The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[maggiemo]

My door opens into the coop......which at first I thought was weird since the hens would be standing in front of the door and would have to move for the door to open. I never thought about them roosting on it though

Hmmm well they haven't roosted on it yet so maybe they wont lol

X2 on opening in. You just turn it the other way to make it open in, or the other way to open out.
Mine don't roost on it either. I think it would be too narrow for their feet to grab.

 

[Shan30]

So jealous of everyones chicks! I can't see any under my broody and she's still pretty flat

I stopped by our feed store to grab some starter on my way home and they only had medicated.
It's not what I was looking for but oh well. However on the bag it says not to feed it to birds over 12 weeks. Im planning on putting mom and babies in a separate area until she's a bit stronger before they go back in with the flock and figured she would be fine eating starter for a couple weeks. Is it ok for her to be eating this feed? Or should I be figuring out a way to put
their food where she cant get it?

They won't have any regular starter in for a week or so.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Shan, I would encourage you not to feed the medicated starter. It contains items that block absorption of b vitamins, especially thiamin.

Might want to take a look at: http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/12/natural-from-start-medicated-chick-feed.htmlQuote:


Quote: "Polyneuritis in birds represents the later stages of a thiamine deficiency, probably caused by buildup of the intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism. In the initial stages of deficiency, lethargy and head tremors may be noted. A marked decrease in appetite is also seen in birds fed a thiamine-deficient diet. Poultry are also susceptible to neuromuscular problems, resulting in impaired digestion, general weakness, star-gazing, and frequent convulsions.

"Polyneuritis may be seen in mature birds ~3 wk after they are fed a thiamine-deficient diet. As the deficiency progresses to the legs, wings, and neck, birds may sit on flexed legs and draw back their heads in a star-gazing position. Retraction of the head is due to paralysis of the anterior neck muscles. Soon after this stage, chickens lose the ability to stand or sit upright and topple to the floor, where they may lie with heads still retracted. Thiamine deficiency may also lead to a decrease in body temperature and respiratory rate. Testicular degeneration may be noted, and the heart may show slight atrophy. Birds consuming a thiamine-deficient diet soon show severe anorexia. They lose all interest in feed and will not resume eating unless given thiamine. If a severe deficiency has developed, thiamine must be force-fed or injected to induce eating."

You could easily make an alternative feed that would work until you can get the regular chick fee from items you likely already have around your house... Delisha would be a good one to suggest what you could use in the meantime.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

On the "rainbow poops"...I must have put the food color in the wrong hole.. none of the eggs have had any color on the shell.

My broody has hatched 5 chicks so far, but won't let me see them yet. It has been cold and rainy, hatch day was yesterday, and they are all hiding under mama. I managed to move her, and saw one egg under her. She had 9 eggs total.
Thanks to stony's information he posted, I have let my broody do all the work. I have no incubator, except her. I didn't candle any of the eggs. What hatches, hatches, whether I candled or not. I like the idea of a broody managed hatch anyway. Especially since I am a greenhorn at this farm thing. I do better at Macy's and riding city buses.

 

[gevshiba]

My poults arrived this morning, along with 4 yellow surprises! All 19 (24) are doing well. I think all are eating and drinking. It's hard to tell with so many, but they went right to it. Geniuses!

 

[Mumsy]

Thanks for the reply. I forgot to add the red pepper (out of cayenne at the store) and I need garlic. Do you mean actual pumpkin or pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin I have, seeds I can get. Looks like a trip to the store tomorrow. Do you add the supplements to the FF, or top dress? I just got an email that the poults shipped today!

I am self employed and work close to home, so I come home at noon to let the dogs out and eat lunch. I can keep a fresh supply of FF in front of them pretty easily. I do hope the novelty wears off on the dogs soon. 6 high prey drive dogs in an apartment with chicks=a lot of noise.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I stock up on powdered galic, flake oregano, and powdered cayenne at the dollar store. Often I crush fresh cloves of garlic and throw that in the FF or I add fresh 'just about anything vegetable green' if it's on hand. I buy three pound bags of dried pumpkin seed at the feed store in the wild bird and squirrel section. I grind a couple cups at a time and toss it in maybe a 1/2 cup a day or when I add new crumble to the FF bucket. The label says it has 30% protein.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I stock up on powdered galic, flake oregano, and powdered cayenne at the dollar store. Often I crush fresh cloves of garlic and throw that in the FF or I add fresh 'just about anything vegetable green' if it's on hand. I buy three pound bags of dried pumpkin seed at the feed store in the wild bird and squirrel section. I grind a couple cups at a time and toss it in maybe a 1/2 cup a day or when I add new crumble to the FF bucket. The label says it has 30% protein.

Thanks for that tip! I didn't know you could get pumpkin seed in the bird/squirrel dept.!

I still have some from last year's pumpkins and just put some out for the first time yesterday. So I have a question on that too...

I see that you ground them. I did that in a little blender then put them in a trough and mixed in the ff w/them. (Not in the ferment container, just in their bowl.) So my questions...

-Does the seed you buy come whole or shelled? I just ground them up shell and all. I didn't think they'd eat it but it was all gone.
-Did you mean that you feed a half cup of pumpkin seeds every day?
-How many birds are eating from the half cup?

 

[Mumsy]

Thanks for that tip! I didn't know you could get pumpkin seed in the bird/squirrel dept.!

I still have some from last year's pumpkins and just put some out for the first time yesterday. So I have a question on that too...

I see that you ground them. I did that in a little blender then put them in a trough and mixed in the ff w/them. (Not in the ferment container, just in their bowl.) So my questions...

-Does the seed you buy come whole or shelled? I just ground them up shell and all. I didn't think they'd eat it but it was all gone.
-Did you mean that you feed a half cup of pumpkin seeds every day?
-How many birds are eating from the half cup?

It is whole pumpkin seed. I grind it coarse in my blender. Doing it with he pulse setting. My blender is three decades old. I put a half a cup of the ground pumpkin seed in the FF bucket that goes to the adult flock and juvies. I put the same in the chick starter FF bowl. At least once a day. I've always fermented it. My chickens ignored fresh pumpkin and seed when it was offered last fall.
The chicks appetites are increasing. I'm going to have to start a larger double bucket system for them. I really don't measure. It's just part of the recipe. But I am going through more for sure. My flock has tripled in the last month. Thirty four chicks under three weeks old are getting a half a cup of pumpkin seed in the mash. About twenty adults and juvies are getting that in their FF pan every day. I feed the chicks three times a day. I feed the older flock once or twice a day depending if they are in the barn and runs all day for dirty weather or allowed to free range. Right now I'm using a cup of ground pumpkin seed a day for all ferments but this will increase in the next week as the chicks round the corner on a month old.

 

[Sally8]

OK all you Sizzle people. I have 8 eggs, 7 viable from a Sizzle hen and a BCM roo. What are my chances for a funny feathered chick?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks, Mumsy.

I also tried giving them fresh pumpkin and seeds last fall - and also later in the winter - and they just didn't have any interest. I had opened a few of the pumpkins I got and dried the seeds but I never tried giving them again until yesterday when I ground some up to put in their feed. It didn't ferment or soak - just put it in the trough w/the feed and stirred it in but I DID put it out the night before after they were on the roost as I was going to be getting up very early the next day. So I guess it "soaked" in the ff at least overnight.

Judging by the way they responded to the pumpkin and seeds in the fall I thought it might all be there when I got home but they seem to have eaten it!