The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

klan, it is such fun to see and hear about your mama hen.

I'm so excited because after spending a week thinking the chick hatching lady dropped out of sight....and exploring where else I could get chicks of breeds that I wanted....she emailed me and the eggs are all in the incubator, lock down on 5/21.

I can't wait.

It has been about 3 years since I've had chicks, and there are some things I am doing differently this time around:
1. sod in the brooder
2. ff or wet feed at the least
3. brooder in the coop, not in the house for even one day (hoorah)
4. brooder at eye level instead of down (this is a very cool thing especially as I'm getting older)

and....my bathtub in the house is a stock tank. So brooding before was in the tub, and every time I wanted to bathe I would have to transfer the chicks to a kennel, pick up the newspaper/litter, etc, rinse the tub, - So I am especially looking forward to brooding in the coop.

It actually snowed yesterday. melted on contact with the ground, but, it was a bit depressing. It will be below freezing again tonight.

I'm excited for you!!

There are a few rules:

1. Take pictures
2. Take more pictures

That's it. Otherwise it never happened

That bathtub thing sounds like it was a drag!

I am SO loving my ecoglows. Like head over heels loving it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

4. brooder at eye level instead of down (this is a very cool thing especially as I'm getting older)

Can I ask you, Mumsy, Del, Bulldogma and anyone else that broods in raised pens:

How does that change things when its time to integrate the babies w/the rest of the flock?

Here is what I'm thinking and why this is a question.
I have this thought that if I don't have a broody, I'd divide off an area in the hen house for the babies and they would be at floor level with everyone at eye level. The older ones could always see the younger ones. Then at some point, I'd remove the divider but leave some kind of barrier that the olders couldn't get through but the little ones could. That would be their refuge so that when it was open between the 2, they'd still be where they always had been, but would be able to venture out and in at will until everyone was working well together.

Now I'd love to have new ones brooding higher to save the back as you are saying! But when I think of trying to integrate them, I'm at a loss as to how to accomplish that.

So do you all have an intermediary area - like moving them down to the floor but still divided off - so it's a 3 stage thing?

 

[Leahs Mom]

And another for BDM - how many SFH do you now have?

 

[lalaland]

well, my plan is this: brood on the shelf in the new end of the coop. When they are too big for the brooder, I'll move them down into the floor area. I cut a window at floor level between the current coop and the newer area - chickenwire to keep them safe and separate, but this way each flock will be able to see each other.

eventually the brooder shelf will be a roost area until they are all in one place.

I still haven't worked out the kinks for a separate run...I hate the burden of catching and transporting chicks to the run area, but I don't have a good option at this point. The run is always just a chicken wire fence to keep them visible but safe from the big girls. About a week or two before integrating, I start throwing feed and treats at the fence so they are eating right next to each other . And on integration weekend, I am incredibly generous with treats, as that is the best distraction I've found.

 

[lalaland]

You can see why I've used it as a brooder

 

[Ashdoes]

You can see why I've used it as a brooder

Love that!

 

[aoxa]

Love that!

x2!

 

[kristigal8]

I have had this very thing happen to one of my girls this last week. She was limping, tail feathers down and was unable to get on even a low roost. We locked her in tight so no one could get her. She is one of my older girls so the others did not mess with her. A few days later she was able to get on the low roost and the tail feathers came up a little. One prob, tho. she was not able to get around well and her poop built up on her behind, so I gave her a bath in a wheelbarrow of warm rain water from the day before. Never saw anything so funny as when she was looking upside down between her legs at her bottom cuz her feathers were wet. She did drop a couple of eggs on the ground this last week because she could not get into the nest. Today, she is limping a little still but able to function much better. She prob just sprained her ankle and needed time to recover. We have alot of predators so our house is a lock down facility now. Leaving her on the bottom in some hay was not a safety hazard.

 

[BlueMouse]

You can see why I've used it as a brooder

That's amazing. What a clever idea! Love it!

I put a "training roost" in with the guineas today. They were convinced it was a snake and huddled in the corner with all their long skinny necks sticking up like a miniature forest for an hour, just STARING at it. Then one got bold and sat on it, now I'm lying on the couch, watching them fight for space on it. They are the the most ridiculous birds ever. I love how how they're just going along, looking like a normal (ish) bird, and all the sudden it's like "tada, the amazing extend-o-neck." They still try to eat each other's feet too. One is like: "Look, a Pink Worm, I grabs it!" then the other one is all like "Ow ow ow owwie, that's my toe" and trying to yank it away....

Aoxa, I'm loving your pictures as usual. Henry is getting so big and so handsome!

 

[delisha]

Del's hubby...

lol


I cleaned off 110 bricks today. These were free! I have about 10,000 to go! That cutie pie is my DH

Quote: Love the tub!

I have never had Guineas...They sound like fun.

We are having crappy weather too. Been freezing at night and I brought the chicks in the house. GRRRR

This was actually cleaned for pictures. The phone rang and by the time I was off the phone this is what it looked like..sheesh
A batch of Silver laced Wyandotties..I love the Eco-Glo too I need two of the large ones next year. The chicks love them.