Backyard Chickens and the Like
Feb 4, 2023 12:02:18 GMT -6
amyinowasso, heavyhitterokra, and 1 more like this
Post by FrostyTurnip on Feb 4, 2023 12:02:18 GMT -6
It was dusk before I realized the chickens needed to go night night. We went out to pick up the chickens and move them to the coop. Roughie had been free ranging and I started looking for her when I noticed she already put herself into the coop.
The kids scare the roo. Well, they scare all of them because they are not as sure footed as I. That roo really makes things a little more difficult for us. The other night, he managed to escape, but ultimately he put himself into the coop when the kids stopped chasing him. I find this agreeableness in him. He wants to hang with the girls and he studiously knows the routine.
I’m thinking at this point, on the eves where we can time dusk, we can pop the doors and they’ll head to the coop. Yeah?
I realize all this sounds like a bunch of nonsense work and that it would have been better to get the coop and run together or something easier, but the truth is: We really enjoy it. I will actually miss inspecting their crops and feathers and get a close up of their face, combs and waddles before putting them to perch. I’ll miss petting them or allowing them to enjoy the warmth of my hands in the morning. I’ve learned so much about them from the constant hands on. No opportunity to really neglect them. The way Hiccup greets every hen that I shove into the tractor or how he clucks when the hens even hint at distress from our handling them is adorable.
They hate being alone. The first hen that goes into the tractor or Hiccup being in the tractor without the girls causes him to cry until some of the others arrive. Happy little chirps change to ear punching screeches. “Hang on, they’re coming!” It’s really cute.
When Roughie is free ranging, she visits us in the kitchen multiple times a day where I’ve been testing food ingredients on her. Wheat is like chicken crack. Pure protein (meat) is a win win but this was cooked. She will stop eating it faster than any other. GROSS WARNING AHEAD When the pinkies didn’t make it through the cold, I put them in the run. Gone by the end of the day. I am looking forward to them cleaning up the carcasses after dressing.
I have always been dismayed at the chickens not constantly gorging themselves on the pelleted feed. And most of these are thin. Since they’re not being moved, I elected to scatter crumbles in the run where they like to scratch. They’re gaining weight and the eggs are larger.
A few times I have put DIY electrolytes in their water. I need to do this in a disciplined manner to note any changes. But the 2nd greatest boost in their health is from changing to fresh clean water throughout the day. The first greater boost is setting a small run around an active compost pile crawling with microbes. In the mornings, they run right past the feeder toward the compost pile. They love it. I’ve never had so much compost on my hands. I have a large finished one. I have a large 2nd partially finished pile to turn the chickens onto and a small coop with woodchips as bedding for which we pile on new chips about ever 4 or 5 days.
When I turn it, the rabbit manure gets added. I turn it meticulously. Guys, I cannot WAIT to see what all this does to my plant growth in soil that already has a healthy biome. And this compost does not have diversity or inclusion of green manures, mostly carbonaceous materials and manure. Charles Dowding said that woody compost generally becomes hydrophobic in time and isn’t high quality. Remember my hydrophobic Dowding bed? Well, I used the compost from the Norman facility and that is mostly wood chips. (The tree roots favorited it causing a double whammy of a drought in that bed.)
We sifted 20 gallons of compost for seed starting to mix into coco coir and perlite. My tomatoes are about 5” tall now and, indeed, I have had to feed them but they are bigger than any other seed starting adventure so far. (BTW, it is Heidi leading the pack in growth from among my tomato seedlings.)
I guess it only gets better from here on out. There is an internal part of me screaming, “I can’t wait until . . “
Chickens changed everything!
The kids scare the roo. Well, they scare all of them because they are not as sure footed as I. That roo really makes things a little more difficult for us. The other night, he managed to escape, but ultimately he put himself into the coop when the kids stopped chasing him. I find this agreeableness in him. He wants to hang with the girls and he studiously knows the routine.
I’m thinking at this point, on the eves where we can time dusk, we can pop the doors and they’ll head to the coop. Yeah?
I realize all this sounds like a bunch of nonsense work and that it would have been better to get the coop and run together or something easier, but the truth is: We really enjoy it. I will actually miss inspecting their crops and feathers and get a close up of their face, combs and waddles before putting them to perch. I’ll miss petting them or allowing them to enjoy the warmth of my hands in the morning. I’ve learned so much about them from the constant hands on. No opportunity to really neglect them. The way Hiccup greets every hen that I shove into the tractor or how he clucks when the hens even hint at distress from our handling them is adorable.
They hate being alone. The first hen that goes into the tractor or Hiccup being in the tractor without the girls causes him to cry until some of the others arrive. Happy little chirps change to ear punching screeches. “Hang on, they’re coming!” It’s really cute.
When Roughie is free ranging, she visits us in the kitchen multiple times a day where I’ve been testing food ingredients on her. Wheat is like chicken crack. Pure protein (meat) is a win win but this was cooked. She will stop eating it faster than any other. GROSS WARNING AHEAD When the pinkies didn’t make it through the cold, I put them in the run. Gone by the end of the day. I am looking forward to them cleaning up the carcasses after dressing.
I have always been dismayed at the chickens not constantly gorging themselves on the pelleted feed. And most of these are thin. Since they’re not being moved, I elected to scatter crumbles in the run where they like to scratch. They’re gaining weight and the eggs are larger.
A few times I have put DIY electrolytes in their water. I need to do this in a disciplined manner to note any changes. But the 2nd greatest boost in their health is from changing to fresh clean water throughout the day. The first greater boost is setting a small run around an active compost pile crawling with microbes. In the mornings, they run right past the feeder toward the compost pile. They love it. I’ve never had so much compost on my hands. I have a large finished one. I have a large 2nd partially finished pile to turn the chickens onto and a small coop with woodchips as bedding for which we pile on new chips about ever 4 or 5 days.
When I turn it, the rabbit manure gets added. I turn it meticulously. Guys, I cannot WAIT to see what all this does to my plant growth in soil that already has a healthy biome. And this compost does not have diversity or inclusion of green manures, mostly carbonaceous materials and manure. Charles Dowding said that woody compost generally becomes hydrophobic in time and isn’t high quality. Remember my hydrophobic Dowding bed? Well, I used the compost from the Norman facility and that is mostly wood chips. (The tree roots favorited it causing a double whammy of a drought in that bed.)
We sifted 20 gallons of compost for seed starting to mix into coco coir and perlite. My tomatoes are about 5” tall now and, indeed, I have had to feed them but they are bigger than any other seed starting adventure so far. (BTW, it is Heidi leading the pack in growth from among my tomato seedlings.)
I guess it only gets better from here on out. There is an internal part of me screaming, “I can’t wait until . . “
Chickens changed everything!