Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[NikkiMiChickie]

Nikki, I simply LOVE your screen name!    Thank you for the feedback.  Now, after using this advice, do you think your flock has shown a benefit from it or is it too soon to tell? 

Al is a true old troubadour, isn't he?   

 

Thanks for the sn compliment, Bee! I told my husband I was Nicki Minaj, only the chicken version . And Al is a trubadour all right! I always look forward to his posts. Funny how this thread has made some of the OTs feel like "the farmer next door." I feel like, if I ever met you or Al or Fred or some of the others, it would be like running into an old friend!

After reading more of the newbie responses, I realize that I left SO much out of my post that I've learned here... Never bring adult chickens into the flock without extensive quarantine (I don't think I'll ever bother at all), fermenting feed (been reading your new thread about the sick chickens and intend to ferment some myself soon!), and so much more about husbandry in general, like culling chickens that are sickly to maintain the most disease & parasite-resistant flock possible.
Coming into this chicken farmer thing, I had this idea of how my chickens would sit in my lap and follow me around while I did chores. They don't sit in my lap, don't allow me to pick them up unless I get them off the roosts, but they do follow me all around as I do my chores, and they beat the dogs to greet a new car in the driveway most days (which is really scary to so many people who have had - or heard of - negative experiences with flogging roosters or broody hens! I had no idea how many people are terrified of chickens!). I love my chickens, but not because they're cuddly like I imagined in my chicken dreams. They're entertaining to watch, peaceful to spend time with, provide my garden with the best compost and me with the best eggs I've ever eaten!

I know the OT advice I've implemented is working, not because of my own flocks changes, since they've now been reared in the OT fashion, but because of the comparisons I've been able to make between my own flock and others I've encountered. My flock has all of their feathers, for one! Their feathers are shiny and full, their wattles and combs are bright red, and - until recent weather changes - I get 6-8 eggs a day from my 8 hens. The compliments I receive on my flock are also proof that it's working. My girls are beautiful! (and my boys too, can't forget them). I won't be brooding chicks in my house or buying chicken diapers - this "treat them like chickens" lifestyle is working out just fine! I truly appreciate all of the no-nonsense advice I've received via this thread, and my chickens are proof that it works! Thanks, Bee! Looking forward to the book
-Nikki

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

As to Bee's question about what advice we have implemented and found effective..The best thing I've ever done for my chickens was to add more ventilation in the coop after reading about how important it is here. Before I added more ventilation, the poop under the roosts stayed wet and the air was stale. All I had to do was cut two new rectangles in the sides of the coop, and wow, what a difference! The poop dries out quickly now, the air is fresh, and I don't have to clean the coop out as often. It's a shame I didn't add more ventilation years ago.
So, some of the things I got from this thread and use...
1. Ventilation is essential
2. ACV in the water is easy and beneficial. I put 2 tablespoons per gallon.
3. Methods to cull. When to cull. Encouragement that I'm not a barbaric, disgusting, horrible person (

people these days, calling me that) for even considering culling. Culling in my opinion is the best way to perfect your flock
4. An understanding that many production hatchery birds have been pushed to their limits on what they can take as far as production goes. They may have great production at first but they will burn out. No more red sex links for me. I really like Plymouth Rocks and leghorns, 2 classic breeds. I think it's important to buy leghorns from a source that hasn't bred them to be laying machines.
5. An understanding that heritage birds are not for everyone for reasons that have been stated a few pages back. I'm seriously considering buying from Meyer's this spring to add to my laying flock. I want an assortment of layers and don't want to have to deal with extra roosters.
7. Chemical de-wormers are not the way to go. It makes perfect sense now. From here on out I'm just going to use pumpkin if possible. I had no idea that pumpkin is a natural de-wormer before I found this thread.
The biggest thing I've gained from this thread is finding other people with the same opinions, practices, and goals as me. It has been invaluable for sure. I no longer feel like someone born in the wrong century or like an alien from another planet.

 

[bruceh]

Don't forget People Noodle Soup for the Soul...

and on that note.....

laughed my azz off

 

[aussie pete]

Okay, folks...going to try something here that I've never done before, so no makin' fun when you see it. It's a work in progress but due to so many requests, it just had to happen. I have a small webpage started and it isn't finished yet but, with all of you helping, we just may be able to turn out something useful. I encourage OTs to help me answer questions and newbies to ask them so that we can build an organized site wherein the info can be accessed easily. I'm new at this, so bear with me?

http://459507378526106724.weebly.com/ This link should take you to a webpage called Chicken Diapers and 101 other things chickens don't need. Some of the pages have no content and are just waiting to be filled as time allows but the framework is in place.

There is a blog under the "more..." button and I'm really wanting some honest questions and answers...I'd like to keep it open but will make it by approval only if folks get rowdy.

great idea Bee, had a quick look. I like the way it is set out ,& looks good.if it anything like this thread it will be great reference point for anyone that owns chickens IMO . cheers Aussie Pete

 

[Red Barn Farms]

laughed my azz off

 

[bruceh]

somewhere on this thread there was mentioning of feeding egg shells back for calcium . i think kassaundra mentioned making a powder out of the shells using motar and pestle.
today i was bored. so i put my wisdom into motion.

being most of us don't own a mortal and pestle or it could be just me. i took my fresh egg shells ( still wet ) broke them up in a sandwich bag and smashed them up with a hammer into very small pieces then i dumped the pieces in a coffee filter.and placed in a microwave for 1 min. made a very nice formed cake. looked like rice cake.

i would have left it that form for the layers to peck. however i needed a powder for my cx chicks. so i placed the cake in another sandwich bag and placed the bag in a phone book and hit it with the hammer some more,. turned out to be a texture of granulated sugar.

it took no more than 5 min to make a fair amount of Ca. powder.

you could make a supplement feed cake for the birds using other ingredients. sounds like a good thing in the winter to keep the birds entertained.

 

[Daisy8s]

I've had chickens for just over a year so I'm a newbie when it comes to managing a flock, but I'm a farmgirl of several generations so I've got lots of experience with livestock in general. Here's what I've learned about raising chickens in your backyard but with an animal husbandry mindset.

1. Water. This thread taught me about ACV. Experience taught me to put out two waterers in two different areas so everyone gets all they need.

2. Feed. This thread taught me that commercial, bagged stuff in the store is old and the effort to find a local mill and buy it fresh is worth it. Experience taught me that not only is it better but they'll eat less of it because they won't be beaking out so much to try to find something worth eating.

3.Ventilation. My dairy farming brothers have an adage: "keep enough air moving to blow the flies away". That's a lot of air movement! Ventilation is good for any critter--cows, pigs, chickens, whatever. What I didn't know, though, was those little chickens could keep themselves warm just as well as big cows can. So, this thread taught me there is no need to heat the coop, even with snow on the ground and a solid flow of air going over their heads taking out the warm (and moist) air. I didn't know that frostbite is as likely caused by moisture plus cold, rather than just cold. But, now that I've learned that I'm willing to keep on ventilating without adding heat.

4. This thread taught me to think twice about taking a chicken to a vet. But, my background taught me to value vets and their experience--the average dairyman who pays attention can probably sew up cuts and diagnose common illnesses as well as the vet he's been watching for years. So, when one hen suddenly started gasping I thought hard and then found an avian vet. When he walked in the room the first thing I said was, "Our goal here is NOT to save the chicken--my purpose is to learn." He spent 30 minutes giving me an avian 101 on anatomy, common illnesses, and reasonable cures. It was the most informative half hour I'd ever spent and well worth the $40. So, there's something to be said about using a vet as your source of learning when you're starting out and there's no one else around you to learn from--provided you have the backbone to decline the $150 exploratory surgery suggestion. of course.

5. What I wish more experienced people would share with newbies--coop construction! I see so many super cute coops

, but none of them show where they're going to store the feed, where the isolation room is when you've got an injured bird, where the broody will hatch the eggs, how you're supposed to collect eggs without stepping in poop, and truly efficient methods of coop cleaning. I understand there there are too many variables to give absolute rules but I wish those factors were discussed as much as how to build cozy nesting boxes.

6. Here's where I completely disagree with many OT on this thread: using physical intimidation with a rooster. I treat my rooster the same as I would a bull or a stallion--with respect! Just because he's small doesn't mean he doesn't have the same instincts as any intact male animal protecting his females. I think everyone's safer when my rooster believes humans are not a threat--especially my kids and all their friends. I can't count on some kid visiting our house to be able to intimidate a rooster. Instead, it's my responsibility to raise a rooster who isn't afraid of humans and therefore isn't going to feel the need to defend his hens from them.

I love the keepin-it-real tone of this thread, though. I can barely stand to skim the rest of the forum anymore for wading through all the my-chickens-are-human hogwash out there. Does anyone else become physically ill when someone refers to themselves as a "chicken mama". And, when did the phrase, "pet parent" become an accepted part of the lexicon? OMG!!

 

[Beekissed]

Excellent feedback for all the newbies! It really helps to know what areas have been of assistance and what areas need more work on this thread.

 

[normanack]

I've only had my chickens since May and this is the first time there's been an illness. I'd appreciate your advice.

Yesterday this hen sneezed or coughed (I don't know how to tell the difference) twice while I was watching.
This afternoon her breathing sounded labored. Video below.
Tonight it sounds worse, and she keeps her beak open on both inhale and exhale (earlier during the day, open only on inhale).
I isolated her in a dog crate in the garage with bedding, a perch, water, and a heat lamp. It's going down to the thirties, the coldest it's been this fall.

What can I do to help her? I don't see any snot or discharge, her mouth is clean, her eyes are clean. I listened to her chest and could hear the same rattling that is affecting her breathing.

All the other chickens seem fine -- looking back, one of them coughed/sneezed on and off over the course of a day -- August 18 -- and then stopped. I assumed at the time she had something stuck in her throat. She never developed rattly breathing or cough/sneezed after that day. As it happens I have a video of that, too, so I'll put both videos here.

Many thanks for any diagnoses, treatment (if any), and how likely it is my other chickens will come down with it, and if there's anything I can do about that.

Management:
Coop is 8 x 16 feet (chopped-leaves bedding, dirt floor), run is 8 x 12, fenced chicken yard is 30 x 50.
Cooped at night, coop and yard during the day (coop left open). Yard currently pitifully grassed.
17 large-fowl chickens and 4 bantams; and 3 chicks in a raised, hardware-cloth brooder in the coop at night, in the run during the day.
Feed: bagged Purina or DuMor starter/grower, oyster shell on the side (only four are laying, two of which started yesterday), an armful of greens (mostly dandelions) every day, cut grass from the lawn a couple times a month (including today), kitchen scraps, occasional scratch. I just bought Bragg's mother vinegar and started marinating some scratch in it yesterday. It's not done yet. Haven't gotten to a feed mill yet but plan to.



Links in case videos don't work:

 

[armorfirelady]

Question for the Newbies: I've read here and there that some have implemented things they've read here and have had good results. Care to share those stories?

Sure would help other newbies to know that it can work for them the same as it works for us.

I am a chicken newbie.4 partridge Rock hens that are 25 weeks old & I have had them 7 weeks. They have been on FF 3 weeks now. I got them from a lady I found on Craigs List. I looked at all her chickens before bringing my 4 home. They all looked healthy, had nice feathers & clear eyes & were wary of people & free ranged since they were hatched.

The 1st thing I did was find this forum about 2 months before I got my hens. I read a lot between here, the internet & books. I had my hen house & run set up BEFORE I got my hens along with bedding & food. Then I KEPT reading here on the forum & asked questions no matter how dumb they sounded to me lol Then I followed what the OT's suggested. The hens have a giant run that has protection from predators & water that they RUN to in the morning & stay in all day. I have learned to repurpose items I had at home to improve my hens living quarters. They dont care if stuff matches or is rated as *top of the line* As long as they have FF at least once a day & fresh veggies life is good for them.

I turned my "doll house" coop into a better hen house with better ventilation. I WILL NOT get a heat lamp or light bulb to keep them warm & increase egg laying over the winter. I have learned they have feathers to keep them warm all winter as long as they are draft free & have good ventilation. If God wanted them to lay all winter he wouldnt of made the days shorter. We all need a break from work

I dont believe in using drugs or meds for them. ACV with Mother for their FF, acv in their water, and veggies that will naturally improve their health & protect their immune system is much easier & cheaper. Chicken nipples are the best invention ever !!! No dirty water ever !!! And a large piece of PVC pipe that forms an "L" makes for gallons of water for them to drink & only requires once a week at most of refilling it. The FF also cut down on their water consumption. PVC pipe also makes a great feeder for layer pellets & oyster shells. Keeps the food dry, predator proof & holds as much food as you want depending on how big you want to build it (they always have layer pellets available even tho they get FF but it hasnt been filled in 3 weeks nor have they eaten it)

Deep litter method is the best. Less hassle and once a week of raking it around with some cracked corn in between to make the girls do their part makes it a breeze. Plus with the FF the feces smell is almost nothing. I can open the coop roof & not wrinkle up my nose from the smell.

In 7 weeks my 4 hens have more than doubled in size. They have pretty shiny feathers that look more gorgeous every day. Their coloring and markings are beautiful. One even has a comb getting red finally!! They spend their days happily scratching their way thru the giant run, preening, dust bathing, eating the veggies they can reach from the garden & get a lot of exercise running when the dogs try to herd them in their run. They are wary of humans but know when I come in their area that fresh veggies or food is certain. I dont hold them unless its to check them out, I dont feed them from my hand & I dont mind the fact they are weary of humans and the dogs. That means they have a better chance of surviving if another predator comes when I or the dogs are not home. I DO check them at dusk when I close the pop door & do another head count before bed & touch each one just cuz I cant resist showing them a little love.

And chicken tv is my favorite program. Its relaxing to sit in the grass watching them be chickens. Plus I can notice any changes in their behavior or health. Plus I find the work of caring for them relaxing.

The best compliment I got was from an old friend who used to raise chickens for many, many years & was very active in 4H animal program at the fair. She hen sat for me this past weekend while I was camping & said my hens are beautiful & very healthy. And she thought the coop & runs were more than efficient for the hens. And she was very impressed with the pvc chicken nipple water & FF. She never saw those before & if she gets chickens again in the spring she is going to implement both. And she did the deep litter method as well.

And the most important thing I have learned is you can ALWAYS learn something new...especially from the OT's on here. (sorry was such a looong post)


My girls dust bathing