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    enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

    I know, right? Way too much moralizing for me, I'm out.
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    enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

    I have a boring desk job, but I would much rather be a self-sufficient farmer. BUT I'm not physically fit for that kind of life, and would never make enough to survive, so the best I can do is have some backyardchickens and LARP as a farmer in my free time. Similarly, I believe most chicken...
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    enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

    I mean, you don't have to have chickens that can live wild in the woods to be ethical. Just my opinion, and we'll agree to disagree-- If the chicken brings you joy and you're doing the best you can with what you've got, it's fine. A chicken that lives in a cage on the kitchen floor is still...
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    Are bantam breeds better suited for indoor setups?

    ehh, many groups are private to prevent spammers and scammers. I've come across threads in the past, but I'm too stupid to use the Search function and can't seem to find them again. The best I can find is this very old thread about Potty Training chickens, most of the participants have indoor...
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    enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

    Pretty much any animal in a modern setting is going to live a suboptimal life. Including chickens, who should be foraging in the jungle rather than fenced in a run. Including humans, who spend their days sitting at a desk under fluorescent lights. Sometimes we can't give our pets what's...
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    enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

    Awesome. Back in the olden days, people lived in "barnhouses" alongside their livestock. These weren't pets, but there were many benefits like cost, warmth, safety, etc.
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    Are bantam breeds better suited for indoor setups?

    As much as I detest Facebook, there are FB groups dedicated to raising indoor chickens. It is a much better forum for this type of thing because the groups are private, and the debbie downers can't butt in. YES it does create an echo chamber, but OP will actually be able to get a response from...
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    Are bantam breeds better suited for indoor setups?

    Regarding solo chickens, it will vary by breed. In my experience, the more skittish hens prefer the safety of a flock. The more confident hens are happy to be alone. Right now, I have one game hen who is living by herself in the tool shed (her choice). I cut a pop hole in the shed door after I...
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    Are bantam breeds better suited for indoor setups?

    There's a huge size difference between a bantam cochin and a serama. Seramas are tiny, and it is common to keep them indoors in housing similar to how you would keep a pet rabbit. The bantam cochins I have seen are almost as big as standard chickens, but maybe it's all fluff. I say go for it...
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    Illnesses that may affect a turkey hen

    I believe she has sour crop. It feels like a water bag and I sometimes hear a gurgle when I push on it. She might be keeping her head tipped up to release gas. I gave her half a fish fluconazole, but am unsure what could have led to the sour crop.
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    Illnesses that may affect a turkey hen

    I did not get a poop photo today, I will try to get one tomorrow. I put her in a barrel because I couldn't think of anything better 🫤
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    Illnesses that may affect a turkey hen

    Is it normal for turkeys to point their beaks at the sky when feeling unwell? My chickens never do that, it looks so odd.
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    Illnesses that may affect a turkey hen

    I only saw one poop all day. It was watery, white/green. Basically like a hen that hasn't been eating.
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    Illnesses that may affect a turkey hen

    My one-year-old turkey hen has been sitting with her eyes closed, and neck stretched up, for the last several days. I thought she was just chillin', but yesterday she could not roost and it was clear that she was too weak to stand up. I found a helpful @casportpony post, and here's what I have...
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    Harvesting my Chicken Run Compost - Black Gold!

    Sage, borage, and butterfly bush have been chicken-scratch-proof for me thanks to their woody stems and deep roots. They are also drought-tolerant. Since you have rain and a fenced run, you could grow just about anything: nasturtiums, marigolds, coneflower, etc.
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    Harvesting my Chicken Run Compost - Black Gold!

    The benefit of black fly larvae is they generate their own moisture when metabolizing compost. Worms do this too ("compost tea"). Even regular house flies will liquify compost, but I don't want to encourage them because they are disgusting.
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    enrichment/enclosure for indoor setup (plants,toys, etc)

    Parrots and parakeets are also flock animals, but people often keep just one, and let humans become the "flock". If there are chicken keepers in your area, see if you can "borrow" a few chicks to raise, and return them to the owner when they are feathered out. Then you can see if you enjoy...
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    Harvesting my Chicken Run Compost - Black Gold!

    Apologies if this has been covered in the thread, but do any of you use composting worms or other invertebrate helpers? Composting is a slow process in my arid climate. I have tried black soldier fly larvae to great success, but they cannot reproduce in my environment, so I have to keep ordering...
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    Harvesting my Chicken Run Compost - Black Gold!

    @gtaus Your setup looks fantastic! It looks like you have 2"x4" welded wire for the fence -- how do you keep the chickens from flinging everything out of the run?
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    A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

    @Pearlescent oh wow, that is so good to know! I haven't hatched any eggs this season because I have not been able to figure out who's who. I gave away several of the un-speckled eggs because I thought they were from a chicken that got into the turkey coop 🫨
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