How to build up chicks resistance to diseases from their day of hatching

[Sire12]

Yeah that's the only lucky part of living in this part of the world theres pretty much nothing predator wise, I'm also fairly near a large town so it's not somewhere foxes would ever venture into I have a 3x6 foot raised bed that I fenced off in the backyard that I plan to grow lettuce in for them as also for the guinea pigs, il use the salad bars mainly for rye grass I think something that will grow quick and won't need a deep bed so that I can move it around and have a steady supply, pretty much like a reverse chicken tractor lol

 

[3riverschick]

Yeah that's the only lucky part of living in this part of the world theres pretty much nothing predator wise, I'm also fairly near a large town so it's not somewhere foxes would ever venture into

I have a 3x6 foot raised bed that I fenced off in the backyard that I plan to grow lettuce in for them as also for the guinea pigs, il use the salad bars mainly for rye grass I think

something that will grow quick and won't need a deep bed so that I can move it around and have a steady supply, pretty much like a reverse chicken tractor lol

Hi Sire12,
Forage oats like the farmers plant in their pastures is great for poultry. Not feed oats like they feed them in the barns. Also, Kale is probably better than lettuce for the birds. No need to feed them treats the 1st week of life. Let that G.I. tract get up and running on the supplements and chick feed.

Best,
Karen

 

[Sire12]

In daily observations of my six chix, even in deep winter, it is becoming my opinion that free ranging in the yard and foraging seems so much to be "in their nature", they really NEED to do it, and they stay busy all day. There is a pecking order, and some food guarding, but I don't see them pecking each other....they are together (within sight of each other) all day long (and I think it is adorable to see them as a flock).

I am even beginning to think it would be harmful to them to keep them from foraging...it seems so important to them. They even have a little schedule: forage, sit on the bench, forage, dust bath, forage, preen, forage, nap, forage...

Ergo I am planning "salad bars" for spring....

Pictures of jungle gym, pls?

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, man...I see several different ways a chicken could really get injured in that setup. It may seem like a play yard for chickens but eventually you're going to have a bird that gets hurt there.

 

[Sire12]

Oh gosh really? What should I do to make it safe?

 

[Beekissed]

Clear out every bit of that clutter until they have wide open spaces in which to walk through the middle of their run and coop space. If you want them to have other levels of living, a few solid perches, a hay bale or stump, or similar wide and solid object on which they can hop up to would be fine, along the sides of the run. You can even have one of your little ladders up to one of the solid and wide places of being....but all those strings, tiny perches, wire rack, and multiple small type clutter are places birds can get their feet, legs, wings and body trapped if they are suddenly startled into a fly/run panic in that space. That happens a lot with chickens, be it from overhead threats, pecking order drama, or simply because a single chicken got startled and the rest followed her lead.

Another little tip for that muddy run....try putting down some dry material in there, nice and deep, so they aren't walking around in the mud all the time. You can use a variety of materials and that seems to work best~leaves, small twigs, pine needles and cones, bark, woody weeds, corn shucks and stalks, pine shavings, wood chips, straw, etc. Whatever you use, lay it in thick if you want it to work, but your birds will be healthier and more content if they aren't walking around in muddy poop all the time.

 

[mobius]

@Sire12 , look forward to seeing your progress! Please do share, here or in another thread if you start one!

Here is a picture or two of my run...a little bare, and it is small, but I would probably add two or three log stumps of varying and stable heights...doesn't have to be very high...they love those...
Mine don't spend a lot of time in this run, they are mostly outside of it in the yard during the day and the coop at night. They do nap and preen on the tree-branch roosts...








And you can see my attempt at forest floor litter as Beekissed recommends...nice and soft for feet when landing and fun to scratch in....like a toy in itself...

 

[cactusrota]

Pictures of jungle gym, pls?

This is what my brother put up. Just all kinds of random stuff around the hemlock tree. It's all been there, unmoved, for as long as I can remember. They've never had any trouble with any of it. They all congregate on/around/under it at one point during the day to take their naps. Being under the big tree it gives them cover from sun, rain, and hawks.

 

[Sire12]

Ah ok that's actually not their run that's outside the kitchen window where they like to hang out through the day, il add a pic of their coop later to see if you think it's ok, the wire rack was set there by one of the kids a few weeks ago I keep forgetting to remove it it belonged to a parrot that they had, the other perches are quite sturdy all made from thick brush shafts and the logs I cut fresh from the field across the road last year when I built it, il remove anything that they could get their feet trapped in there at the bottom area, thx for the advice

Unfortunately the yard is near impossible to keep from getting mucky their coop is nice and dry with fresh bedding, considering getting a ton of stones to put down in the yard this year but idk if that would maybe prevent them from foraging in the ground

 

[Sire12]

Clear out every bit of that clutter until they have wide open spaces in which to walk through the middle of their run and coop space.  If you want them to have other levels of living, a few solid perches, a hay bale or stump, or similar wide and solid object on which they can hop up to would be fine, along the sides of the run.  You can even have one of your little ladders up to one of the solid and wide places of being....but all those strings, tiny perches, wire rack, and multiple small type clutter are places birds can get their feet, legs, wings and body trapped if they are suddenly startled into a  fly/run panic in that space.  That happens a lot with chickens, be it from overhead threats, pecking order drama, or simply because a single chicken got startled and the rest followed her lead. 

Another little tip for that muddy run....try putting down some dry material in there, nice and deep, so they aren't walking around in the mud all the time.  You can use a variety of materials and that seems to work best~leaves, small twigs, pine needles and cones, bark, woody weeds, corn shucks and stalks, pine shavings, wood chips, straw, etc.  Whatever you use, lay it in thick if you want it to work, but your birds will be healthier and more content if they aren't walking around in muddy poop all the time. 

This is their coop

The brown on the walls is rust