The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

I found this article very interesting, about farms using oil of oregano instead of antibiotics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/s...antibiotic-substitute.html?src=me&ref=general
I've always heard not to use essential oils in chickens but now I'm curious about other oils as well.
Thoughts?

I think it's so fascinating that after Melabella posted the link this morning, I shared it on the blog! Great stuff, and thank you for sharing it again!

 

[pigeonguy]

On using for chickens....I believe Mumsy stated that she was putting an electric wire around the base to begin with.

Now...if it were me, I think I'd end up putting a layer of hardware cloth over the cattle panels that could be attached with zip ties or something similar. Just my thoughts on the matter!

I must have missed the electric fence part. Not one of those solar powered ones but the good old fashioned weed cutter. One of the neighbors bought a solar power electric fencer a nice one self contained solar panel paid 4 hundred and something I don't remember exact. I can grab it and hold on for about 5 zaps. I'm not saying it is easy or that I'm not crazy but a weed cutter that will knock you on your can and then some. Next year I am going to hook one up to some chicken wire on the outside of my run and see what happens.

 

[Mumsy]

Originally Posted by Leahs Mom


Questions for ALL FREE RANGERS - No Matter How Much Acreage You Have

1. How long have you free ranged?

Since forever I've had chickens.

2. Describe your free-range area and practices.

Half acre divided into separately fenced gardens and orchards.

3. How is that different in spring, summer, fall, winter?

In the winter they have more access to all gardens. In the Spring and Summer the potager garden with raspberry patch and blue berry patch are off limits. The hedge/shrubbery borders all gardens and they can forage in it year round. The hedge/shrubbery is densly planted with native plants and trees, shrubs, and vines. Loaded with nuts, berries, and seeds. Great protection from birds of prey and food stuffs available year round.

4. Do you use a guardian dog or any other guard animal?

No.

5. With or without guard animal - what has your experience been with predators? What about hawks?

The worst predators of all time were the family dogs I kept when the children were home. I lost entire flocks during those harsh years. I stopped raising chickens until the dogs died of old age and the chidren grew up and left home.
Second worst predators were hawks and a Great Horned owl. I see eagles cruise over head every day but have not lost a chicken to them yet. I used to lose a lot of bantam call ducks and purebred bantam heritage breeds years ago. I now keep my small flock in covered pens or the barn or coop at night. I don't let my bantams free range. They have separate breeding pens, covered paddocks, and runs. I do have plans to cover the potager garden with netting next year and will put the bantams out there if it works out.

 

[armorfirelady]

Can I ask a question to get the run down from newbies and OTs alike?

Give me a walk through on your morning, and nightly routine.

• How much time does it take you to complete each task?
• Do you have shortcuts to make chores go by quicker?
• How much more time does it take you in the winter VS the summer?

In the morning I let the dogs out, put FF In a bowl & head out 15 ft to the coop. I open the pop door to the girls talking, take out bowl from previous day, put new bowl in heated dog dish, check the water & close main door. No one usually lays before 8 am. If I'm working days that day pop door is opened at 630 when still dark out now. In the afternoon I usually take out some fresh veggies either after work or before I work at 3. That's when I check for eggs as well. To if I am home during the day I check several times but just because I like to go out and watch some chicken tv . At night all I do is close the door & count heads (or my mom does if I am working). Once a week I toss the DL maybe. Usually once a week they get scratch thrown in so they can do the work.

Even if I toss the DL it never takes me more than 20 minutes tops but normally about 10 min total for the day to do chicken chores. If its longer its cuz I'm out just watching them. They stalk me every time they hear a door open.......I introduced them to meal worms....... More like chicken crack

 

[Shan30]

Hello everyone!

I have lurked the entire Gnarley Bunch thread and now this one and have found myself in a new situation in need of some advice.

We got our first snowfall about 2 weeks ago which is just now melting. Very unusual for here as we do not usually get cold until January.

The girls have not stepped foot outside until yesterday and my DH has been taking care of them as I have a nasty case of bronchitis.

When I finally went out yesterday I knew right away something was off. I picked up on particularly pale looking hen and started examining her....yuck lice!!!!

I'm guessing the sudden close proximity from all of them staying inside (25 in total) allowed such a fast infestation.

Anyways I cleaned the coop from top to bottom and lines the floor an nest boxes with ash and DE. I was going to bath each hen in it too but buy that point my DH was telling me to get my crazy self inside and I was outta steam. I tossed the rest of the ash/DE mix in a box and am praying they give themselves baths. Think it's will work?

I am comfortable using DE inside the coop as I do not do DL. We live in a super wet environment. Basically rarely stops raining from September through May. I have tried deep litter a few times with a few different ingredients and it's just too wet here. Even adding fresh dry material daily, it's mucky and not healthy. The air itself is just wet.

They get UPACV and fresh garlic in the water a few times a week.

Also wondering if FF will work in the cold coop temps. It's doesn't freeze in there but it's not warm.

If I'm feeling better in the next few days I promise to drag myself out there and catch and dust everyone of these ladies.

Any ideas would be great.

 

[aoxa]

Questions for ALL FREE RANGERS - No Matter How Much Acreage You Have

1. How long have you free ranged?
2. Describe your free-range area and practices.
3. How is that different in spring, summer, fall, winter?
4. Do you use a guardian dog or any other guard animal?
5. With or without guard animal - what has your experience been with predators? What about hawks?

We're having a test day aren't we?

1. Since the get-go
2. I'll show you as BDM did. Great idea on the aerial shot Leigh!


Here is our property. Frank is our neighbour. The one who loves our rooster Gigi. Yeah a few stray to his yard. I do have a fence along the trees there to deter them, but they can go around (and a few do). The neighbours to the right are quite a ways away. A doctor owns some of the woodland, but he has given us permission to use as much as we want - because he has a couple hundred acres and no building on the property (it burned down). You can see the barn there. The little white patches must be snow, because I have no idea what else they would be. The red circle is the areas they roam. I've seen the turkeys on the road, but none of the chickens get that far. That road is terrible. Very fast drivers and many, many dead pets.

3. Only different in winter, as they don't travel far at all. I guess in the spring I don't allow free ranging (or won't) as I need to keep my breeds pure. Come May they are all set loose to range together.

4.I have an LGD (great Pyr x Maremma) pup who is 10 months old. Work in progress, but she'll do.

5. Never had an issue other than one little instance of a goshawk attack. Didn't lose any birds. Even when I didn't have Clem, no issues.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

On the topic of Natural Chicken keeping:

Would you all be willing to name the top 5 (or more) things that you do (or want to do) that have been the most valuable to you in raising chickens naturally? Have you changed things to go more natural? What makes you want to go the more natural route? What tips do you have for others along those lines? If you're willing, let us know how long you've had chickens - from mere months to decades.

The top 5 things I do to raise them more naturally:
1. Fermented feed. I don't know if it is more natural, but it is a beneficial element to their condition
2. Deep litter in the coop.
3. UP ACV in their water/garlic for worm prevention
4. culling for health and production
5. (should have been higher on the list) Free range on pasture from dawn to dusk.

Things I am going to do, in the future:
1. Turn off the coop light- I have 7 pullets just about to POL and I am not going to mess with the lighting before they begin. When Nature gives us 14 hours a day of light, I will be turning off the light for good.
2. Adding only heritage bred BAs in the future. The cost on the front end will more than make up for itself in being healthier for the long run. They will also be producing other heritage bred chicks, thus being a sustainable flock for my future.

I like a more natural approach to husbandry because it seems to produce a healthier flock and is considerably healthier when it comes time to eat their eggs and meat.
As an adult, I have had a flock of chickens since May of 2010.

The best tips I have ever gotten about keeping chickens naturally have been:
Watch them. If you know them, you will know what's wrong (and right)
Let them be chickens. No heat, no outfits, no coming in the house. I never did these things, but I did worry endlessly about them and question myself constantly. Now, I feed and observe and leave them be.

Great questions, Leah'sMom!

 

[aoxa]

Hello everyone!
I have lurked the entire Gnarley Bunch thread and now this one and have found myself in a new situation in need of some advice.

We got our first snowfall about 2 weeks ago which is just now melting. Very unusual for here as we do not usually get cold until January.
The girls have not stepped foot outside until yesterday and my DH has been taking care of them as I have a nasty case of bronchitis.
When I finally went out yesterday I knew right away something was off. I picked up on particularly pale looking hen and started examining her....yuck lice!!!!
I'm guessing the sudden close proximity from all of them staying inside (25 in total) allowed such a fast infestation.
Anyways I cleaned the coop from top to bottom and lines the floor an nest boxes with ash and DE. I was going to bath each hen in it too but buy that point my DH was telling me to get my crazy self inside and I was outta steam. I tossed the rest of the ash/DE mix in a box and am praying they give themselves baths. Think it's will work?
I am comfortable using DE inside the coop as I do not do DL. We live in a super wet environment. Basically rarely stops raining from September through May. I have tried deep litter a few times with a few different ingredients and it's just too wet here. Even adding fresh dry material daily, it's mucky and not healthy. The air itself is just wet.
They get UPACV and fresh garlic in the water a few times a week.
Also wondering if FF will work in the cold coop temps. It's doesn't freeze in there but it's not warm.
If I'm feeling better in the next few days I promise to drag myself out there and catch and dust everyone of these ladies.
Any ideas would be great.

Most smart birds will self dust. Some won't. I would definitely dust that pale one though with wood ash.

Lice is much better than mites if you ask me. Wood ash will get rid of those buggers easily.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

WOW!!! My internet went down just before Christmas and I am just now catching up!!! I do hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas....
having just skimmed through gazillions of pages that were posted, it's now time to go back and re-read some good things! The blogs are great!!!
One thing I learned this Christmas is that chickens LOVE turkey...little canibals!

 

[aoxa]

Since everyone answered my chore question.. Here is my break down.

(PS love the answer about snoozing the alarm, as I do that as well!)

1. Wake up with alarm at 6:15 am
2. Mumble to fiance to snooze.
3. Lay in bed half awake. Snooze one more time.
4. Get out of bed at 6:30. Feed chicks in basement and fill water for them.
5. I get dressed somewhere along the lines, and it's 6:45 by the time I head down to the barn (with many layers of clothes this winter).
6. Flick on lights in both parts of the barn. Yawn. Get Clementine's backpack on her and praise her for being a good guard dog. Curse under my breath at her for playing in the stacked hay, which is now all over the floor. Get Clem's leash on, take her out to the kennel. Pet her again. Close kennel and get her water.
7. Slide open door to chicken area. Say goodmorning.
8. Check food. Hoping none was left from night before - and scraping out any frozen bits if there is. I take the frozen stuff outside and stomp it into crumbs. They will eat the frozen FF as well, but not from the feeder.
9. Go back into barn and run bucket of water for the rubber tub I use during the winter. Fill that up outside.
10. Put my 2 bucket system of FF on the dolly (YES! Best idea ever!) strap it down with a bungee cord on either side. Wheel it out to the chicken area and try to avoid chicken groupies trying to trip me along the way. I dish this into the two gutter troughs in the barn. They are all over it at this point. I also fill up a heated bowl of FF for the silkies (yes heated. silkies are special). Check on the silkies' water. Usually full. They hardly drink at all. Remove any debris in there.
11. wheel the dolly back into the barn. Feed turkeys and one lonely bantam rooster (who is in with the turkeys) their morning FF.
12. Start a new bucket of FF and put it at the back of the line (3 more ahead of it). Stir the other 3. Add water as needed.
13. Say good day to the sheep. They usually don't need any attention in the morning. I don't really have time at this point it's around 7:15am
14. Fill up the brooder chicks' food and check their water.
15. Take a scoop full of scratch and shake it under all roosts. Tell the girls to get to work (they turn my DL for me!)
16. Trudge back up to the house. Peel off my barn clothes/boots.
17. Pretty much run to the car and curse myself for snoozing the alarm that second time.

When I get home I do it all over again pretty much. Add in the egg collecting and an added amount of time for taking a seat and watching everything (if it's not extremely cold). I spend a good 20 minutes with the sheep at night.. They love a head scratch, and it's become mandatory.

Oh and I have about 175 birds counting chicks.