The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

"Child of Noah" quote:I like the "every couple days or when I remember" method... sounds like my style. If I remember correctly you are in NY too? Do you feed it all year, and if so do you have an issue with freezing? I really appreciate your input.

Yes I am in NY near Buffalo. We get wonderful frozen winters . When the temps are below freezing the FF bucket is in the house. My cover for the FF is one of those plastic trays you put under house plants to catch water. I even cut a small slit in it so the spoon can stay in the bucket & the handle fits thru the slit. The cover is mostly to keep the hens out & my dogs out when its in the house.

I feed FF year round. They have heated dog bowls for winter. I just use a plastic bowl in the heated dish. Makes for easy clean up.

 

[aoxa]

For those of you with flocks of 20 or more chickens that have free access to at least 1-2 acres or more:

Could you tell us:

-What kind of feed you give.

1. Number in your flock (if you don't know for sure, just as close an estimate as possible).
2. Do you have a livestock guardian with your flock?
3. What is the average number of birds that you lose to predation in a month's time (average over the number of mos. they can be outside). And - what type of predators do you deal with most often?
4. Is the property primarily open pasture, wooded, or mix?
5. The amount of property they range approximately (Stony estimated his use about 3 acres, for example.)
6. Compare the amount of feed you have to give them during a typical June or July vs. the amount of feed given in a typical January.




For those of you with any size flock that free range any size property:

Could you tell us:

-What kind of feed you give.

1. Number in your flock.
2. About how much area do they have to range?
3. How long do they get to range each day?
4. What is your experience with predation?
5. Is the property primarily open pasture, wooded, or mix?
6. Compare the amount of feed you have to give them during a typical June or July vs. the amount of feed given in a typical January.



Personally, I don't know if I can answer these questions myself as I haven't kept good records. But what I'd like to do is keep a record from here out - especially on feed - so I can get a more measured idea of feed needs, etc.

It would be extremely helpful to me - and I hope others here - to have this info from as many as possible in all of the varying situations (region of country, weather, land stats, etc.) as it would help for planning feed costs and getting a good idea of if I can reduce my feed input or if I'm at a pretty good level.


Anyone willing to join in and keep records to share with us all if you don't already know your usage? (This doesn't have to be "anal" just a general idea for comparison.)

And..those of you that do know, please share!

(And I'm thinking once all the info comes in it would be great to compile it all into a blog post to have all together in one place )

1. Number in your flock.
Right now 13, but prior - roughly 125-150 birds

2. About how much area do they have to range?
1 acre cleared, they mostly forage in the woods

3. How long do they get to range each day?
sun up to sun down

4. What is your experience with predation?
Only experienced one areal attack and FIL rushed out and bird took off. No birds lost

5. Is the property primarily open pasture, wooded, or mix?
Mainly wooded, but open pasture as well

6. Compare the amount of feed you have to give them during a typical June or July vs. the amount of feed given in a typical January.
Can't answer this yet. I free fed them until last October.

 

[stonykill]

Someone said why not get a roo, well because they can be dangerous.

driving can be dangerous, walking can be dangerous. Either can get you killed.Eating food from the grocery store can be dangerous. etc etc.

Year to year I can have 30 roosters come and go. In the last 10 years I have had only 2, yes only 2 roosters who attacked me. They were delicious. So were the gentle ones.

A rooster who attacks is dinner. Don't take 1 bad experience and assume that is the norm. As it is not.

Big picture............

 

[armorfirelady]

[COLOR=FF0000]For those of you with flocks of 20 or more chickens that have free access to at least 1-2 acres or more: [/COLOR]

Could you tell us:

-What kind of feed you give.

1.  Number in your flock (if you don't know for sure, just as close an estimate as possible).
2.  Do you have a livestock guardian with your flock?
3.  What is the average number of birds that you lose to predation in a month's time (average over the number of mos. they can be outside).  And - what type of predators do you deal with most often?
4.  Is the property primarily open pasture, wooded, or mix?
5.  The amount of property they range approximately (Stony estimated his use about 3 acres, for example.)
6.  Compare the amount of feed you have to give them during a typical June or July vs. the amount of feed given in a typical January.




[COLOR=006400]For those of you with any size flock that free range any size property:[/COLOR]

Could you tell us:

-What kind of feed you give.

1.  Number in your flock.
2.  About how much area do they have to range?
3.  How long do they get to range each day?
4.  What is your experience with predation? 
5.  Is the property primarily open pasture, wooded, or mix?
6.  Compare the amount of feed you have to give them during a typical June or July vs. the amount of feed given in a typical January.



Personally, I don't know if I can answer these questions myself as I haven't kept good records.  But what I'd like to do is keep a record from here out - especially on feed - so I can get a more measured idea of feed needs, etc. 

It would be extremely helpful to me - and I hope others here - to have this info from as many as possible in all of the varying situations (region of country, weather, land stats, etc.) as it would help for planning feed costs and getting a good idea of if I can reduce my feed input or if I'm at a pretty good level. 


[COLOR=800080]Anyone willing to join in and keep records to share with us all if you don't already know your usage?  (This doesn't have to be "anal" just a general idea for comparison.)[/COLOR]

And..those of you that do know, please share!

(And I'm thinking once all the info comes in it would be great to compile it all into a blog post to have all together in one place )

Great questions!! I obviously don't free range since I have netting up but it's so large that I have to mow the grass since they can't clear it.....not complaining tho

But I am still interested in the answers

 

[4Hgirl]

Today's progress!! Oh and had to add this. Really.. it kills me.. I was never a bunny person, but these guys are so stinking cute. They free range too with their parents. They can outrun all my dogs, who seem to think it's a game when they start running.. Anyway... So cute.

The barns looking great! The bunnies are sooooo cute!

 

[stonykill]

For those of you with flocks of 20 or more chickens that have free access to at least 1-2 acres or more:

For those of you with any size flock that free range any size property:

Could you tell us:

-What kind of feed you give.

1. Number in your flock.
2. About how much area do they have to range?
3. How long do they get to range each day?
4. What is your experience with predation?
5. Is the property primarily open pasture, wooded, or mix?
6. Compare the amount of feed you have to give them during a typical June or July vs. the amount of feed given in a typical January.

I guess I fit both
feed is cracked corn and layer pellets. This year the free range group including the chicks just get cracked corn in the morning. They eat some then free range and within 10 minutes of being left out. Later in the day some will return to clean up the rest.

1) somewhere around 100 not counting the 20 something new chicks already hatched this year. I'll overwinter probably 80 birds
2) as much as they want. They seem to stick to 3 to 4 acres
3) all day 7 days a week 365 a year
4) varies. I can go months on end without a predator. Spring is the worst with new litters being born. So far this year is really light predatation.
5) yes, all of the above
6) we don't have a typical January. But if they isn't any snow they still find things buried in leaves, mulch etc to eat. If there is snow I feed them a LOt more.

you certainly ask a lot of questions

 

[aoxa]

driving can be dangerous, walking can be dangerous. Either can get you killed.Eating food from the grocery store can be dangerous. etc etc.

Year to year I can have 30 roosters come and go. In the last 10 years I have had only 2, yes only 2 roosters who attacked me. They were delicious. So were the gentle ones.

A rooster who attacks is dinner. Don't take 1 bad experience and assume that is the norm. As it is not.

Big picture............

You have such a high percentage of gentle roosters because those two mean ones were culled. I do believe aggression is genetic. This is a perfect example of that.

It's only permissible if it is a broody who is doing the flogging.

 

[RedRidge]

Stony -
Do you let your birds (or at least your dogs) eat the predators that you shoot? Weasel, opossum, coon, ground hog...

I can tell you that if something dies or is killed here, we do not have an opportunity to dispose of it.
The maremma will dispose of it quickly... it is there instinct to eliminate an attractant, and a dead body is an attractant.

 

[RedRidge]

Got my HRIR 10 of them 4 and 5 months old. Drove to Orion IL. last night got 10 for 100 dollars. They are cull birds out of show stock crooked toes mostly I just wanted heritage and not hatchery and not for breeding just laying and fun.
Have not finished my barrel plucker yet. Do not have hose for the fingers and don't want to buy them it is just the principal of it not the money. Me and my wife work at a hose facility for Cat all of the hose in my plant has wire in it the ones from the wife's plant doesn't but can't get her to bring it home and I already talked to the plant manager and safety and environmental person they said ok. Wife is just being slow.
Well that's all for now Busy Busy Busy you know spring and summer and if you know me I do every body's chores so lots of work to be done. I do miss ya'll though.

This is really great... who did you get them from?
Do you know what line they are?

You will love your HRIR!

 

[4Hgirl]

I believe I read somewhere not to feed chickens bread. Anyone have a reason? We began feeding bread almost everyday last year when I learned they love it. We aren't a bread addicted family so most goes bad at my house. It makes me happy the chickens eat it. But am I hurting them?