The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[vpatt]

My guess... a week at the most.

Well the store said a week....I guess they just grow so fast that I feel like they have to be older. That means they will be about three weeks old next tuesday the 17th. They went outside in their tote for almost an hour today.....and from time to time I am going to start cutting the light off.....I am almost always in the same room as them so I will be able to keep an eye on them. I have to say that I enjoyed the broody doing all the work instead of me. :/ I will most likely not do this again. It has not been much trouble, but I feel bad for them. They have no mommy and they are under that light almost 24/7. It just seems so unnatural and I will probably not choose this route again. I wanted the experience so if I ever need to do it I will know what to do.

And now I have to make up my mind to cull some of my chickens from my two small winter hatches ....4 out of 5 are roosters and that gives me 6 roosters! It looks like I am going to have to do it myself....I think my husband is trying to weasel out on me, lol. I guess I need to check out that thread again to learn just how to do it.

 

[lazy gardener]

I thought a week at least. So let's split the difference and say the store was right.

 

[flyladyrocks]

How is your too today?

@vpatt. The truck brooder pic I posted back a page or so, those chicks are right about 2 weeks and 2-3 days.

And here are some 5-6 weekers...

 

[chicalot]

I think that chick was about a week also cause no shoulders feathers were started.

I haven't had much time to get the roo to eat or drink today. He moved around in the cage a couple of times but mostly he's just the same. I almost think he's a tiny bit more moveable but not much so. He better get to chowing down or he's a goner.

edit: I did just take him some yogurt and once he got his aim right he was pretty enthusiastic for it. He misses sometimes but he cleaned his beak off too

 

[mpmb1227]

Hello all, I too keep it natural when it comes to the chickens. So, it is only expected I join in on the topic!

 

[chicalot]

 

[n3kms]

I think that chick was about a week also cause no shoulders feathers were started.

I haven't had much time to get the roo to eat or drink today. He moved around in the cage a couple of times but mostly he's just the same. I almost think he's a tiny bit more moveable but not much so. He better get to chowing down or he's a goner.

edit: I did just take him some yogurt and once he got his aim right he was pretty enthusiastic for it. He misses sometimes but he cleaned his beak off too

Do you think he can see. I don't know what would make a chicken lose eye sight but if he is not moving and missing the food dish, maybe he can't see well.

 

[lalaland]

I think that chick was about a week also cause no shoulders feathers were started.

I haven't had much time to get the roo to eat or drink today. He moved around in the cage a couple of times but mostly he's just the same. I almost think he's a tiny bit more moveable but not much so. He better get to chowing down or he's a goner.

edit: I did just take him some yogurt and once he got his aim right he was pretty enthusiastic for it. He misses sometimes but he cleaned his beak off too

missing when pecking at food is a sign of mareks - could be other things but if he doesn't make it, you might want to consider paying for a necropsy at the state vet lab. Your local vet will know how to get the bird to them for the testing.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Well the store said a week....I guess they just grow so fast that I feel like they have to be older. That means they will be about three weeks old next tuesday the 17th. They went outside in their tote for almost an hour today.....and from time to time I am going to start cutting the light off.....I am almost always in the same room as them so I will be able to keep an eye on them. I have to say that I enjoyed the broody doing all the work instead of me.

I will most likely not do this again. It has not been much trouble, but I feel bad for them. They have no mommy and they are under that light almost 24/7. It just seems so unnatural and I will probably not choose this route again. I wanted the experience so if I ever need to do it I will know what to do.

And now I have to make up my mind to cull some of my chickens from my two small winter hatches ....4 out of 5 are roosters and that gives me 6 roosters! It looks like I am going to have to do it myself....I think my husband is trying to weasel out on me, lol. I guess I need to check out that thread again to learn just how to do it.

Do you have a heating pad you can give them? One that does not automatically turn off after two hours? If you did, then you could move them out to the coop if you build them a little pen just for them. After they get used to being out there and the big birds are used to seeing them out there, you could make an opening in their pen that only they can fit through. That way they could get away from everybody if they wanted and be able to warm up too. If they're a couple weeks old, they probably have lots of feathers by now and can regulate when they need to warm up on their own. That will take a lot of the work out of it for you.

Regarding your roosters, if you don't want to grow them out for food, I'd get the job done ASAP because the longer you have them, the more you will like them and that just makes it harder on you. My husband has weaseled completely out of it on me! I have to do it all by myself. It's not fun to cull the birds but it is a necessary part of raising/having them.

edit: I did just take him some yogurt and once he got his aim right he was pretty enthusiastic for it. He misses sometimes but he cleaned his beak off too

Vitamin A deficiency is also a reason he would miss the mark. Greens will help with this. The darker the better. Also, you might try giving him some raw meat or some hard boiled egg yolks.

Alfalfa is an appetite stimulant. Sometimes I'll flake up some alfalfa into a dish and pour boiling water over it and let it steep. This makes a tea of sorts and I will add it to their fermented feed mixture as part of the water source. Lots of vitamin a in alfalfa too.

 

[chicalot]

I've considered all that. don't think he's blind but will keep checking. I have the lab # if I need to send him off. Does poly vi sol have vit. A. Will check that. I've not had any new birds in that weren't raised here but ya never know