The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I agre female comb is to light for roo at 13 weeks.

Here are some PRIR pictures at 14 weeks






All above are girls







Last one is one of BDM's boys. I can't get the image larger..

The above are all boys.

You can do some comparison based on those pictures.

 

[cywiar merch]

mealworms are lower in fat than corn..it is a great source of meat protein and releases little pollutants. If you grow your own, it is less expensive than fish meal. Higher meat proteins and lower grain proteins makes happy chickens.


Mealworms

Per 100g (basic nutritional content):



Fat 27.2%
Protein 49.6%
Carbohydrates 6.9 grams
Calories: 471 calories
Fibre: 3.1%
Calcium: 420 ppm



Corn
100g

Calories
606

Carbohydrate

497

Fat
65.8


Protein
42.7


Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5687/2#ixzz2Uc6ruVKk

thanks for clarifying my mis information. definitely worth looking into growing them. I keep reading that corn is a good grain for feeding in the evening especially in the winter as it is "hot". Is there any truth in this?

 

[Shan30]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/les-farms-the-barn-of-all-barns
Whoops thanks for that edit!! 

This is amazing Justine!

Will there be individual runs off the breeding pens?
(sorry if I missed that somewhere)

I wonder if your crew would be willing to fly across the country to work for really good food and beer not to mention free eggs!! Yeah probably not.

We are tearing down our shop and building a barn in it's place. Which is taking forever with just the two of us. The bears definitely slowed things down too.

I don't know if you have already thought of it but we are going to install an interconnected FA system between the barn and the house so if one alarm is triggered, they all sound.

 

[BlueMouse]

looking at pictures has been what is making me crazy. seems like in comb development and color Bossy falls between a cockerel and a pullet. Could totally go either way. that's why I've been trying to figure out alternate sexing. No crowing yet. Don't expect to see eggs from that age group until July. Definitely trying to not get attached. Of course Bossy is the one that likes to cuddle with my DH....

He keeps coming and and telling me "You know, I really think it's a pullet." Sort of all hopeful like.

 

[aoxa]

This is amazing Justine!

Will there be individual runs off the breeding pens?
(sorry if I missed that somewhere)

I wonder if your crew would be willing to fly across the country to work for really good food and beer not to mention free eggs!! Yeah probably not.

We are tearing down our shop and building a barn in it's place. Which is taking forever with just the two of us. The bears definitely slowed things down too.

I don't know if you have already thought of it but we are going to install an interconnected FA system between the barn and the house so if one alarm is triggered, they all sound.

Yes we have thought about the FA system between buildings. I still have more research to do on it though. Not sure where to get one, and the cost.

Yes there will be individual runs off the breeding pens, though we will be the ones responsible for building them. Can't be that hard... right? RIGHT? lol

I accidentally left a NN hen out all night two nights ago.. She was roosting on my watching chair that morning, soaked. We are SO lucky that we have such a low predation rate here. Bears? Very very rare. I'm so sorry you are having all that devastation from them.

I work for food.

 

[loanwizard]

On a more somber note- Keep an eye out for poisons around your house. A couple day ago I was building the pallet feeder and knocked over a bottle of tanning bed cleaner.... I figured it was soap and didn't worry too much about it.

Carla came to me today and said I needed to look at one of the cats. We have tons of barn cats, none named, and several house cats. This was an unnamed little girl. She had gotten into it and apparently it was caustic. she had tried to lick it off of herself. She could hardly walk and part of her tongue was gone.

My guns are at the lot. About guns- Buckshot is better than slugs.

 

[midnightroo]

On a more somber note- Keep an eye out for poisons around your house. A couple day ago I was building the pallet feeder and knocked over a bottle of tanning bed cleaner.... I figured it was soap and didn't worry too much about it.

Carla came to me today and said I needed to look at one of the cats. We have tons of barn cats, none named, and several house cats. This was an unnamed little girl. She had gotten into it and apparently it was caustic. she had tried to lick it off of herself. She could hardly walk and part of her tongue was gone.

My guns are at the lot. About guns- Buckshot is better than slugs.

Sorry to hear that. That is why I hate having certain things around the house. Even borax scares me.

 

[Bulldogma]

looking at pictures has been what is making me crazy. seems like in comb development and color Bossy falls between a cockerel and a pullet. Could totally go either way. that's why I've been trying to figure out alternate sexing. No crowing yet. Don't expect to see eggs from that age group until July. Definitely trying to not get attached. Of course Bossy is the one that likes to cuddle with my DH....

He keeps coming and and telling me "You know, I really think it's a pullet." Sort of all hopeful like.

Welllll.... So what I've noticed is that my Production Red girls have smaller combs/wattles, but my Heritage RIR girls have really big combs/wattles for pullets.

Breeder believes this H/RIR is a pullet (about 14 weeks of age).




This is a PR pullet of the same age:


That said, I have 2 known H/RIR boys and one known H/RIR girl... and one we call "Question Mark," because it's comb/wattles are slightly larger than the girl pictured on the top, but the tail looks like hers and not like the boys which are already longer and more "boyish."

Lincoln (Boy):


Question Mark (?):

 

[Shan30]

Yes we have thought about the FA system between buildings. I still have more research to do on it though. Not sure where to get one, and the cost. Yes there will be individual runs off the breeding pens, though we will be the ones responsible for building them. Can't be that hard... right? RIGHT? lol I accidentally left a NN hen out all night two nights ago.. She was roosting on my watching chair that morning, soaked. We are SO lucky that we have such a low predation rate here. Bears? Very very rare. I'm so sorry you are having all that devastation from them. I work for food.

Hahaha! You should have seen how early our roofer was showing up after the first breakfast he had with us. It's funny how we get used to the predators in our areas. Before this I never had any fear of bears, cougars and wolves, they mostly keep to themselves. Now poisonous spiders and snakes that actualy grow bigger than 2 feet long are absolutely terrifying! For the FA system, I haven't priced it out yet either but I work for an electrical/mechanical/development company so will buy it at contractor rate when the time comes. I read an old post from Bee yesterday that stated that there isn't actually a need to treat a coop for scaly leg mites and another that said that the entire life cycle is spent on the leg. Does anyone know if this is accurate? I hate these critters!

 

[stonykill]

2 of the 3 getting a snack with Mama