The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Kacey's Krazee's]

Just had to jump in here real quick. It's been a long day, and heading off to bed. This morning while out with the chickens, feeding the FF, I checked on my broody, and was surprised with an early chick! They were due on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. They are all RIR mutts, or possilbe all RIR. This was not quite dry, and was going to be red.... can't wait to check her out tomorrow morning! Night all!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

In regards to the broody raising chicks, they can totally do it. I let mine set on 3 eggs, 2 of which hatched on Nov. 29th. I lost one chick to a small hawk a week ago and lost the broody to a large hawk on Friday. So the remaining orphan chick(boy, barred Blue Orp/Rock mix) is in the brooder with the Silkies until he feathers out, then he will go out to the tractor with a little heat lamp(75W) to keep warm enough. Then after a few weeks he will go into the main flock. He is already established but I have to keep him inside until he feathers out in a couple of weeks. He will hopefully replace my current rooster in a year as laying flock protector(Pig Pen, my Splash Orp rooster has a leg injury that has caused him to limp, not effective at protection). I have read through the posts on this thread and believe I am doing things as natural as possible. So I will try and keep up from this point forward.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Nope one of the OT's uses it as a top dressing for his hens. Not as an every day thing but a few times a week. My hens will be having some Christmas Day in fact

Also Mumsy just used it for her Johnny cakes, so i just bought bacon today so i can use it to make them for my flock. They loved the last J Cakes I made for them, even the ducks ate on it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just had to jump in here real quick. It's been a long day, and heading off to bed. This morning while out with the chickens, feeding the FF, I checked on my broody, and was surprised with an early chick! They were due on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. They are all RIR mutts, or possilbe all RIR. This was not quite dry, and was going to be red.... can't wait to check her out tomorrow morning! Night all!

So exciting, Congrats... of course you know pics have to come with news like that...

 

[stonykill]

I see my broody has some egg shells out from under her this morning

 

[jlynnet]

Stonykill that's very cool! Christmas babies are popping up all over.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I see my broody has some egg shells out from under her this morning

Congrats!!

 

[Bulldogma]

Wow, everyone - congrats on all the Christmas chicks! When you all get a chance, we require pictures!!

 

[Mumsy]

anyone think bacon fat has too much salt to dress the feed with for chickens?

I cook with bacon maybe once a month. I pour off the fat and mix it with seeds and grain. As a once in a while additive to my Johnny Cakes, no worries. I wouldn't give it to them every day however. Not just because of the salt, but because a steady diet of fat in the feed will add fat to the bird. And too much fat on the bird makes me think of those two hens Bee butchered and posted images of the Gnarly Bunch. An overly fat chicken is not a good thing. I think pouring bacon drippings over feed once in a while won't hurt anything.

 

[Kacey's Krazee's]

Went out to check on the new Momma, and found 10 or 11 new chicks so far this morning. I think 2 eggs left to go. She had 13 under her. I pulled out the egg shells, and found one egg trying to pip, but an empty shell had glued itself to the other egg. I chipped part of that one off, and slightly separated the pipped egg, and saw the chick was still breathing, so pushed it back under Momma, found another still hooked to the shell, just recently out, so that also went back under her. I have slightly hampered her in the size of nesting box she is using. I have a milk crate, for laying only, but she choose to use that for brooding. Later today, or when the eggs are hatched out, I am going to put her and the babies into another nest, where the chicks can get out, otherwise they won't be able to get out of the crate. My other choice is to just put it on it's side, but space will still be limited. I will follow up with pictures later today, or tomorrow when I am repositioning them. My first look today was a baby butt hanging out under Moms neck, all snuggled up to her.... sooo cute!