Organic Chicken Raising! Discussions here!

[reinbeau]

Lady Henevere,

I know what you mean about eating out of the garden vs. from the ground. I think it's the fact that they want to bite little pieces, if the plants are rooted, they can get a better bite, if it's loose on the ground, they have no resistance to the bite. I've always found if I hold the bunch of greens they go wild for them, so if you can figure a way to hold the greens, maybe hang them in bunches so the hens can nibble.....just a thought.

 

[Farmfresh]

First of all WELCOME to all of the new folks!

I don't grow grain here, as this is a small town-sized lot, though the thought of tractoring on my absent neighbour's overgrown yard is tempting. Or maybe I could harvest the seed heads of all his grass.

I also live on a city lot and that neighbor's yard could be a real blessing. Have you heard of gorilla gardening? That is where you basically seed crops you want on land that is NOT your own. If they let that yard overgrow on a regular basis I would be over there at night sowing some whole oats, wheat, sunflower seeds, millet and milo. Maybe even a pumpkin or two on the edges! It would not cost you much to throw around a little seed and maybe you could be "reaping" the benefits of his slack behavior!

As far as feeding my hens I do not use a certified organic feed, but I do feed only un-medicated feeds. I then supplement with whole grains, refrigerator scraps, leftovers, garden trimmings, whey (sometimes inoculated with a bit of yogurt culture) and free range when possible. I usually keep my flock no more than three years and follow strict cleaning guidelines (which I have to keep due to being in the city), so I have never had worm problems or other parasites for that matter.

Fresh water daily is the best thing you can do for any animal. Cheapest feed there is!

If you wait until after Halloween it is easy to buy up pumpkins from the roadside stands for very little. Just buy a bunch and store them where they will stay dry and not freeze. They make great winter feed when lightly cooked or microwaved!

I also sprout whole oats in winter for my flock and provide them with leafy alfalfa hay to dig through and snack on in the cold months.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I can't really say that I'm organic, more like Bee, I try to let the chickens be chickens. I caught them in the garden this weekend and had to run them out, but with all the forage available, they tend to stay out of it and out of their commercial feed. I bought a 50lb bag of purina over 6 weeks ago and its less than a quarter gone. I did have them on medicated starter when I got them, cause that was all that was available...

They were also in the compost pile (right outside the coop) this weekend picking through the fresh veggie trimmings I had just tossed (Yum! Tomato cores!). I don't have a run, I have lots of open area with fringe forest on all sides, serves to keep them in the yard & for food sources. We've noticed fewer mosquitoes since the ladies have been outside.

I toss & rinse their water dish every morning, DH checks it during the day and I refill just before calling them in at night. Once a week I super clean it with hot soapy water & a scrub. I also keep DE in their coop, topping off the shavings & DE at the first whiff of chickeny smell in the coop (deep litter method)

I've got a small triangular shaped bit of land between my drainage ditch & the apartment complex next door that I'm planning to use for rye, oats & other grains. I also have purslane taking over my yard and they love hanging out in the patches. I've had no problems with growth, the feathers look lush, there are no pecking episodes, they are very active, including "scampering happily" across my fields ( american egg board!)

 

[Dace]

Thanks Kel, that was great info!

So if I just want to add garlic to their yogurt...how often should they get it?

 

[keljonma]

Dace, I would start with 1 crushed cloves per bird once a week in the yogurt. If they haven't had yogurt before, they may not take to it right away. If it seems they don't like it at first, just leave it a few minutes.

 

[Dace]

OK they love yogurt so that should be easy.

Thank you

 

[Puck-Puck]

Thank you all for your thoughts on feed-grade oats and whole wheat. (Er, the whole wheat was for my bread flour, but anyhow!) I've heard of guerilla gardening, and since I am surrounded by vacant and abandoned properties, it makes audacious sense to try it...so long as irrigation is not required.

Henevere, I pull dandelion leaves and lambs' quarters etc. and I actually shred them for my spoiled chickens. Dandelion leaves, just twist and shred like you were tearing them up for salad; lambs' quarters if you have them, you can pinch the top and zip the leaves off in one motion down the length of the stem, same like you do for mint. Toss on the floor of the run, and they can figure out the rest. Hope this helps?

 

[big brown horse]

Three questions:

Can you call your chickens organic if they have had vaccinations?

Who here vaccinates?

If you have not vaccinated your birds but have used say an antibiotic in the past, can you eventually label them as organic if you choose to make the switch?

 

[Beekissed]

I don't vaccinate or use antibiotics but I'm not sure about the official rules of organic in that regard. I'm pretty sure the ATBs are taboo but not sure about vaccines.

I know drugs have a half life and are gone quickly from the system but, since they are fed continually with CAFO operations, this doesn't apply to them. With vaccines, the original med leaves the body and only the antibodies remain, so not sure about that either.

 

[Farmfresh]

Puck-Puck there should be no need to irrigate a grain crop. If their lot will grow grass and weeds - it should grow grains! If you plant other crops near the lot line you could stand in your yard and "accidentally" have the sprinkler hit their yard when necessary.

I have never vaccinated my birds and only use antibiotics as a last resort. It is very rare that I use it at all. I am not selling my birds eggs or meat at this time, but I do not want to eat that junk either. If I am using antibiotics and I get eggs, I usually feed them to the dogs. I wait a couple of weeks AFTER stopping before I consume the eggs myself.