The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Yes, beautiful babies all around! Such diversity of colors and types of feathering. Here is a photo of our one week olds two barred and two golden laced wyandottes .

congrats on the chicks!

Ok I'm a newbie and my day old chicks will be 6 weeks Friday. I started "brewing" my first batch of FF yesterday. I just used water, feed, Braggs ACV with some sunflower nuts in a bucket covered with a towel. Hopefully that's ok. I guess we'll see what happens. Anyway my question other then input on the FF is, what is LABs? Also all this sprouting and grains should I be doing this? Also, I live in Colorado and its been pretty cold the last few days with lots of snow. I moved my brooder box from the laundry room to the garage. I've been leaving the heat lamp on still. I Really want to wean them off though. Anyway some chicks are sneezing... Is this normal? This is my Speckled Sussex, she's so sweet

Chickens sneeze to clear out the nostrals. If they continue to sneeze, it is not normal.

Good evening all. Had a beautiful sunny day here in the 50s and spent all day outside working on the new hoop coop. Its now covered, dirt fills the low spots that were standing water & straw put down which the girls spent the last few hours happily scattering.

I had the girls outside their run several times today much to the dogs dismay (they were watching from the inside lol) Nothing better than some great chicken tv on a sunny day. They happily scratched thru the gardens and the pine tree bases. And is there nothing funnier than watching a happy hen come running across a yard? Of course I thought it was because the 3 others had hightailed it back to the coop & she finally realized she was alone. Seems we all missed the young hawk in the tree above them. It took off after they finally all hid out in the covered run

A lot of crows around today so I dont know if they scared it off or not. The girls are usually more vigilant with hawks guess the pickings were so good they forgot.

Finally they had peat moss at Lowes today so I picked up the biggest bale. Who knew that peat moss could make 4 happy hens as they dust bathed for an hour and even sun bathed for awhile. Of course they thanked me by spreading it throughout the veggie garden. I also put some in their run & coop to help break down the DL.

I know everyone has chic pics but I only have hen pics but still wanted to share. They made a stressful week much better just watching their antics throughout the day. I swear one was crowing........her sisters had ventured around the house & she made such a racket trying to call to them to see where they were. Unfortunately they were on the other side of the house happily digging in the flower gardens.

Chicken pile up in the peat moss.....its not like there was not other piles for them to dust bathe in lol



The new hoop coop covered. I even got some vents for the top (all I kept hearing at Lowes in my brain was ventilation, you need ventilation as the OTs advice kept repeating itself)


Here are the girls happily spreading a bale of hay out in the new coop........I am sure they will be back there in the morning again


Slow but sure I am making progress on the hoop coop. I will probably leave the front open like it is since its warming up. It faces north and doesnt get the wind/snow/rain from the way normally. Plus the house is directly across from it. Or I will probably put some clear plastic on it I can roll up/down like shades for rainy days. The back flap is held down with rope & logs so it doesnt flap. But I am going to get some of those fancy tarp clips with string on them so they are easier clamped & unclamped again depending on the weather. That end faces south and will get some wind but the houses behind us block a lot. I rather leave it open for ventilation purposes. But the once piece across the middle will stay so they wont get any drafts. The bottom on the back & sides is open for ventilation as well. I have a few pieces of white tarp left over I can easily secure like shades again for easy opening/closing.

Ok back to the normally scheduled chicken talk......I was just very pleased with all I accomplished today especially the vents & wanted to share.

Bring on the chic pics

Wonderful job...

And this is my husband and two children, Kallo and Dilan

Hello and welcome to the group!!! Thanks for sharing..

So one, only one, of my pullets has mites. I dusted her yesterday with Permithrin(sp) dust to kill the active mites(I know, not natural) because she was miserable. Tomorrow I will be dusting her with DE and wood ash and continue dusting every other day for the next week to get the hatching eggs. Hopefully once the mite issue is taken care of she will lay her first egg, she is my last one old enough but hasn't started yet. Gonna have nice weather this weekend so I will try and get a few pics of the new Catdance chicks and get the Silkie pen/coop built this weekend.

You seen mites on only one..they all have them..get to work.

I had to dust my whole flock today too..seen them on only one...I suspect the mice

Quote: x2..I need to fix my coops and replace roofs. Empty out my second coop. Busy year.

 

[Sally8]

Sally the vents are vents you use on a house or under the eaves. They have slanted metal pieces over the screening. I don't know if it will keep out rain or snow but I tried to position them so the snow wouldn't sit on them during the winter and unless it rains sideways the rain should stay out unless some running down the tarp seeps in.

Regardless, you have so many options with those vents, if needed. It's just a beautiful hoop coop and I showed DH. He keeps saying "No more" but he knows.................lol
Did you use cattle panels? If so, how did you get them home? At a garage sale a few years ago I bought a sand box shaped like a big boat 6 ft long and 4 ft high. At that time we didn't have a truck so I strapped it to the top of my car and drove home. DH was so embarrassed, he ducked down all the way home.

The hen I've been aggressively treating for scaly mites looks horrible. She doesn't want to leave the coop anymore, she's thin and her feathers are so ruffled. I think it's her time. It's the first time I've had to make this decision. I think more is going on than I can see.

 

[Pozees]

Regardless, you have so many options with those vents, if needed. It's just a beautiful hoop coop and I showed DH. He keeps saying "No more" but he knows.................lol
Did you use cattle panels? If so, how did you get them home? At a garage sale a few years ago I bought a sand box shaped like a big boat 6 ft long and 4 ft high. At that time we didn't have a truck so I strapped it to the top of my car and drove home. DH was so embarrassed, he ducked down all the way home.

The hen I've been aggressively treating for scaly mites looks horrible. She doesn't want to leave the coop anymore, she's thin and her feathers are so ruffled. I think it's her time. It's the first time I've had to make this decision. I think more is going on than I can see.

Bummer, but probably so. Sorry. Parasites generally begin with the obviously weak, and if we do not eliminate that chicken they will move on to others.

 

[delisha]

Quote: sorry Sally..sounds like a good decision

 

[Arkansas81]

Tagalong is doing really good, figured out what was wrong with her...her bozo feet. Shes gotten really long legs /big feet shes trying to figure out how they work, its really cute! She seems perky and happy, shes just a little slow. I just make sure she eats and drinks, shes like a newborn baby -I feed and give her water every hour.

The rest of them are wild and fiesty...they are even trying to fly! I might need something covered for them sooner than I thought. I'm ready for them to be outside...I miss my garden tub, I hope I can get them outside soon. Wish this crappy weather would get better! I know my moms /dads outside are ready for summer..but they have done really well all winter -just ready for warm weather.

Happy hatching y'all!!

 

[CoopChick719]

Flock Behavior
So last evening I took the chickens their dinner pail. It was bloody darn cold and windy so I put on a tan suede jacket I had from a few years ago...with faux fur trim on it and headed to the pen with their pail. As I got closer the roo started having a fit and the girls began to panic. I went into the pen, put the pail down for them and the roo sent up a few calls I hadn't noticed before, the girls skeedaddled to the back of the secure pen under Coop 1. They packed up in the far corner as tight as they could. The roo stayed between me and the secure pen gate, yelling and running around me and then as if to lead me off from the girls he went into the secure pen of coop 2. That's where I was headed anyway to pick up their waterer in there. He continued to dash around in there until he figured out a way to get past me and back to guarding the gate area to where the girls were.

There are a couple of things I learned from this: One - they don't like me in that jacket (I know it was a bad hair day, but honestly I didn't think I looked that bad)
2- the fear, hate or disgust of a jacket out weighs the "we're starving-feed us-now-or we'll-eat-you" syndrome that is played out every meal time. 3- their food bringer wearing a simulated dead animal is more frightening than the dreaded umbrella. and best of all - the roo knows how to defend his girls and would sacrifice himself for them. Good boy. He never once was aggressive towards me, he just wanted me away from the girls and did his best to lead me away. Observant little monsters! I never even thought they noticed what I wore. Guess it's back to the bright - red plaid - quilted - oversized shirt I usually wear. Some people's chickens just ain't got no taste!

What a good boy your roo is!! I have a good roo too! He's always showing the hens including the three 5 week olds where the food is, brings them food then stands guard while they eat.

 

[CoopChick719]

Good evening all. Had a beautiful sunny day here in the 50s and spent all day outside working on the new hoop coop. Its now covered, dirt fills the low spots that were standing water & straw put down which the girls spent the last few hours happily scattering.

I had the girls outside their run several times today much to the dogs dismay (they were watching from the inside lol) Nothing better than some great chicken tv on a sunny day. They happily scratched thru the gardens and the pine tree bases. And is there nothing funnier than watching a happy hen come running across a yard? Of course I thought it was because the 3 others had hightailed it back to the coop & she finally realized she was alone. Seems we all missed the young hawk in the tree above them. It took off after they finally all hid out in the covered run

A lot of crows around today so I dont know if they scared it off or not. The girls are usually more vigilant with hawks guess the pickings were so good they forgot.

Finally they had peat moss at Lowes today so I picked up the biggest bale. Who knew that peat moss could make 4 happy hens as they dust bathed for an hour and even sun bathed for awhile. Of course they thanked me by spreading it throughout the veggie garden. I also put some in their run & coop to help break down the DL.

I know everyone has chic pics but I only have hen pics but still wanted to share. They made a stressful week much better just watching their antics throughout the day. I swear one was crowing........her sisters had ventured around the house & she made such a racket trying to call to them to see where they were. Unfortunately they were on the other side of the house happily digging in the flower gardens.

Chicken pile up in the peat moss.....its not like there was not other piles for them to dust bathe in lol



The new hoop coop covered. I even got some vents for the top (all I kept hearing at Lowes in my brain was ventilation, you need ventilation as the OTs advice kept repeating itself)


Here are the girls happily spreading a bale of hay out in the new coop........I am sure they will be back there in the morning again


Slow but sure I am making progress on the hoop coop. I will probably leave the front open like it is since its warming up. It faces north and doesnt get the wind/snow/rain from the way normally. Plus the house is directly across from it. Or I will probably put some clear plastic on it I can roll up/down like shades for rainy days. The back flap is held down with rope & logs so it doesnt flap. But I am going to get some of those fancy tarp clips with string on them so they are easier clamped & unclamped again depending on the weather. That end faces south and will get some wind but the houses behind us block a lot. I rather leave it open for ventilation purposes. But the once piece across the middle will stay so they wont get any drafts. The bottom on the back & sides is open for ventilation as well. I have a few pieces of white tarp left over I can easily secure like shades again for easy opening/closing.

Ok back to the normally scheduled chicken talk......I was just very pleased with all I accomplished today especially the vents & wanted to share. Bring on the chic pics

Loved hearing about your day & the pics!

Hi everyone. We are still new to the forum, but wanted to show off our babies. We have a mixed flock consisting of Brahms, Black Jersey Giants, Easter Eggers, White Leghorns, Isa and Plymouth Barred Rocks. We have three hens from last year, two are White Leghorns, excellent Layers, and one Buff Orphington who just started laying. I am not very good with a camera so pictures may be a little bit blurry.


And this is my husband and two children, Kallo and Dilan

dbaydak! So much to learn here!

Regardless, you have so many options with those vents, if needed. It's just a beautiful hoop coop and I showed DH. He keeps saying "No more" but he knows.................lol
Did you use cattle panels? If so, how did you get them home? At a garage sale a few years ago I bought a sand box shaped like a big boat 6 ft long and 4 ft high. At that time we didn't have a truck so I strapped it to the top of my car and drove home. DH was so embarrassed, he ducked down all the way home.

The hen I've been aggressively treating for scaly mites looks horrible. She doesn't want to leave the coop anymore, she's thin and her feathers are so ruffled. I think it's her time. It's the first time I've had to make this decision. I think more is going on than I can see.

Too funny about DH ducking down in the car! Mine feels the same way when I drag something home from someone's Free for the Taking pile along side of the road.

Sorry to hear about your hen.

 

[countrygirl74]

Whew!!! Just caught up on reading - been busy and if I don't check in often, it's easy to get behind!

Welcome to all the new people!

Congrats on all the babies, new coops, etc.!!

So, someone asked about posting pics of chicks to sex... are you sure about that? I have about 25 photos of my chicks right now!

I think I will just post 3 chicks a day so as not to overwhelm. Some are way too young to tell yet, but I'll share the cute pics anyway!

Here's the first 3... the newest additions.


My husband's baby - his very own Australorp as he was so sad to have to butcher all the Australorps we had due to them all being roos.




My new EE - such a friendly little thing!





Another Australorp - just in case

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Yes I used 3 cattle panels. I have an utility trailer so we bent them in half and put them in there. They are 8 ft long so i don't know how well they would fit on top of the car. Perhaps you have someone with a pick up truck that would tx them for you? I've seen people who have brought them home in a pick up bed before.
Its been easy to build so far. I am doing most of the work myself so its taking longer. Well that and the winter weather lol I am sure if the temps were warmer I would of had it done awhile ago. I usually go out only when the temps are below freezing.

 

[aoxa]

Whew!!! Just caught up on reading - been busy and if I don't check in often, it's easy to get behind!

Welcome to all the new people!

Congrats on all the babies, new coops, etc.!!

So, someone asked about posting pics of chicks to sex... are you sure about that? I have about 25 photos of my chicks right now!

I think I will just post 3 chicks a day so as not to overwhelm. Some are way too young to tell yet, but I'll share the cute pics anyway!

Here's the first 3... the newest additions.


My husband's baby - his very own Australorp as he was so sad to have to butcher all the Australorps we had due to them all being roos.




My new EE - such a friendly little thing!





Another Australorp - just in case

Your EE looks like a Welsummer to me!

All are adorable