The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[bbsnooks]

A few thoughts on being a new chicken keeper. I think there's great advise on this thread. If I didn't, I wouldn't be reading it. I value the advise given. That said, I'm new to chickens, but I'm not new to keeping animals. I think everyone who's new to something will make mistakes. Even when they have great mentors. Most likely, those mentors learned by making some of those same mistakes and we get to learn from that experience. But in the end, we still have to make our own decsisions. I hope everyone realizes, when advise isn't followed, it's not disrespect. All my rambling is to say, I followed my gut feeling about my sick chick and, this time, it was a good outcome.

Well said.. this is such a treat to have a good communication..

Im wondering about country girl and the grouchy neighbor...

- i think taking the higher road.. may lead to better neighbors..
I've overcome .. a poor start up with my neighbor's..
and tho .. I didnt have to .. mabe shouldnt have had to.. be the one who brought steps to mend .. it was worth it.
-- some folks really just want to grouch.. at some one..
maybe with a bit of time to cool off.. and
offer some ? eggs.. ? <when/ if laying> as peace offering.. and ask him.. if this is really all there is.. < with a stoic nod.. >
-- not that you need to fix his problems.. just listen
-- some may come around.. ( some wont )
if he just "needed" to let off steam and your're the one who got it.. there's a chance.. to turn it around.. and I do not see this as a sign of weakness -


so .. am i nuts.. < .. ok dont answer that.. grin!>

---- day 2 of chicks.. <real big grin>

edit.. oh.. i see you've tried the above.. -- then.. let him be miserable being a grouch.. and dont let it bother you.. just smile.. and be thankful.. your not as miserable as him.. good luck..

 

[Leahs Mom]

A few thoughts on being a new chicken keeper. I think there's great advise on this thread. If I didn't, I wouldn't be reading it. I value the advise given. That said, I'm new to chickens, but I'm not new to keeping animals. I think everyone who's new to something will make mistakes. Even when they have great mentors. Most likely, those mentors learned by making some of those same mistakes and we get to learn from that experience. But in the end, we still have to make our own decsisions. I hope everyone realizes, when advise isn't followed, it's not disrespect. All my rambling is to say, I followed my gut feeling about my sick chick and, this time, it was a good outcome.

I was ready to put him down and decided to wait until after work. But at lunch time, I thought he might feel better if I gave him a little food/water. So I pulled up some liquid off the FF and used an eye dropper to drizzle it down his throat. After work, he was much perkier. I decided to try feeding him again. I mixed up a concoction of a few things and after a minute, he was opening his beak for the liquid. I gave him a friend for company. My tiniest yellow chick, who I always think looks a bit rough. He gets trampled a lot. Then I rounded up some mud dobber nests and got some larva. Those two chicks were grabbing them out of my hands before I could put them down. I gave them a bowl of dry chick start and both are eating and drinking. Little sick chick has a full crop this morning! He's running around like a normal chick. Unfortunately, little yellow chick has turned out to be mean as a snake and attacks me as soon as I open the door. He'll be an early freezer camper, I'm sure. I got to use someone's (can't remember who's) advise on early roo training. Yeller is hanging back now, rather than charging and pecking.

So keep that good advise coming, but please forgive me for being a bleeding heart chicken newbie.

I'm glad you posted that! I also listen, decipher, think on it, and try to figure out what makes the best sense. There is always that one thing that can't happen over the internet - observing the situation in person.

I'm with you...I don't have years of experience and I do respect the input I get ON THIS THREAD in particular. But sometimes I've waited a little longer, done a little more research, thought it out, and then followed the "gut" with good results.

And...I'm glad you're keeping us up on how it's going. In the end, it may be the best thing you've done ... or not! But it helps us all to hear either way!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Help your neighbor gain perspective by providing him with a little desensitization therapy:
1. Put up a flyer at your local high school inviting teen bands to come practice at your place.
2. Put an ad on Craig's List renting out space for folks to keep (and work on) their project cars and motorcycles. Offer lower prices to those without mufflers or that have "pipes."
3. Start a donkey rescue and then toss food for the coyotes around the fence line a few times a night.
4. Have a load of uncut firewood dropped off at your place, and fire up that chainsaw!
5. Keep your yard mowed... every evening!

Well....sounds like SOMEbody is feeling better today (!)

 

[jockeyeba]

Help your neighbor gain perspective by providing him with a little desensitization therapy:
1. Put up a flyer at your local high school inviting teen bands to come practice at your place.
2. Put an ad on Craig's List renting out space for folks to keep (and work on) their project cars and motorcycles. Offer lower prices to those without mufflers or that have "pipes."
3. Start a donkey rescue and then toss food for the coyotes around the fence line a few times a night.
4. Have a load of uncut firewood dropped off at your place, and fire up that chainsaw!
5. Keep your yard mowed... every evening!

Well....sounds like SOMEbody is feeling better today (!) 

 

[Leahs Mom]

Jockey!!! We haven't seen you in awhile unless I missed it!!!

 

[jockeyeba]

Jockey!!! We haven't seen you in awhile unless I missed it!!! 

I'm so behind on chicken posts We have 15 lambs now & we're big Spurs basketball fans never miss a game....& unfortunately a facebooker, although I haven't been keeping up there either & we have a garden to keep up with too

 

[Eggcessive]

My neighbor lives about a block away, and she says she loves to hear my roosters crow. I just have 3 right now--2 big boys in separate coops with their harems (1 guy only has 2 hens) and 1banty who keeps out of the main rooster's way. His name is Sarge and he is a little mille fleur d'uccle who has a few banty girls. The silkie that went missing 3 days ago was 1 of his girls. He does put the moves on some of the bigger girls occasionally, but they usually just run him off. No one is afraid of Sarge.

 

[Leahs Mom]

J - have you ever had any "hair sheep"?

 

[motherochickens]

Here is our rain water set-up. I'm in Washington - so we get a lot of rain and I use this for my garden too - so we are always emptying and refilling. Its set-up next to the garage and then a hose runs all the way to the barn. Not sure how long the hose is ... but it's not short. Water is very clean and we have a screen on the opening to keep bugs and gunk out.

 

[Sally8]

I'm sorry about the grouchy neighbor. Having a good neighbor is being a good neighbor. Our neighbors like to smother us. They do absolutely nothing. Both retired. They sit on the front porch all day. I come home from work, wave on my way by. they wave. I pull in my driveway, the phone is ringing, It's them and they say, "Whatcha doin?" We built a screened in back porch. They did. Built a flower bed. They did. You walk in their house, it looks like mine. This same woman went into my burning house to rescue my animals. One of my cat's wasn't breathing and she gave him mouth to mouth and revived him. She took in my 9 cats, with her 9 and kept them 2 months until we rebuilt. She told us that they don't mind the chickens roaming over in their backyard as both our yards are huge and connect. I keep them in eggs as a compensation, sort of. They both say over and over that they don't mind. BUT.......
With that being said, her DH will shoot at my flock with an air gun and say that it doesn't hurt them. He's a little sneaky. The chickens like to weed their flower beds ridding it of any mulch to dust. Most of the flock stays in the fence, a few don't and if it continues and is a problem, then it's freezer camp. My porch sometimes is nasty, Wrinkles doesn't crow just in the morning. I'm trying to control what I can before it is an issue. I won't get rid of my chickens but I'll try to keep things peaceable.
I hope things work our for you. It takes work being a neighbor and if one side doesn't want to then you know why the house was for sale when you bought it. lol