The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I haven't posted this weekend, but I've kept in the loop.

Camille, the ducks look like they are doing well, and the chicks have grown!

Peeps - I had an Eastern wild hen that would strut all over the place. She tried to intimidate the roosters. Silly girl

Love all the pictures! It was BEAUTIFUL out this weekend, and we've been soaking up the sun. I know a few of you follow our Facebook page, so sorry for the double post of pictures, but I love to share here as well



Here is Henry and I enjoying Saturday. It was a little chilly Saturday, but today was tank top weather (for a Canadian anyway!


My parents bought a new tractor and we ended up with their hand-me-downs. I love it! Going to really come in handy..


Lucy


One of the 5 baby bunnies @ 2 weeks


Margaret showing off her stump.


Doc Holiday



Lydia

and a chicken hug!

 

[aoxa]

Also thought you guys would appreciate this one I came across today...

 

[cywiar merch]

The eves under the roof line on each side are not flush with the side walls. I used hardware wire sealing the walls to the rafters and roof for venting and security.

So sorry Ooh Lala. I did not see this before posting my other post about ventilation. that's what happens when I dont read all the posts before replying.. Sorry !!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I use leaves, straw, wood chips, hay. I stir it every few days and add fresh once a week. It has a loamy/dirt smell. You can also use citrus peelings, eucaliptus oil, to help with mites and lice. this video will help

Good video - thanks!

Del - have you ever removed all the litter from the run like they are showing (the run, I mean, not the hen house)?

So far I've been very fortunate that we haven't gotten any lice or mites but I see a lot more wild birds hanging around this year than I did last year.

I like the idea of PREVENTION if possible so I still use the herbs in the nest boxes as a preventive. I also just purchased some essential oils: orange, lavendar and peppermint. I put some in the crevices where the roosts attach to the edges (where little critters would hide). I just used droppers when I did it. I didn't use the eucalyptus but I think I could add it!

You have to know that THIS MIX SMELLS WONDERFUL!

So I'm trying to figure out a good way to mix a concoction of the oils that I would spray like that in edges of the roosts and edges of the nest boxes on occasion. I noticed that in the video they mixed their oils in water, but I was thinking that having a oil base would be better as far as "suffocating" any eggs/bugs so I'm looking for a oil base of some kind to mix these into. Maybe sweet almond? Olive?

Any suggestions on what you'd use as a carrier oil?

Got a bottle that is supposed to spray oils http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=84567

 

[Bulldogma]

Aoxa - Amazing photos as always. LOVE the one of you and Henry!!!!!!!

Thats a great idea!! I was planning on moving the coop and run closer to the house but was worried about the smell and look once it became dirt agian...this should help with the smell and look. We have a lot of trees that have fallen in our woods and my dh wanted to chip them all up this year so that will be just the thing to use.
When my dh built my coop he tried to use what we had around the house....its about the diameter of a quarter give or take....they seem to like it...nobody has ever fallen off. I thought I would try the shavings because of otheres say you can stir them up and use them for deep litter and that it had good benefits for your chickens. I just wonder if you can achieve the same thing with hay instead of the shavings...the first year we had chickens i just kept adding hay to the coop and didnt clean it out for a year. The second year i do the same but I have cleaned it more often...As far as the neem oil i could coat the inside of the coop with it couldnt I to keep mites/lice away. I wonder how often I would need to do that...

That sounds a bit narrow. Your chickens will do best with a branch or piece of wood at least 3"- 4" across. Better for their feet and they can cover their toes with their bodies in cold weather. Take a peek at this for some more information.

 

[jlynnet]

Recently I put 6 week olds out with my older hens. We had some spare deck rails that we used to make an escape area with in the inside and in the outside run. We put food and water in their area incase they had trouble getting out. We also put cardboard up along the sides, so the older ones couldn't get in. This has worked out great. The little ones are learning who to stay away from and run if anyone goes after them. When they get let out for the day, the little ones explore the run and venture outside a little bit. The 5 really stick together too.

 

[lalaland]

jineyt, could you do a pic of the way you are using the deck railing to provide a safe spot for the young ones?

Justine, I'm so glad you posted here in addition to fb. You looked very cozy in the hammock with Henry!

I'm excited because my neighbor helped move my old small coop (4x8) up to the chicken run. I"m going to use it for a garden shed, getting all those shovels and garden stuff out of the trailer coop will help make room. I've changed my mind 3x's today about the plan...

 

[BlueMouse]

Well.... We took the Bantam Cochin and EE out to do supervised interaction with the 8-10 week old kids today. Bossy the brat bird was chasing them around the garden pecking them whenever they stopped. So my DH tossed bossy the brat bird out with the adult flock. She did fine. Mary was picking on them too. Now, Mary is 10 or 11 weeks old, she is plenty big enough to run with the adults, but she was spending all her time hiding from my BO hen. Well, DH told her she could tough it out with the adults if she wanted to peck the little people too, so OUT she went.

After that all was peaceful in the teenager area. Except, the Bantam Cochin can pop RIGHT through the fencing

So she'd bop through the fence to pick at some yummy weed, and then the poor little EE would run back and forth along the fence peeping forlornly until the cochin came back through the fence. The cochin seems smart enough to go back through the fence whenever the adults come around, and doesn't stray far from her EE buddy. Anywhoo, it went much better than I thought it would. I'm pleased. I'll keep putting them out together during the days for a few days, then move the cochin and EE out to the coop at night. I have the younger ones separated in a dog crate at night now, I think I may take that out and put some old fence panels that I have in to make a "hidey hole" from the adults. I can put seperate feed for the kids there too. Working the kinks out of my system.... so glad to have the good advice on this thread to fall back on.

My DH also made me this!

and look! I got my fruit trees in the ground! as well as two roses and a mystery shrub. The chickens helped me dig the holes "Hi, we get in this hole now, ok? You were digging here? surely you jest." They were very excited about all the worms I turned up.


I'm going to underplant the trees with herbs, carrots, and lettuces. All in all a good days work!

 

[Leahs Mom]

My DH also made me this!

!

It's just crazy some of the shenanigans that go on with the chickens! Reminds me of a bunch of Jr. High kids (or the ladies that work too close together in an office

)

How are your kiddos doing with the new cup waterers? Are they learning to use them okay?

 

[stonykill]

As far as butchering with out blood..there are ways to do that for a quick death. My grandmother used the body weight of the bird. She grabbed the head and twisted her wrist, literally swinging the birds body weight. It snapped the neck of the bird.

that is killing without blood. Can't butcher without blood.

on occasion I have used that method. But then I bleed them out anyway to butcher. Some young roosters scream when hung upside down. This upsets the flock. So I use this method on them.