The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[CoopChick719]

So, fermented feed. I gave it a go after reading Bee's thread. Do the chicks like it?


I'm going to have to say yes.

My new chicks & my old chicks love it too! I'm going to have to get a bigger bucket. So glad I'm giving them a good start in life!

My year-olds are getting very red. No feed change. I think it is time of year after the winter slow down. It would likely be a hormone rev-up as it's broody time!

I'm going to have to look at that flag closer...I thought it was a RED stripe rather than orange which would make it Italian. I'll have to look again after the sun is up!

BTW, Leahs Mom, nice score on DH remembering then putting up the flags for you! Isn't it nice when they can suprise us? Mine surprised me by suggesting we take a trip for our 25th wedding anniversary next year to Ireland!!!

I just about fell on the floor!! This is the same man that my father-in-law was taking bets on how long he would stay out of state for our honeymoon.

poop on the wall- Is that like Pants on the ground, the song?

Sounds like my teens.... Hey kids, how about going outside and getting some exercise? It's too COLD.... EWWWWW...... Nope, we'll stay inside. Instead of some scratch, why don't you throw them a Play Station and Modern Warfare 26?

Good stuff loanwizard!!! I remember my mother kicking us outside to play! Having had my own kids I now know why she did it....to save her sanity!!

 

[CoopChick719]

Please keep your fingers crossed that my remaining SFH chicks survive and thrive. I so appreciate your thoughts and well-wishes for these tiny little babies!

Bulldogma, I am so sorry to hear of the sadness at your house recently. Glad to hear of the 3 babies who made it. I'll be thinking of you all.

well Mumsy..I don't know..with out pictures of those adorable baby's for me to drool over i simply can't believe you with out the proof..so hand them over!

Right now those pvc pipes they're on are just stuck down inside the hollow fiberglass fence posts. We could drive in some larger pvc pipes here and there and just move them around every couple of days by putting the smaller pipes into the larger ones (hope that makes sense). This is a trick we use when setting up outdoor festivals/trade shows, etc. Using a larger pvc driven into the ground then put the smaller post inside to hold up whatever (banner posts, sign posts, etc.) Then after the show you can remove them without a problem. It's really easy to do. Here I could just leave the driven in posts here and there than just slip the pipes that the flags are on out and move them to a new driven-in pipe sleve.

I love this idea! Not a bad idea for a very temporary pen when I start letting the chicks out to play.

 

[jlynnet]

BDM, I'm so sorry for the lost chicks. The warm weather can't get here fast enough!

I tried to candle my BCM eggs. Hahaha can't see much. They're just too dark. I see a darkened area but that's about it. I will look again at the end of the week and sniff for rotten ones.

 

[zinia8]

BDM sorry about the losses. Did you find out what happened to your power? This weather has been nothing but a pain in the arse. I've been trying to get my new ones out of the garage and can't .below freezing wind whipping and another foot of snow on the way.

 

[countrygirl74]

Busy weekend on here... I have been able to check in here and there while working all weekend and finally caught up.

So sorry to hear about your loss Bulldogma! But I am equally thrilled to hear about how you were able to bring those 3 little ones back!!

Someone asked about ff with chicks - I've had my new babies on it since day 1 and they are doing awesome! My last batch of chicks didn't get the ff until they were about 3 months old or so... I just use an organic starter mash for their ff and I also add ACV to their water. For the first few days I also add a little Poly-vi-sol to their water. Haven't lost a chick yet and I hope I don't anytime soon... at least I know I am doing the best I know how to do.

As for egg shells - I hope I am not doing anything wrong by this... We usually use eggs in the early part of the day, so they sit in the "chicken bowl" on the counter, along with any other crazy scraps we throw in and then the bowl gets dumped in the late afternoon. I throw the shells in without crushing them and then when I throw the bowl of everything in their run, I just step on the shells.

Here's a pic of the very last baby I am adding this year. This little cutie is an EE and brings my brooder count up to 13. When they are all old enough they will be added to my current 8. No more chicken math for me - I am at my limit!

Her name is Wildflower and you can see already that she enjoys her ff.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: countrygirl74
If those chickens had found that stuff on their own they would have eaten it that way... sounds like "natural chicken keeping" to me

 

[Sally8]

Loan wizard - no need to comment. My hackle feathers have been up more than once this week end. The nice thing about this thread, no one gets mad and stomps off, or at least I haven't heard the stomping. Never heard the song "pants on the floor"

2 more poults hatched this week end. These 2 are requiring more care on my part. One apparently got injured by the older ones so they are separated. I've been feeding them with an eye dropper. (Liquids). Everyone loves the ff and they wear it well.

i'm missing seeing pic's. when are the Silkie pic's and other breed's, going to be posted and we have a sex guessing contest? Chicken sex guessing has to be part of Natural Chicken Keeping? sue

 

[aoxa]

Loan wizard - no need to comment. My hackle feathers have been up more than once this week end. The nice thing about this thread, no one gets mad and stomps off, or at least I haven't heard the stomping. Never heard the song "pants on the floor"

2 more poults hatched this week end. These 2 are requiring more care on my part. One apparently got injured by the older ones so they are separated. I've been feeding them with an eye dropper. (Liquids). Everyone loves the ff and they wear it well.

i'm missing seeing pic's. when are the Silkie pic's and other breed's, going to be posted and we have a sex guessing contest? Chicken sex guessing has to be part of Natural Chicken Keeping? sue

You guys can help me sex Doc Holiday!

 

[bluebirdnanny]

So excited!!!!! Coop is supposed to come today! Hope it is early in day, because then once put together, I can go get a few supplies. Yipeeee!

But also worried! TWO skunks were in the yard last night and then saw a huge coon body shape before daylight this morning.

Cute note though, the deer have bedded down in grass at woods edge on the opposite side of the house out the kitchen window past two mornings.

Now I am wondering something... the owner of field across street rents it to a farmer... he has alternated with soybean and corn. Outside of fencing my whole yard, how to I keep my free rangers on THIS side of the street and out of his 'crop'?

Thanks to person who answered my poison ivy questions.

 

[Leahs Mom]

So excited!!!!! Coop is supposed to come today! Hope it is early in day, because then once put together, I can go get a few supplies. Yipeeee!

But also worried! TWO skunks were in the yard last night and then saw a huge coon body shape before daylight this morning.

Yay on the coop!

Last spring I live trapped 13 adult raccoons and 3 baby raccoons in the spring - then 2 more adults in the fall. I keep the live trap out and baited all the time. I also trapped 3 opossums last spring. It's been empty around here since then. No tracks at all in the snow this winter. Neighbor has been hearing the coyotes at night but they haven't come close. Wondering if I'll have some coyote visits this spring when they start teaching their pups to hunt. Hopefully not!

You guys can help me sex Doc Holiday!

You'll have to give him/her a shave and a haircut before we can comment!