. I have a cover crop seed mix that has some cold hardy plants. Crimson clover is in there. I'm trying my first winter garden in a different location- lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, so this area is for the chickens and the soil of course. I spread some straw on the pile and will top with coffee grounds and then plant. That is what the master gardener suggested.
Guess I'll be taking that training to be a master gardener too. It can't hurt!

We do get occasional snow that sticks. If it looks like snow,I can throw up a fast cold frame.with rebar and plastic tarps. The bent rebar is easy to pound into the ground. Will see how it goes! Have a fence ready to keep out the chickens until the plants get established. Fingers crossed.

 

[beginnergirl]

Hey...wheelbarrow experts ( @lazy gardener
)

I was debating on getting a "dump wagon" type wagon rather than a barrow.  Any comments on advantages/disadtantages?  I like the idea of having something firmly on 4 wheels with double duty as a wagon...

Something like this except NOT PLASTIC.

I love my little garden cart. Holds up to 250#s, is lightweight, easy to move, never tips like a wheelbarrow. Mine is plastic so it is super light, doesn't rust. Mine has two hard plastic wheels in the back so a wheelbarrow would be easier to maneuver over uneven ground. It was very inexpensive but I love it!

 

[EastNashChick]

This is a very good informative article that anyone who cares about their health should take the time to read.  Thanks for posting it.

When I click on the link nothing happens... Can you paste the article?