The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[FridayYet]

I picked up my 3 Cream Legbars today - Now I'm official

Thanks to everyone who answered my ACV question; they are drinking it just fine (although kicking shavings in it repeatedly!)

Took them out for 1/2 hour today. SO cute watching one try to dustbathe in the damp dirt. It's 85 out today, so perfect weather. By the way, the fencing was to keep the dogs away, not the chicks in.

 

[aoxa]

No...not them....IT WAS MY SPELLING ERROR

Most hatcheries actually do spell it with an i in the name.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/araucanas_americanas.html

 

[kian]

I have an idea that I would use if I didn't have a place separated by a door. I was going to purchase the plastic poultry netting

http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...-plastic-poultry-netting/p-1750924-c-5772.htm

and tack it to the roof of the hen house and let it hang down like a curtain to divide off an area. This could be stapled on one wall and if it's not wide enough, 2 or more pieces could be hung vertically side x side and zip tied. You could put a brick or some other weight on it at the floor that would keep the others from getting in.

For you to get in, you just lift it up and walk under. When you're just starting to integrate them, you could roll it up or down depending on if you want to have the separated or integrated until you want to remove it altogether.

I like this idea! Thank you!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

hugs for the sick possibly poisoned birds. It boggles my mind that someone would poison a backyard flock.

 

[cywiar merch]

They are Easter Eggers Their leg colour and feather colours give it away. And they were from a hatchery or feed store, right? So definitely Easter Egger!

Yes, I think it wason this site that I read that hatcheries do not sell ameraucans Only Easter Eggers.

 

[kian]

Yeah you can get some that at first glance really look like Ameraucanas. But then when you know what they should look like or the features they need to fit into the SOP, then you know. I have the same thing here. Two white EEs that were supposed to be Ameraucanas. But one has green legs so.... EEs!

 

[aoxa]

Yeah you can get some that at first glance really look like Ameraucanas. But then when you know what they should look like or the features they need to fit into the SOP, then you know. I have the same thing here. Two white EEs that were supposed to be Ameraucanas. But one has green legs so.... EEs!

On top of fitting into the standard, they have to breed true 50% of the time! To have pure Ameraucanas without seeking out a real breeder is next to impossible.

I have two bantam Ameraucanas and I won't seek out pure stock again. I will be getting plenty of EEs in May though. 15 on order.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Here are a few links I found about mice & hens. I by no means know if this is what is wrong with your hens but just trying to see if I could get more info for you

http://www.adiveter.com/ftp/articles/articulo1549.pdf
http://www.poultryscience.org/ps/paperpdfs/05/p0581308.pdf

Is it possible that they got into something in the coop? My guys have eaten rotten squash/pumpkins that were sitting out all winter and have had no ill effects. The only other thing I could think of was if the rotten pieces had some sort of mold on them that the hens ingested that made them ill? I threw in the compost bin that the hens cant get into the pumpkins/etc that had mold on it. But I am guessing that there is always some kind of mold in any compost pile?

Sending

your way that no more hens become ill

 

[lalaland]

Thanks all.
I talked to a farm vet, who asked me about hay. He said in our area, there has been a big problem with hay - he asked if it was dusty or moldy (I think hay is ALWAYS dusty) - said it was causing sick cows, etc. I did put in a new bale of hay when I cleaned out the coop, I think maybe two weeks ago - trying to remember.
So tomorrow I am picking up some different hay and will clean out the coop. Should be a trick with the flock in the coop at the same time, locked up for the molasses flush. They always freak when I spread a layer of new hay out.

funny, because i had an idea in my mind that the hay might be a problem - but I was thinking because it had a lot of long flat green grass and I was worried about impacted crops or gizzards.

Not sure what the labs will cost, but it will probably be worth it - either to know what the problem is and hopefully be able to remove it/mitigate it, or to set my mind at ease that it is just bizarre coincidence. THe vet said it would be $35 for a necropsy and extra for each lab test.

hugs for the sick possibly poisoned birds. It boggles my mind that someone would poison a backyard flock.

Just to set your mind at ease, Sally, thinking poison, like botulism, or moldy asper whatever its called, or accidental poisoning like if they got into rodent poison or something - not that someone would purposefully poison them. And I live in a bit of an isolated area, and usually can tell from tracks on my driveway if someone has been here that I don't know about. usually turns out to be the ups or fedex guy.

I don't have rodent posion because I've always worried about the chickens, or critters eating poisoned mice.

Keeping my fingers crossed everyone left stays healthy. I'm pretty nervous though.

 

[lalaland]

armorlady,
thanks for the links, I'm going to check them out.

I know it is possible, but not likely that they can get sick from some types of bacteria in rotting vegetation. My chickens for years have been scrounging in the compost heap without a problem. doesn't mean it didn't happen this time...