The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[bluebirdnanny]

RE: "I just bought one......the hens are not using it yet since I need to put up the electric netting but I think its the best splurge I made. I have a solar charger with it and a light sensing eye so it will always have a charged battery & opens at dawn & closes at dusk. That way I dont have to keep changing the times with the seasons or daylight savings time "

No problems with any being shut out? Are they always inside when it closes? Thinking ahead for the future....

 

[elmtree]

That there is funny right there. I don't care who you are.

Hilarious!! I will have to remember that lol

 

[armorfirelady]

qUOTE: bLUEBIRDNANNY; No problems with any being shut out? Are they always inside when it closes? Thinking ahead for the future....

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Well the hens have not used the door yet. But I do have it hooked up so it opens & closes (there is a piece of wood blocking the opening since no fencing up yet)
but it opens before they are up and it closes after they are already roosted so I dont think there will be a problem. I am hoping to get the netting up this weekend so they can start using the door. I do know that it closes and then open again for like 30 seconds for any stragglers. But as of now the girls are roosted well before door closes. So I am hopeful there will be no stragglers. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If you click on the *my coop* under my name there are pictures of the door and setup on it. [/FONT]

 

[delisha]

Oh, by the way, I killed 2 more poults today. I can't seem to kill a roo for a nice chicken dinner but let a cute one try to come out of his shell and I turn into Dr Kavorkian. "Here, let sue help you" and then "RON! I KILLED ANOTHER ONE! UGH!" One had tried to hatch almost 2 days, his bottom was all poo and his actual skin was dark, like maybe peritonitis. The 2nd one made me nervous after the first and he just wasn't ready. My book of mistakes for learning will need extra pages this year. My motto is to not help them. Maybe I should write that own.

We have all done it..eventually you will stop. Every time you open the incubator, you will learn you eventually kill something. If not the one you are helping, than another egg setting in there you allowed too much heat or humidity to escape...hard lesson to learn...It is always best to be gone the day after you see pips, or have a heavy schedule that day.

I am currently feeding half 24% gamebird feed and half 8% scratch for my fermented feed. The flock likes it so much better than layer or flock raiser mixed with whole grains. It equals out to 16% protein, and they like the thicks whole grains in it.

Sounds perfect for this time of year..

Parsley and Celery are great kidney cleansers. ( for the calcium nomming roo) he will need kidney support to process a calcium excess. Perhaps try giving him some kelp or dolomite...

Thank you..I did not know that about celery
Kelp works great

Any suggestions for 1yr old Rouen duck who doesn't appear to be laying and has very dull feathers (thought she might be *changing*) Today I noticed the watery white poo. I'm thinking I should get her in a warm bath tmrw after DH leaves for work. LOL And begin FF. What else?

Hello Holly..you need to examine your girl..
Give her a bath for sure..and check for lice and mites. You might need to give her a dusting first.
FF for sure!! ACV in her drinking water..
Hard to say what else..start with your plan..see how she is and please keep us updated

My coop is almost done. I need to decide on the hen door. I was leaning towards an automatic door given our schedules. Any thoughts ideas suggestions?

Many people like them..I do not because

1. you rely on the door and do not check your birds at night
2. They do not always close
3. what else enter the coop besides the chickens
4. The door has no idea if all the chickens are in

qUOTE: bLUEBIRDNANNY; No problems with any being shut out? Are they always inside when it closes? Thinking ahead for the future....

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Well the hens have not used the door yet. But I do have it hooked up so it opens & closes (there is a piece of wood blocking the opening since no fencing up yet)
but it opens before they are up and it closes after they are already roosted so I dont think there will be a problem. I am hoping to get the netting up this weekend so they can start using the door. I do know that it closes and then open again for like 30 seconds for any stragglers. But as of now the girls are rooste[/FONT]

It has benefits...and for some it is necessary if they work second shift and are not home at roosting time.

 

[armorfirelady]

I work days & afternoons so its easier for me to have the automatic door. With the electric netting around the only thing that should go in the coop is the chickens.

And I have to say I check my chickens every night.......even after I have checked on them once I close the pop door for the night. I always check on them again before bed. Even when I work afternoons & I know my Mom has locked them up for the night I check on them again when I get home at 1130. Just a habit I got into plus I like when they coo at me when I open the door to see them

 

[Leahs Mom]

-I use an automatic door.
-I mostly like it because it lets them out in the morning. I am gone way before sunup. That way they don't have to wait for me to get home to go outside
-It's on a clock timer so I have to change the timer to be sure it closes late enough that they're all in.


I agree w/Del...I don't "rely" on it for night and always go out for the evening check.

-AT NIGHT I ALWAYS CHECK TO BE SURE EVERYONE GOT IN. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER to change the time on the timer as to when it opens and shuts as the days lengthen or shorten.

-I've never had a night that I didn't go out and be sure they were all in after closing time and to be sure there was not a malfunction w/the electric. If I was away for the evening and a stray was out, they may have to wait a little later than usual. I do be sure they're in the "dog pen run" w/the gate closed, however, before I leave for an evening so they can be outside but not just freely running. So, if they get stuck outside after the pop door shuts at least they're in the smaller dog kennel enclosure.

 

[BlueMouse]

I've been feeding kepl meal as a top dressing, it helps them absorb more nutrients from their foods, as well as being high in all kinds of trace elements and minerals. Nice to know it supports kidney function as well! That's what I love about this thread, every day I come on I learn several new things!!

I'm going to be incubating in a couple weeks, and I'm dreading the hatching.... I know I am going to want to help SO badly. I have guineas, cream legbars, BBS copper marans, and some of the eggs from my BO pair going in. Exciting but scary!

looking for a little chick advice from some more experienced chicken owners from northern climates. The days are warming up here, (above freezing!!! whooo!!!) but it's still in the teens and twenties overnight. I only have two chickens in my uninsulated coop (so not a lot of body heat), and no electric, so I can't put heat out there. Can I put feathered five week old chicks out there? There's three of them. They'd be living in a big wire dog crate for a while. They just look so small... I worry that they would get too cold. They've been inside, but no heat (think, 50 at night in our house) But they're running out of room in my very SMALL brooder. What do you think?

 

[delisha]

I've been feeding kepl meal as a top dressing, it helps them absorb more nutrients from their foods, as well as being high in all kinds of trace elements and minerals. Nice to know it supports kidney function as well! That's what I love about this thread, every day I come on I learn several new things!! 

I'm going to be incubating in a couple weeks, and I'm dreading the hatching.... I know I am going to want to help SO badly. I have guineas, cream legbars, BBS copper marans, and some of the eggs from my BO pair going in. Exciting but scary! 

looking for a little chick advice from some more experienced chicken owners from northern climates. The days are warming up here, (above freezing!!! whooo!!!) but it's still in the teens and twenties overnight. I only have two chickens in my uninsulated coop (so not a lot of body heat), and no electric, so I can't put heat out there. Can I put feathered five week old chicks out there? There's three of them. They'd be living in a big wire dog crate for a while. They just look so small... I worry that they would get too cold. They've been inside, but no heat (think, 50 at night in our house) But they're running out of room in my very SMALL brooder. What do you think? 

I live in Wisconsin..mine are out..
it still freezes at night..they pile together and keep each other warm

 

[maggiemo]

I just bought one......the hens are not using it yet since I need to put up the electric netting but I think its the best splurge I made. I have a solar charger with it and a light sensing eye so it will always have a charged battery & opens at dawn & closes at dusk. That way I dont have to keep changing the times with the seasons or daylight savings time

I love, love, love my 'Pullet Shut' door. I have never had a chicken shut out. I still check them, but can do it in my own time. Never ever had a problem. It is the single best purchase I have made for my coop.

 

[Sally8]

I think the self closing door would be great if you weren't home at dusk and more importantly if you lived where predators were a huge issue. Hypothetically, even if one were left out and was lost to a predator at least the rest of the flock is safe. Not a great thought, but a sensible one, I guess. The bear has been getting into the neighbors trash but I have to believe it's our dogs that keep it out of ours. I read a lot of article where bear tried to rip into coops for chickens. I didn't think they would do that!