The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I'll quote a friend of mine who raises 300 chickens a year and refuses to feed cracked corn, only whole corn. " If a chick is too stupid to choke on a piece of corn it was too stupid to live". Yes he said that when he had a FB chicken page.

I would be more concerned why a 3 week old chick is that frail. I have hd a few broody's by choice and sometimes not release their young at 3.5 weeks old and the chicks did just fine on their own and thrived.

Out of hundred upon hundreds of chicks I have had 2 or 3 drown.

It makes it worse if you allow them near ducks. My ducks actually pulled in a layer and drowned it in the pool... and continued to play with it and try to eat it.

I've only lost two to drowning. Both caused by the ducks.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: Around here in the midwest I would call grand rental first then the local paint stores (there are a bunch) given a half day of price shopping I would ask grand rental to price match or the paint store for a discount on paint if I rent their sprayer. Another option is house painters. But I'm thinking they would just want to do the job. You might be surprised by how cheap they are. With school being out for the summer you could make a 14 yr old boy or girl very happy by paying them the sprayer rental to brush and roll the paint on too. Either way you save your back.

 

[stonykill]

It makes it worse if you allow them near ducks. My ducks actually pulled in a layer and drowned it in the pool... and continued to play with it and try to eat it.

I've only lost two to drowning. Both caused by the ducks.

interesting. I have chickens who hang with the ducks all day long. Never had that happen in all of these years

 

[BlueMouse]

sometimes if you have a friend who's a contractor they're willing to lend one to you, and teach you how to use it... that's how we got ours, a buddy of my father's.

My rooster is wandering around the yard, and I'm pretty sure he's looking for Mrs. Henny Penny, who we're pretty sure the fox got. Which just makes me feel worse about the whole thing. I'm attached to the layers darn it

and we ony got one chick out of this last hatch. My broody seems to have that chick well in hand, so at least I don't have to worry about that. I have four of mrs Henny Penny's eggs in the fridge. I'm considering throwing them into the incubator and seeing if we can get any to develop.

Now we have to figure out how to get rid of this fox. It makes it more complicated that he's taking hens in broad daylight, because I can't just keep an eye on the coop with my shotgun close to hand. Evidently they're pretty much impossible to trap. DH has seen him more times than I have, and says he follows a very predictable path up and down from the creek. I think we may try setting the game cam out to see when he passes then sit out with a gun at a likely time. DH will do that. He's a much better shot than I am.

 

[aoxa]

interesting. I have chickens who hang with the ducks all day long. Never had that happen in all of these years

I had evil ducks. Evil call ducks who were evil.

 

[stonykill]

new broody born chicks. Mama is on the floor with at least calling them down the 3 foot height. I'll only interfere is the lil ones can't figure out how to get off the tote.

 

[BlueMouse]

so adorable! I love your pics Stony.

For those with broody mamas, what are my chances of getting my broody to accept a couple more chicks to go with her lone hatchling? Mama is out in the coop today. I probably am overly cautious with her, but I shut the pop door, opened the door to the shed so the chickens can get into the other half of the shed, but not the hen house where she is with her chick (if they want to get out of the rain.) Since the fox took my only layer yesterday no one needs to get into the nest boxes. This way her and the baby have free range of the coop and acess to plenty of food and water. I think tomorrow I'll just open the door and see what Mrs. Bennet wants to do with her chick. I'm sure she knows better than I do.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My SLW is doing great. I'm watching her walk around and she is no longer limping. I'll do bandage changes for a couple days, till I'm happy with her healing and then I'll leave her be.
Prior to the "surgery" I watched a couple YouTube videos. That was a mistake. The first one I came up on was gruesome, they cut way around the scab which seemed unnecessary. I did like the video that used the biopsy punch, it seemed the easiest, cleanest way to do it. Although I'd prefer not to have anymore bumblefoot, at least I know how to deal with it now.

I agree...the biopsy punch was the best. I actually used one on mine and got some extras to put in the first aid kit (which I hope I don't get to use!). I had tried just "popping" it out first but hers didn't work that way.

sometimes if you have a friend who's a contractor they're willing to lend one to you, and teach you how to use it... that's how we got ours, a buddy of my father's.

My rooster is wandering around the yard, and I'm pretty sure he's looking for Mrs. Henny Penny, who we're pretty sure the fox got. Which just makes me feel worse about the whole thing. I'm attached to the layers darn it

and we ony got one chick out of this last hatch. My broody seems to have that chick well in hand, so at least I don't have to worry about that. I have four of mrs Henny Penny's eggs in the fridge. I'm considering throwing them into the incubator and seeing if we can get any to develop.

Now we have to figure out how to get rid of this fox. It makes it more complicated that he's taking hens in broad daylight, because I can't just keep an eye on the coop with my shotgun close to hand. Evidently they're pretty much impossible to trap. DH has seen him more times than I have, and says he follows a very predictable path up and down from the creek. I think we may try setting the game cam out to see when he passes then sit out with a gun at a likely time. DH will do that. He's a much better shot than I am.

I work at a paint place - independent. (The owners have about 7 companies I get to work for). Anyhow, the old fashioned paint stores rent the big sprayers. Where I work rents them.

For those with broody mamas, what are my chances of getting my broody to accept a couple more chicks to go with her lone hatchling? Mama is out in the coop today. I probably am overly cautious with her, but I shut the pop door, opened the door to the shed so the chickens can get into the other half of the shed, but not the hen house where she is with her chick (if they want to get out of the rain.) Since the fox took my only layer yesterday no one needs to get into the nest boxes. This way her and the baby have free range of the coop and acess to plenty of food and water. I think tomorrow I'll just open the door and see what Mrs. Bennet wants to do with her chick. I'm sure she knows better than I do.

I only had one hatch under my winter broody. Got 3 more chicks from a gal about 1.5 hours south of me that had eggs hatching from the same source I did. Put them under her at night and stayed out (in the dark) to observe about 45 min. It was dark so no action. Then I got up about an hour before dawn and went out and just sat and observed until there was enough light that they got up. My plan was that if I saw any indication that she wasn't going to accept them I'd nab them and brood indoors. She took them and raised them as her own with no problem.

I've heard the opposite too.

I didn't want there to be just one lone chick ... I feel they need peers.

 

[starlingdaly]

so adorable! I love your pics Stony. 

For those with broody mamas, what are my chances of getting my broody to accept a couple more chicks to go with her lone hatchling? Mama is out in the coop today. I probably am overly cautious with her, but I shut the pop door, opened the door to the shed so the chickens can get into the other half of the shed, but not the hen house where she is with her chick (if they want to get out of the rain.) Since the fox took my only layer yesterday no one needs to get into the nest boxes. This way her and the baby have free range of the coop and acess to plenty of food and water. I think tomorrow I'll just open the door and see what Mrs. Bennet wants to do with her chick. I'm sure she knows better than I do. 

I was able to get a broody hen to accept several chicks after stuffing a very young one under her one night. She only accepted chicks that looked similar to the first one, though. That might just be her personality.

 

[aoxa]

new broody born chicks. Mama is on the floor with at least calling them down the 3 foot height. I'll only interfere is the lil ones can't figure out how to get off the tote.

Is this where she hatched them?