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Barnyard Buddies:  All Things Chickens  |
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Moodene
True Blue Farmgirl
353 Posts
Nadine
Devers
Texas
USA
353 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 06 2010 : 06:18:23 AM
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Them vests are called chicken saddles..LOL..It does protect the hen's backand the feathers will grow back under the saddle. Some people called them backside aprons. I make them the easy way of serging and elastic along with snaps. Some people add wing protectors but I don't use them. I also make chicken diapers for those who keeps theirs in the house for reasons or showing the birds and don't want poo on feathers or feet...lol..
Love me like I am. farmgirl #801
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2010 : 11:00:46 AM
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Susan I am so sorry that your sweet hen is still having trouble but it sounds as if you are giving her love and attention - who knows she may still recover but for now she is blessed to have you.
I do use DE on the farm in all the barns, I also use apple vinegar along with herbal treatments and management. The dust issue I was more concerned about everyone's lungs more then anything. I have a huge coop so I am not worried about over crowding just the dust issue.
While painting Friday I heard a horrible racket in the coop - ran to make sure nothing was trying to get the hens. Came upon two fighting - yep, now I think I have two roosters and maybe three... Will have to figure what percentage that gives me from the last order because I will be asking for my money back - I order all hens and paid a pretty price for them. Not a happy camper today.
Wondered how many of you sprout greens for your hens during the winter time??? Now that I have more girls thought I might - when I had only a hand full I just shared my sprouts with them but now I am considering doing their own. Loved to hear what you do?
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2010 : 5:02:59 PM
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Grace ,
I hadn't thought of growing greens for the girls. That's an awesome idea !
Susan |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2010 : 07:30:54 AM
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I don't use sprouts for my chickens, but I do feed them alfalfa during the winter for extra greens. They really love the stuff and the stems that they dont eat help keep the mud down.
Somebody was asking about keeping their water unthawed during the winter-DH wraped heat tape around our metal waterers and it works great.
Lillian |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2010 : 06:36:14 AM
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That was me and I am sorry but I do not know what heat tape is - would you be so kind as to explain...
I also gave alfalfa but when I only had five hens I did not mine sharing the sprouts I grew in my kitchen. I have somewhere a article about raising large quanities in buckets - now if I could just find it....
I also wondered what you used - oyster shells, ground marble or stone - I have been reading about what others use around the world and it is interesting to me. During the winter my girls had a hard time finding things so I gave oyster shells - what do you use???
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2010 : 06:54:17 AM
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hood morning grace, there is an electric heat tape used for water pipes. you wrap it around the water can and plug it in. i use oyster shells for my birds. they also get the used egg shells broke up in food scraps.i also feed beef and pork fat in winter. helps them stay warm and keep their energy up. just my thoughts sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2010 : 07:11:48 AM
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Yup, Sherry explained the heat tape pretty good. Just ask for it at your hardware store. As far as oyster shell goes, I always add a scoop to their food and they have a small (rabbit) feeder on the wall that holds oyster shell so they can free feed it they want to. I buy suet blocks that you can get for the wild birds when they go on sale for .69 and give those to my chickens for a treat in the winter and they love it.
Lillian |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2010 : 10:30:28 AM
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Thanks gals - great information and when I am next at the hardware store I will be on the hunt for the tape.
Has anyone had this happen with egg customers, the customer want 100% veggie eggs and when I explain that my hens get to free range which means they will eat bugs so I guess at that point you could not call them 100% veggie raised. Those customers then do not purchase. So I try and explain to them the only way I could do this is to cage them up all the time and even then they might eat the odd fly. They would rather have me do that in order to have the veggie egg. Do I attrack only the weirdo's or has anyone else had this
I love the idea of the suet feeders - I do that for my wild birds so when making those I will count the hens in. Does anyone else make their own?? If so what do you put into yours??
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2010 : 06:13:09 AM
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goodmorning grace. when i make the suet, it from our pigs or beef. i just render it out. i keep the good fat i freeze the waste part for the chickens. i freeze in a quart baggie. i dont add anything to mine. i feed scraps and goodies all winter. when i feed the suet it is attacked and gone in a heart beat. i do get folks who want a veggie egg. they will not get that here. i grow red worms for my birds. if they need an abused no meat chicken egg they get it at the store. poor chickens. when we feed worms it is a swarm going on in the yard.lol i also feed meat scraps in winter when the worms are dormant. it does help keep them warm. our oyster shell is out free choice. some folks put seeds and nuts in their suet. i just dont have the freezer space ti fit suet with added goodies. i do throw sunflower seeds to the birds. i do this when its froze out. it encourages them to come outside for a while even if its cold. i am so glad you are having fun with your hens. i need to check my fence line. we moved the hens 150 to new house and yard. i have been catching and putting in too many girls these days. flying the coop now is part of their day. when i have the time i am going to cull out the hens. plus 30 are fryers. now we are finally getting rid of flys i will butcher. its been in the 20s at night. so bye bye flys. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 12:27:47 PM
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I am so glad you girls brought up the suet . I had a package in my hand last week. I almost bought it for the girls but wasn't sure if it was something they would enjoy. I bought some last night that had berries and grain in it and it was a HUGE hit.
A quick Lucy update. She is still plugging along. happy as ever and laying eggs. She still cant walk but is eating well and still talkitive as always.
Susan |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 12:40:52 PM
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I am new to getting chickens but my kids want them. So when is the best time to get them should i wait till spring or should i go ahead and get them before winter?
What a day god made!!! Gorgeous beautiful day here in IL!! |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 3:25:04 PM
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this is just my thought but... chicks take a lot of work. they need warm draft free housing etc. chicks do best in spring. you would have now to learn about chickens and caring for them. do you have a coop and pen for them? i truly love all our chickens. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Mama Jewel
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Jewel
Sweet Peas Farmette,
Bend, OR
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 9:16:48 PM
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Grace, that's just crazy re: the customers who want only veggie-eating chickens. I'm a vegetarian & like getting my eggs from hens who free range and eat a *natural* diet to a chicken (bugs included). I think they just don't understand the natural life of animals.
Got a question for you gals. I got an *excellent* deal and got a galvanized steel chicken feeder & waterer from the Goodwill today for $15. Can you believe it?! Anyway, I thought it would be good to sanitize it somehow before it gets used by my future chickens. Is just plain soap & water enough or should I be doing something additional?
Farm Girl Sister #1683 Living Simply & Naturally on our lil Sweet Peas Farmette
"Do Everything in Love." 1 Cor 14
http://www.piecemama.etsy.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2010 : 06:08:29 AM
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goodmorning jewel. boy its raining cats and dogs this am.lol i would rinse the feeder and waterer with a diluted vinegar rinse also. vinegar can be corrosive though. just a quick rinse like 1 tablespoon vinegar or a splash in hot water then rinse vinegar off. that was a great deal on equipment. we are STILL fixing things and getting ready for the cold coming. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 07:41:02 AM
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Well another storm is expected today and the temps are dropping so I went back to my old way of watering for the hens. I have a bunch of thick rubber bowls and I wash them out Sunday. Now three times a day I go out and put boiling water in them to thaw the water and to warm their tummies. This allows me also to add my apple cider vinegar to the bowls without having the metal water get weird...
Thank you for your information on how to keep the suet idea going. I do not eat very much meat but I will remember that when I start cutting the fat off before cooking I will place that in the freezer for making a suet bar the for girls. I also got out the large jars for sprouting seeds for me and my girls. I would love to hear more about what you all do about giving extras to your hens during the winter. You all seem to have some wonderful practices which I would like to incorporate into my hen management.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 4:18:11 PM
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Jewel- I do the same thing as Sherry, use Vinegar to sanitize chicken equipment. I never have used bleach or anything for them, because I had stopped using bleach shortly before we started getting chickens. None of my chickens have ever died from anything that I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, and it was never from lack of sanitation!
I have heard that galvanized metal is good if you want to use heater trays, but bad if you put vinegar in the chickens water.
Grace- I have heard that a big bowl of hot, really well cooked oatmeal is good for them in the mornings, and so is hot scratch, also known as mash? I am looking for some more information about that, but I love the idea of giving them a hot mash on the coldest days here.
I am thinking of starting to put aside a little money each week to go buy them second hand produce, so that they can have yummy, nutritional extras.
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 6:12:03 PM
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| Warm oatmeal is a great idea !I may not be able to do that every morning, but Weekend treats for sure ! I am new to chickens and I'm always surprised what they enjoy. |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 9:28:47 PM
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I guess I will be adding the hens to my morning oatmeal. I do cook and serve warm oatmeal to my very hard working Great Pry's during the bitter cold winter months so I guess I will add to the crock pot a bit more for the hens. Heck, I feel like I have my two strapping young sons here again - the food cooking is mounting but I do spoil my animals and in turn they spoil me.
Stay warm ladies and hens...
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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chick-chick
True Blue Farmgirl
322 Posts
Liz
New Britain
CT
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2010 : 8:48:56 PM
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Ladies, what is mash? and when you give the oatmeal do you make it with water or milk?
I wish I knew about the beef fat, we just bought a side of grass fed beef (so yummy) but didnt take any extra fat.
Also can my chickens eat bread? I've heard mixed things about feeding them bread, and what about potatoes skins? I know about other kitchen scraps and oyster shell? where do I get it? I know I'm asking alot alot of questions but I know that there is so much knowledge here I feel I could learn so much. Thanks for your patience and any help
Liz
In God We Trust |
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coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2010 : 9:13:10 PM
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Hi Ladies,
Wow you girls were right about the oatmeal ! My girls LOVED it. I used water to make mine,I was almost out of milk and mixed in a bit of scratch grains and they went wild for it. I will be making them a warm breakfast whenever I can.
Susan |
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2010 : 05:32:03 AM
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My hens get all kinds of scrapes, they love oatmeal and pasta! I use palstic bowles and add warm water and brin in any too frozen bowles to thaw and then take them back out. This is a little time consuming, but it can work.
I have had people request all kinds of weird stuff. Like only free range never feed eggs. Well I always offer both!
I one time had a hen running around with a baby snack in her mouth!!! I was laughing so hard. All the hens were chasing her!
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2010 : 07:42:32 AM
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I know what you mean about the fighting over a found food. My older hens would all grab a grasshopper and the four of them pulled till they all got a piece - rather sick to watch but also very funny. They would then run like lightening with their piece and hide with it. I can't imagine what that is going to be like with 33 of them...
I will try the oatmeal but will have to wait till I go back into town - I do not wish to share my very expensive steel cut oats with them. I am glad to see I am not the only one doing the frozen bowls. I am also going to place up my very heavy plastic on the inside of the coop door so it will keep any drafts down and also on the windows - that is if the wind will die down a bit. Three days ago it was so bad it took half of a huge metal building part that was going up about 1/2 mile from here. I still have to pick up some stuff that got thrown around here but not till the wind dies down.
Hens where scared by all this so I kept the doors closed and that seemed to settle them down. The dogs where a different matter.
Happy Clucking Ladies.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2010 : 08:51:35 AM
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I saw 2 chickens yesterday that have brown combs that are floppy. Really floppy, not just tall and hanging to the side. They were limp looking.
They are a brown colored chicken and lay light brown eggs. They also had long tail feathers. They seemed very docile too.
I think there was a flash of orange by their ear area.
That is all I can remember. What do you think they are?
Thanks!
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2010 : 12:18:14 PM
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note to self: never go out to the chicken coop without my cell phone again!
I spent a great deal of the morning LOCKED IN MY CHICKEN COOP !
I went out this morning to give Lucy her oatmeal. Hubby came out and told me he had to run to town.As I heard his truck pulling out of the driveway I discovered he had locked the door. I did a bit of cleaning and visited with Lucy but when it became clear he wasn't coming home anytime soon, I beat a hole in the door so I could reach the lock..His afternoon job is to fix the door.
Susan |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2010 : 2:02:50 PM
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OH SUSAN - that sounds like a perfect day at the Funny Farm - you are welcome here!! Maybe the universe wanted you to spend the morning with Lucy!!! Your lucky, at least someone comes back to your place. I do not have a cell phone but my sons are always telling me to get one and carry it when doing outside work - I keep reminding them that cell phone do not work out here so What's the point??? I figure if it is my time what better way to go..
Sorry for the trying morning and luckly you also have a husband who fixes things - If I break it I have to fix it.... Give Lucy and snug from the Funny Farm.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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Barnyard Buddies: All Things Chickens |
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All Things Chickens
