The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[bobbi-j]

Yes! You are absolutely right! I will be erecting one or two of these myself with 4 mil plastic as well to get a bed of lettuce and a bed of pepper plants going earlier.

Will you be putting it out in your garden and planting directly into the ground? I have to wait for the ground to thaw first, but that could be something to think about. I was just thinking to use it for the little starter-trays... Maybe I could build two. One for direct-sowing, and one for starter trays. Oh, the possibilities! (Sorry, I know this is the chicken thread and not the gardening thread

... Back to our regularly scheduled chicken programming.)

 

[aoxa]

the hatch started on the 23rd. Similar weather. Mama does all of the work and provides all of the heat and care. All I did was make sure she only had a few eggs, this way she would be able to keep them warm. That was my only interference in her brooding. No heat in shed they and about 20 other Sumatra's call home. Born and raised total free range in with the entire free range flock. No fences, no heat... just mama hen

. A good broody is an impressive thing to watch. This is daughters 3rd brood oft the year. I see her being like her mother "Mama" and pretty much living to raise lil ones.

I just love my broodies. My best broody so far is a silkie. She is relentless with her attacks on anything that comes near. I've never seen chicks integrate so seamlessly as with her chicks. She is not a fro-froo silkie so much. She can see and ranges relatively well for a silkie. I got her in July and she's had 2 broods this fall. Previous owner states she broods like a mad woman. Probably why she's such a consistent layer @ 5-6 years old. She saves all her eggs while brooding

Though I really like watching my rocks with their bitties. They can handle so many of them.

-30C today. Merry CCCCCCChristmas everyone! Brrrr!

It was chilly here as well, but not that bad! Last Christmas was that bad. That was the morning I was late because my silkies had frosty crests and had to be blown dry

They never slept outside again!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I wrapped DH's present in the old incubator box and when he opened it he started laughing. He thought i got him a new incubator for Christmas. It gives me ideas for Fathersday.

I'm jealous that you and your spouse share the same love!! My fiance loves the birds, but is not like I am for enthusiasm, that's for sure. She likes the older birds much better than the chicks.

 

[aoxa]

Pictures..


The meat boys.. Received a stay of execution this weekend. We finally got a decent knife. Thing is sharp! I have a large gash in my finger to prove it.. Tested it on an orange and it went through like butter... right into my finger.

Hope this isn't morbid to post a picture of a bird due to be killed next weekend.. They are pretty big eh? I think we'll get decent meat off of them. They are HEAVY!


Call duck. Isn't she cute? I have a trio of these guys, and the girls are Sandy and Mandy.. Male is Randy.



Barred Easter Egger male. Born September 30th. So 12 weeks old. They've been on FF since they were 4 weeks old.


I'm really surprised how nice the barring is on this one. It's really crisp for only having one copy of the barring gene.


Janet the Partridge Cochin ready for bed. She's finished her molt, but I don't expect her to lay this winter without additional light (which I don't provide).


Eedie the EE swinging from the hay bale holder. The hay is for the geese (Timothy hay - Organic - found a new supplier that charges $2 a bale for organic hay! Friend of the family! Can't complain about that )


Eedie & Hoover. Hoover is one of my mixes. I don't keep many mixed girls around, but both of my mixes are great broodies.


Here's another shot of the meat boys. I have six of these guys to process next weekend. Really nervous, but decided for sure. They have begun to crow and it's only a matter of time before they are harassing my girls.


One of the few wanderers. They don't go further than 50 feet from the barn, except this rebel and her BFF (Koda - dog) lol


Our pathway to the barn is rough ice.. I bought grips for my boots.. It's very slippery.. A lot of running and falling poultry

My groupies


Spock


Roger & girls


Jaycie # 2

Can you tell we got to have too many names? The look-alikes are all named the same. All those red sex links are named Penny.


Anyone want to guess on what breeds Bonnie has in her? She lays light brown eggs. Goes broody. Tiny - shaped like a leghorn.


Sleepy call drake

and now for the 5 week old chicks.. The only birds fed FF from day 1. They are fully feathered at 5 weeks old, and are lively and BIG







So conclusion so far on gender ratio is 3 boys out of 9 in this group
3 out of 8 in the other group
6 boys out of 17 chicks in this hatch. That's if one of those NNs doesn't surprise me.. Usually they are easy to decipher. I am very happy with the results. These chicks were conceived when parents were fed a diet of FF. 35% male 65% female.

How do you like those apples?!


Happy Holidays everyone!!

Another storm warning is out for our area.. Great.. Break out the snowblower

Please don't quote this post. No need to have multiples of these pictures page after page.

 

[Maven]

My goodness, that was some catching up to do after being gone a few days!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!! Ours was strange because it was the first time in 34 years that I did not have one single one of my girls at home for Christmas - This is our first year in retirement and we just moved down here, about 4-5 hours away from them, so we didn't expect them at all, and I'm not sad about it, it just was a little weird.

One was just here a couple of weeks ago (my rooster pics with the g'son), one will be here Friday, and the other will be here in January sometime.

My MIL & SIL did drive down just to spend Christmas with us so that was a real treat - especially for the Mr. - SIL lives in in WVA so he doesn't get to see his sister very often.

We had our first snow today. heh. I have never seen anything so funny as those darn chickens trying to get from place to place without stepping in the snow.

Goofy birds!!

I am up to 5 eggs a day now - 3 EEs, 1 BO, and 1 RIR. They are starting to come on like gang-busters! I have 28 pullets and each day this week a new one has started laying so If this keeps up, the Mr. will have a 5 dozen egg box full to take to each of the girls when he goes north to see his mom in January.

Congratulations on all the new chicks - they are just adorable!! And

to the suggestion of using the cattle panel hoop house for a greenhouse!! I just showed that to the Mr. and I believe I'll have my long wanted greenhouse installed in time for the coming spring's bedding plants!! THANK YOU!!

aoxa, I hope you are feeling better now! I also hope that those with sick spouses and kids have them all on the mend - being sick during the holidays SUCKS!

melabella - My condolences on the loss of your cousin. I know it was not recent, but I also know your pain and sorrow can sometimes feel as fresh as if it happened just yesterday.

Leah's Mom, your daughter's blog is great - when I get caught up on everything else I'll try to remember to go and comment on it!

Great coop and chicken pictures, everyone! So much fun to see everyone's set ups!! I always get such great ideas from everyone here. I'll try to get some pictures of my coop up in the next few days!!

I know there are a million and one things I should comment on, but it is all a blur now after reading so much trying to catch up!!

Anyway - just wanted to say hello and wish everyone a Happy New Year before I get caught up in company again and don't get a chance to do so!!

 

[aoxa]

Maven, thanks for the well wishes! I was feeling better by Christmas Eve. Now I'm 100%!

 

[Maven]

Maven, thanks for the well wishes! I was feeling better by Christmas Eve. Now I'm 100%!

That's good to hear!!

 

[Maven]

Oh, I also wanted to say that for first year pullets, the eggs I am getting are the size of a fair medium to large store bought egg. And you just about need a hammer and chisel to get into them - the shells are amazing. There have been no soft shells, no missing shells, no funky shells, and no small eggs so far at all.

FF for the win!!!

ETA an example - in the picture below, the egg on the left is a store bought, "grade A extra large" egg. On the right is the FIRST egg on of my over-achieving EEs laid!

And she hasn't backed down any either - I'm getting one just like it from her every day. the dang things are about 3 inches long or so....

 

[Bulldogma]

I'm jealous that you and your spouse share the same love!! My fiance loves the birds, but is not like I am for enthusiasm, that's for sure. She likes the older birds much better than the chicks.

My spouse has informed me he's sick and tired of hearing about the chickens - LOL. That said, he has initiated the building of a few things like the nesting boxes and a new run. I wish he were actually interested in the chickens, but I'll take what I got.

Pictures..

Spock

And she hasn't backed down any either - I'm getting one just like it from her every day. the dang things are about 3 inches long or so....

Wow! Very nice egg!!

 

[jlynnet]

BDM, my husband tolerates the birds too! He's helpful but he's just not a real animal enthusiast! He builds great stuff for me though, so I suppose I'll keep him. We bought the girls flock blocks from the feed store. He decided since it's cold they should go inside. I tossed them out in the run today. He thinks the chickens will freeze to death! If the block is outside, then the chickens will go outside. It's in a covered area, so very little snow.

 

[aoxa]

My spouse has informed me he's sick and tired of hearing about the chickens - LOL. That said, he has initiated the building of a few things like the nesting boxes and a new run. I wish he were actually interested in the chickens, but I'll take what I got.

Wow! Very nice egg!!

The name Spock fits her, right? LOL. I thought she looked like Hitler as a chick. Though Hitler isn't a nice name at all

I've been told I talk chicken way too much I was in the hospital last year with a really bad case of Camplyobacter poisoning, and I was all drugged up and demanding I be quizzed on chickens. I got 100% and demanded a harder quiz. http://www.squidoo.com/The_Chicken_Quiz
They couldn't find any other quiz. Found it fun either way lol.