The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[jockeyeba]

I do have tree coverage, I was thinking that I might need to run some filament between the trees high up for "just in case". I also have many hiding spots for them from pallets and turned over plastic dog house halves. Their run is completely covered for when they're locked up at night, all hardware cloth. After seeing the owls and hawks around here, I have been pretty paranoid. They do run and hide very well though. I guess you can only do so much. I have the 12 raised garden beds, I've been gardening many years now...so it was time for chickens. I put the 2 to 3 foot chicken wire around each bed with poultry netting on top to keep them out of my veggies. The chicks love to chase each other through the maze of garden beds, it is really fun to watch them. The pvc between the beds is to bring the drip hose between the beds without losing water. The chicks love to come to any area where one of the hoses links, they get so excited. Here is the back chicken door to my recycled metal shed coop. My setup is not too pretty, but it is functional.

..and here are my chicks, they are 11 weeks now and they're enjoying some leftovers in the pic. I have more day old chicks coming in a couple of days.

Love the raised bed setup & all your shade

 

[jockeyeba]

[

Question: I brought home a week old RIR from the feed store hoping my AG hen ,with 1 W- 2 1/2 week old chick, would accept it NO So I tried to give it to my BLRW pullet that has 2 - 1 week old chicks but she won't take it either, my question is if I take the 3 chicks from their mothers

Question:  Did you put the chick under either of them at night in the dark? 

(If not, I'd try again at night.  But I'd also stay out there for awhile to be sure she doesn't do anything for the first hour or so.  Then I'd be up before daybreak sitting in there watching to see what happens.  If the new kid gets their smell on it overnight that may do the job.  But maybe you already did that!)

I kicked out the AG hen & put the RIR in with her 1 W chick...I'm still deciding if I'm going to take the BLRW pullets 2 chicks from her & put them in with the other 2

 

[BlueMouse]

Aoxa, I love your setup. As per freezing waterers, we've been doing a lot of research on that subject, since we have a lot of cold weather here (although not for such a long season as you!) We're in the negative numbers (frequently the negative teens.) every night for several months. What we have read is that if you keep the water warmed in the resevoir, AND circulating through the pipe (so a heating element as for an aquarium or a bird bath, and a pond pump or something.) the nipple waterers will not freeze during the winter. So, this might be something to consider with your setup? Just throwing out ideas!

 

[jockeyeba]

my 1st Wellie eggs! She started laying at 6 1/2 months last Thursday. They seem small, will they be bigger after she's been laying a few weeks?

 

[Bulldogma]

my 1st Wellie eggs! She started laying at 6 1/2 months last Thursday. They seem small, will they be bigger after she's been laying a few weeks?

Beautiful!!!!!!!

 

[NanaLynn]

Love the raised bed setup & all your shade

thanks!

my 1st Wellie eggs! She started laying at 6 1/2 months last Thursday. They seem small, will they be bigger after she's been laying a few weeks?

oooh, nice so jealous, I still have a long wait!

 

[Leahs Mom]

my 1st Wellie eggs! She started laying at 6 1/2 months last Thursday. They seem small, will they be bigger after she's been laying a few weeks?

Ya know, I was looking for a non-hatchery source for Welsumers awhile back and then got bitten by the SFH bug! At the same time I got my sfh eggs, I got some BCM eggs and not one of them hatched. My main objective was the dark eggs - just to add to the "party in the box" I have in the egg carton. I kind-of forgot that the wellies have the dark eggs too.

Where did you get yours? Are these your first? Refresh my memory - do they have feathered legs (I don't remember!!!)

I'll be looking forward to hearing your experience with them!

 

[jockeyeba]

my 1st Wellie eggs! She started laying at 6 1/2 months last Thursday. They seem small, will they be bigger after she's been laying a few weeks?

Ya know, I was looking for a non-hatchery source for Welsumers awhile back and then got bitten by the SFH bug! At the same time I got my sfh eggs, I got some BCM eggs and not one of them hatched. My main objective was the dark eggs - just to add to the "party in the box" I have in the egg carton. I kind-of forgot that the wellies have the dark eggs too. Where did you get yours? Are these your first? Refresh my memory - do they have feathered legs (I don't remember!!!) I'll be looking forward to hearing your experience with them!

Not a new pic but I got the Orp & the Wellie from Melissa Rose when we needed "friends" for the only surviviing Speckled Sussex from our failed Bator try I'll take a new pic tomorrow

 

[bluebirdnanny]

I have a baby face but am young. A few times people have said Susan looks like my mother, but she is only a little over a year older than me. Boy does she get mad when they say that. It's happened 3 times in 2 years that someone said that.


Yes I think it's dust unless there is discharge from the nose.

Mine are very sensitive to dust, and my shavings are very dusty this time around. Once outside, they are fine. I definitely prefer the more coarse shavings compared to these tiny morsels...

Haha. Haven't seen a photo of anyone named susan. Is that Bulldogmom? I cleaned out the screened porch/feed area of coop and sprinkled some pine shavings in there over the pieced of vinyl I put down after bedding got wet in last rain. The back part I just cut a hole and covered it with piece of wood (clean out ... dirty bedding down the hole to underneath for now) then the rest of the straw I had covered with some more shavings. They did go in easy for me me this afternoon. Sat out all day on this brick or that watching them free range. They discovered the leaves at woods edge today!!! Worked back toward coop as it got dim..... sprinkled. So... the sesame seeds on steps up to coop porch and dish set inside was easy. Bossy was actually the FIRST one in today! So got to the dump... and now they are eating under the roof of the enclosed porch to the coop! Good thing as my headache is dictating an early bed for me.

Since I have done alot of talking about my girls I thought I would share a picture that I took yesterday...The white one on the 2nd step is Olive...she is my absolute fav. right now...so friendly and sweet.

Is your second step down (redish hen) bald? One of mine still looks like that. They are all so cute!

I do have tree coverage, I was thinking that I might need to run some filament between the trees high up for "just in case". I also have many hiding spots for them from pallets and turned over plastic dog house halves. Their run is completely covered for when they're locked up at night, all hardware cloth. After seeing the owls and hawks around here, I have been pretty paranoid. They do run and hide very well though. I guess you can only do so much.



I have the 12 raised garden beds, I've been gardening many years now...so it was time for chickens. I put the 2 to 3 foot chicken wire around each bed with poultry netting on top to keep them out of my veggies. The chicks love to chase each other through the maze of garden beds, it is really fun to watch them.

The pvc between the beds is to bring the drip hose between the beds without losing water. The chicks love to come to any area where one of the hoses links, they get so excited.



Here is the back chicken door to my recycled metal shed coop. My setup is not too pretty, but it is functional.

..and here are my chicks, they are 11 weeks now and they're enjoying some leftovers in the pic. I have more day old chicks coming in a couple of days.

Very nice photos of those chickens!!!

If the chickens just "happen" to get into the cat's raw meat it can't be helped. Right?

Righty O! LOL That is what I was going to say in Fall.... "Mr DNR I am not feeding/baiting deer.... my chickens free range, so I guess they missed a few grains"

Ya know, I was looking for a non-hatchery source for Welsumers awhile back and then got bitten by the SFH bug! At the same time I got my sfh eggs, I got some BCM eggs and not one of them hatched. My main objective was the dark eggs - just to add to the "party in the box" I have in the egg carton. I kind-of forgot that the wellies have the dark eggs too.

Where did you get yours? Are these your first? Refresh my memory - do they have feathered legs (I don't remember!!!)

I'll be looking forward to hearing your experience with them!

 

[kian]

Justine, appreciate the baby face!!


I just wanted to post some random cuteness. For now, the dog is still bigger than the chicks!



Made a good facebook cover photo too