The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[OohLaLa]

HELP Please My 8 assorted babies came in from My Pet Chicken today. Seven are happily acting like chicks drinking and eating, sleeping and pooping. One is not. My poor husband has been tending this baby all day as they came in while I was at work. My little baby keeps throwing her head back and flinging her legs straight out, she wants to flip o to her back. Per the advice of a rep at the supplier my sweetie has nested her up in a towel to keep her uptight, feeding her sugar water ever 30 minutes and has her safe from the others yet still under the edge of the heat lamp. Please if any one has any ideas my poor hubby is taking it hard, e is such a trooper.

 

[brandislee]

I got my egg basket at The Arc,,thrift shop...for $2. Same place I get my vintage Pyrex bowls, cast iron Dutch ovens and recently Descoware pots. When I need a specific kitchen item I go there first. I've started making sour dough bread and needed a tall heavy bowl, got a vintage bowl for $20 bucks, super pretty for sitting on the counter while the dough rises. My MIL and I try to go every other week at least.

I love the thrift shops, too- just got some awesome pyrex bowls there. The problem here is that the antique market is HUGE around here, so very little old stuff (or anything with much value) makes it to the thrift stores, so finding a pretty and/or antique egg basket was not gonna happen. What I found was about the same price as the one from the farm store but I'm much happier with it!

Well... been scrapping with this mother in the henhouse every night when I collect eggs. Every day I extract 3-4 eggs from under her and get hen pecked for my trouble. So.... last night I gots this brite idee. Instead of extracting eggs, I added some. Ol Biddy is now a settin on a dozen eggs. We will see if it lasts for 3 weeks. Now, for those of you that don't incubate. My egg boxes are elevated because I have hounds that like to share my eggs with me. Do I put her and the eggs in isolation now, before they hatch like this weekend or next weekend or wait til they hatch, or leave her to figure out how to get them to jump.... probably 3 feet off the ground?

That's an interesting question... I just moved one broody down to a ground level nest and am waiting for her to re-sit before I give her eggs. And as I was out there messing with that another hen looked like she might be going broody, so I think I'll just leave her there. Because I don't have a place to put her now anyway! She's in a low nest, maybe 12 inches off the floor, so it should be fine... as long as she stays on the right nest!

And now I have Moves Like Jagger in my head... thank you very much!

 

[Kassaundra]

HELP Please My 8 assorted babies came in from My Pet Chicken today. Seven are happily acting like chicks drinking and eating, sleeping and pooping. One is not. My poor husband has been tending this baby all day as they came in while I was at work. My little baby keeps throwing her head back and flinging her legs straight out, she wants to flip o to her back. Per the advice of a rep at the supplier my sweetie has nested her up in a towel to keep her uptight, feeding her sugar water ever 30 minutes and has her safe from the others yet still under the edge of the heat lamp. Please if any one has any ideas my poor hubby is taking it hard, e is such a trooper.

I am not a chicken sickness expert by any means but it sounds like wry neck could be a possibility, if it is it is a "B" vitamin deficiancy and needs liquid vitamins. There are several threads out there I have never had a chick / en w/ this but here is one thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/592825/chick-with-wry-neck-treated

Hope it helps

 

[delisha]

At what approximate age does everyone switch their chicks from chic food to all flock? The chicks I am getting are on chic food now with some all flock in it. They are all at least 4 weeks old now (I think)

I'd like to put them on all flock food and was thinking I could give them animal protein like livers, hearts etc to insure they get all the nutrients they need. This will be my first time with chicks this young.

When they start to lay.
I give them animal protein starting day one.

HELP Please My 8 assorted babies came in from My Pet Chicken today. Seven are happily acting like chicks drinking and eating, sleeping and pooping. One is not. My poor husband has been tending this baby all day as they came in while I was at work. My little baby keeps throwing her head back and flinging her legs straight out, she wants to flip o to her back. Per the advice of a rep at the supplier my sweetie has nested her up in a towel to keep her uptight, feeding her sugar water ever 30 minutes and has her safe from the others yet still under the edge of the heat lamp. Please if any one has any ideas my poor hubby is taking it hard, e is such a trooper.

I am sorry this has happened to you, it could be anything. Honestly in situation like this I cull the chick. Sorry. A mother hen would cull it.
1. you simply do not know what it is.
2. If you fix it could there be life long problems?
3. If it is wry neck it is a deficiency or injury. If it is a deficiency, it came from the mother/father so its genetic. Do you want that in your flock?

Quote: What every you decide to do ..it will be the right choice for you.

 

[OohLaLa]

Thank you all, I guess she was beyond help. My baby passed a few min ago.

 

[aoxa]

Windows all framed out now guys!

Think there is going to be lots of light or what?

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Welcome! and what a beautiful photo!! I hope my hens are doing as well at 7 years old!!

Wow! Beautiful Hen and so good to see she will leave you some like her. Hen says, "Hey I still got it baby!"

Just caught up on the last couple days, hilarious! And congrats on 9 years!

Here are a couple pics of my birds
The bantam cochin with her foster BC chicks:



My whoknowswhatbreedsheis hen




Twinkle toes who is a riot



and the 3 amigos who are about 11 weeks old now

Beautiful photos!

HELP Please My 8 assorted babies came in from My Pet Chicken today. Seven are happily acting like chicks drinking and eating, sleeping and pooping. One is not. My poor husband has been tending this baby all day as they came in while I was at work. My little baby keeps throwing her head back and flinging her legs straight out, she wants to flip o to her back. Per the advice of a rep at the supplier my sweetie has nested her up in a towel to keep her uptight, feeding her sugar water ever 30 minutes and has her safe from the others yet still under the edge of the heat lamp. Please if any one has any ideas my poor hubby is taking it hard, e is such a trooper.

Awww.... I think it is time to put it out of the misery.

Windows all framed out now guys!

Think there is going to be lots of light or what?

Congrats! I wish I could afford to do a barn like that!!!! I'm so excited for you though!

 

[Ashdoes]

So, I finally got the pics off my husbands phone...
The new duck stall

The ducks hiding in a corner, which they do anytime we go in the barn

Here's the newly changed chicken stall, which we like a lot more

We like having all the extra room in the stalls, instead of wasting space with the cabinet coop.

Oh, and look what my sweet husband bought me for our 13th anniversary!

I've been fawning over it anytime we go to the local Antique mall...isn't it beautiful!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I am soooo not trying to catch up. Been out of town on an overnight delivery route for work. Haven't done one of those in 3 years(we are short handed and I had to cover a vacation, get to do it again next week).

 

[armorfirelady]

At what approximate age does everyone switch their chicks from chic food to all flock? The chicks I am getting are on chic food now with some all flock in it. They are all at least 4 weeks old now (I think)


I'd like to put them on all flock food and was thinking I could give them animal protein like livers, hearts etc to insure they get all the nutrients they need. This will be my first time with chicks this young.

When they start to lay.
I give them animal protein starting day one.

Del u leave them on chic food till they start to lay?
They are currently getting chic food with all flock now, should I leave them on this combination till they start laying?
I am getting 2 BCMs, 1 EE & 1 BR so I'm guessing they will all start laying at different times according to their breeds. Plus one is a few weeks older to.

Loving all the coop pics......giving me great ideas for when I win the lottery

I wanted to share a couple pics fom today. Nothing fancy but they made me laugh

Now if we could just figure out how to get thru this door and get those mealy worms.......... (They were quite vocal here)

I won the chicken lottery !!! MINE,MINE,MINE,MINE.......