The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[kian]

I'm sure someone also answered this, but here's what I do and it works well to prevent reintegration issues later. I just let the hen stay on the nest- just make sure you MARK THE EGGS and pull non marked eggs daily, because other hens will get in there and lay eggs. And I mark my calender. Then, on hatch day, I have a wire front I can fit on the nest box and I put that on to keep other hens OUT and to keep the chicks from falling out. After 24 hours/all eggs hatched I move mother and baby to a seperated area inside the coop, where they're away from the others but can still see each other. This area has it's own small run, but within a week I start letting them in with the rest of the flock, but I watch closely to see how well the mother protects them from other hens (btw, if she does a poor job I wouldn't let her raise chicks again...). So far the two hens I've let hatch chicks have done a great job protecting their chicks from the other chickens. I did keep the chicks separate for a while after the mother stopped caring for them (they typically stop around 3-4 weeks) because the others were picking on them... I kept them in that same separate pen just until they got big enough to defend themselves.

That's a great idea! For this hatch I won't have to worry about marking the eggs, simply because I am getting blue and olive eggs and I do not have any blue or olive layers. Next time, I will. I like the idea of the separation after the hatch. Thank you!

 

[Mumsy]

Fermented Feed ingredients that I use. Del has listed much more in depth explanations of benefits to the additives. I just wanted to share with the new folks what I feed and a shorter reason why.

All Purpose Poultry Crumble
Game Bird Chow
Chick Starter/Grower

Three different buckets or bowls depending on needs for individual pens or brooders.

Whole Oats (One to two cups)
Wild Bird seed mix (half a cup)
Alfalfa Cubes (six to eight cubes) Extra greens, protein, and fiber.
Ground Pumpkin Seeds (one cup) Extra protein and preventative for worms. General good health.
(Winter addition) Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (handful) Added fat and for feather gloss and general good health.
(Winter addition) Scratch Cracked Corn and Wheat (one cup) Appetite stimulant.
Powdered Garlic (one to two tablespoons) Preventative for worms. General good health.
Fresh Crushed Garlic ( two to three cloves once or twice a week)
Powdered Cayenne (one to two tablespoons) Preventative for worms and microscopic parasites.
Whole Red Pepper seeds when available
Flaked Red Pepper when available
Dried Flake Oregano (one to two tablespoons) preventative for bacterial infections. General good health.
Fresh Oregano in season (shredded and blended into ff bucket)
Greek Yogurt ( half to one cup once or twice a week blended into FF bucket) Pro-biotic health. General good health.
Fresh Beef Liver minced and added then blended into FF feed pans (Liver or other raw meat when available to add animal protein and extra vitamins and minerals. General good health. I do not ferment meat. I add it to the ff already in the feed pan.
Luke warm water to cover.

Glug of unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar to begin ferment in a three gallon inner bucket added to water. Un-ACV to aid in pro-biotic health. Preventative for viral or bacterial infections.
My flock has grown from one cockerel six months ago to sixty birds as of this week.
I have lost two adult birds to disease or poisoning (unclear) that I purchased at a poultry show. I had one chick accidentally drown.
All the rest of my flock are healthy and thriving on my fermented feed recipe and management.

 

[jeepgirl13]

This thread is AMAZING! I absolutely love the fact these are tested and used by the people posting them.

Here is another thread you might like: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/729825/all-natural-herbal-remedies-and-recipes-for-chickens

 

[Bulldogma]

This thread is AMAZING! I absolutely love the fact these are tested and used by the people posting them.

 

[FridayYet]

Anyone sprout chia seeds for chickens? I have some in the cupboard and was going to give it a try if they are safe to use.

 

[armorfirelady]

...

One thing I forgot and a couple more question.s now that I've read the lasts posts.

I have read on here multiple times parsley is poisonous to chickens. Same for citrus. Is it one of those things where its poisonous in large amounts/frequent feedings?
/quote]

Well my hens have had oranges before and they had fresh parsley all winter and they are still here I didn't give them oranges every day but once a twice a week, the parsley they had every day for a couple months. My guys LOVE parsley. I plant on planting a lot of it in the garden for them. And if the 24 cloves of garlic I planted all grow.......well it should get me thru the winter

Planted onions and garlic today and potatoes a couple days ago. The girls were allowed Into the garden area today and doesn't it figure they wanted to dig in the freshly turned ground instead of the area with all the compost? Must of been because the worms were plentiful. Thank goodness my mom was here she kept shooing them out for me while I built the new gate so we have access to the pasture area. Climbing thru the pop door is getting old lol

Mumsy & Del thanks for the lists. As soon as I can get on a computer I am going to print them out for my chicken binder !!!!

 

[Mumsy]

Quote: I toss oranges and lemon scraps into the compost regularly and the flock ignore them. They will eat my parsley plants to the nubs if they are allowed. I also planted extra garlic this year and extra Oregano. I can't keep up with my flocks appetite for them. Right now the husband is digging around the raspberry row and I asked him to toss grass clods aside for the chick pens. One big clod per pen and there is now a loud symphony of happy chick noises sounding off.

 

[lalaland]

I just checked in with the woman I found on craigs list who is hatching eggs for me - she said she has only a 10% hatch success rate with swedish flower hens, and overall a 40% rate. I know the eggs are being shipped, but wow, doesn't that seem low?

Hens came through the molasses flush just fine. Because they were confined, I could examine the poops, and they were uniform, no problems. Everyone still alert, responsive.

I did bring one in for treatment, her bumblefoot was ready to work on. I should have taken pics - it was a peanut sized lump, all hard mass - soaked her in epsom salts, and just scraped off the bottom gunk and pried out the kernal. Swabbed the cavity, used nustock, and off she went.

Now, that sounds easy, doesn't it? But no! That kitten landed in the sink with the hen, and there was a commotion. I wasn't prepared, and the hen was pretty upset. Feathers everywhere but thank goodness I managed somehow to hang on to the hen who was trying to get airborne, and haul the kitten out of the sink. I learned that trying to pick up feathers with wet hands isn't the way to go.

 

[mikkles]

these clods of dirt...could someone explain? and we've had rain/ snow...would clods of MUD work?

 

[Pozees]

I just checked in with the woman I found on craigs list who is hatching eggs for me - she said she has only a 10% hatch success rate with swedish flower hens, and overall a 40% rate. I know the eggs are being shipped, but wow, doesn't that seem low?

Hens came through the molasses flush just fine. Because they were confined, I could examine the poops, and they were uniform, no problems. Everyone still alert, responsive.

I did bring one in for treatment, her bumblefoot was ready to work on. I should have taken pics - it was a peanut sized lump, all hard mass - soaked her in epsom salts, and just scraped off the bottom gunk and pried out the kernal. Swabbed the cavity, used nustock, and off she went.

Now, that sounds easy, doesn't it? But no! That kitten landed in the sink with the hen, and there was a commotion. I wasn't prepared, and the hen was pretty upset. Feathers everywhere but thank goodness I managed somehow to hang on to the hen who was trying to get airborne, and haul the kitten out of the sink. I learned that trying to pick up feathers with wet hands isn't the way to go.

Oh, where is a videographer when you need one?!

Glad it went well, when all the commotion subsided