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  1. NatJ

    Need input - would this mix + Kalmbach work?

    I was assuming it came from the "calcium carbonate" on the ingredients list.
  2. NatJ

    Need input - would this mix + Kalmbach work?

    The calcium in that supplment has me thoroughly puzzled. Why bother to put 4% or 5% calcium in it, when the supplement is used in such small amounts? (My best guesses: either to make it sound like it's got more nutrients, or for a reason having to do with texture or how the ingredients mix...
  3. NatJ

    Two Eglu Cube Qs, One Mouse Q, all vaguely winter-related

    Just to check: does this run have a roof? It is sounding to me like your predator-proof "run" may actually be a perfectly good open air coop. If that is the case, I would leave the eglu door open all the time, and let the chickens choose where to sleep. Some of them may choose to continue...
  4. NatJ

    Need input - would this mix + Kalmbach work?

    Sorry, this is a level of detail that I don't do on feed. I notice you've already tagged the person I would recommend, so I don't have anything useful to add.
  5. NatJ

    Two Eglu Cube Qs, One Mouse Q, all vaguely winter-related

    Since you trust the run to keep out both rain and predators, I would not worry about chickens sleeping in it. The chickens should not be bothered by the amount of cold you have, unless they are in a strong wind at the same time. If they are sheltered from wind, they should be fine. Unless...
  6. NatJ

    Things you wish you could say

    Sand is heavier than snow. If I have to shovel it anyway, I'd rather deal with snow.
  7. NatJ

    Good for housing goats?

    That sounds like a pretty good reason to assume she is not pregnant.
  8. NatJ

    Good for housing goats?

    What makes you think only one of the two is pregnant?
  9. NatJ

    Is frostbite avoidable without electric heating? Should I add heat to my coop?

    That is false more often than it is true. (If anyone wants to read more about when it does happen, search for "Mpemba effect" on wikipedia or with google or wherever else you like to check things.)
  10. NatJ

    Russian orloffs?

    I was figuring that a "white" chicken with Dominant White would have to be black based. Since that's dominant too, it would also show in some of the chicks. I just didn't bother to explain that, because "select a white bird" would select for both at once: a chicken that has the genes to be...
  11. NatJ

    Waterproof Bedding for Nesting?

    Whether the "bedding" needs to be absorbent depends on what it is trying to do. For areas where chickens actually poop, I agree the bedding does need to be absorbent. But inside a nestbox, it does not really need to be absorbent (example: plastic nestbox pads). And if the hen really does all...
  12. NatJ

    Russian orloffs?

    I have read that White Ameraucanas often have the recessive white gene, while Paint Ameraucanas definitely have the Dominant White gene. Dominant White is probably easier to work with: just keep crossing back to Orloff, picking a White or Paint chick in each generation (aim for more white/less...
  13. NatJ

    Russian orloffs?

    If you already have any white chickens, I would consider them first, regardless of what breed they are. The awkward thing about white chickens is that there are at least three different sets of genes that can cause that coloring, and it's not always obvious which ones are present until you are...
  14. NatJ

    Russian orloffs?

    Unfortunately I do not know of anyone who sells white ones. Depending on what you like about the breed, you may be able to find another breed with those same traits (example: White Ameraucana or White Easter Egger if you really like the muffs, or White Chanctecler if you really like the comb...
  15. NatJ

    Crocheters Thread

    You can test it: make something small with the yarn you are thinking of using, then wear it for a while. Maybe a strip that goes around one wrist like a bracelet. That will tell if it feels scratchy or itchy to you, which may be different than what someone else thinks.
  16. NatJ

    Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

    I was thinking, "those poor people being fed such salty food," then I had a sudden realization: if they were marching in hot weather and sweating a lot, that much salt might actually be a good thing.
  17. NatJ

    Rats and flock block

    You could make the flock block available only when rats will not come out to eat it. Depending on how many rats and how bold they are, that might mean you can give the flock block to the chickens in the daytime but remove it at night. Or it might mean sitting out there and watching the chickens...
  18. NatJ

    Can I get toxoplasmosis from over easy eggs?

    https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.org/article/S1198-743X(14)62509-X/fulltext This is from 2002 Title is "Toxoplasma gondii: transmission, diagnosis and prevention" Authors are D. Hill, J.P. Dubey Two quotes: "Infection in humans often results from ingestion of tissue cysts contained...
  19. NatJ

    Give me your favorite chicken recipes (For tonight's dinner)

    None of these quite rises to the level of a recipe, more like a way of throwing chicken together with other things I might have in my house at the time. Any of them can use breasts or tenderloins. Most can start with the meat frozen or thawed. When I "bake" something, that's usually at 350F in a...
  20. NatJ

    Coop Design Question

    That sounds pretty good to me. If there's anything you missed, I don't notice it, so hopefully someone else will point it out. My understanding is that wire really does work better than cinder blocks or pavers. The idea is that an animal knows it cannot dig through a paver, so it backs up and...
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