The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aaggjg]

I have been away on business and am way behind!!! But I had to share the news that Spook my lavender Catdance silkie finally laid her first egg!!! At 1 year 2-3 weeks old!!yeah spook!

 

[Ashdoes]

How are the ducks now? I'm sure they are outside now and not making such a huge fart smelling mess? My one and only duck above is 3 weeks here. Makes a huge mess of the pen, so I've been letting them out to free range. Henry got a hold of a chick and nearly killed it (playing) yesterday. I guess he didn't hurt it any, but it was completely drenched in slobber and it played dead for a second until Susan put it back in the pen. No puncture wounds, no broken bones. Just smelly like wet dog and probably with a wounded ego. It is completely fine. Henry got a stern punishment and is not allowed around the chicks outside right now. He ignores the big chickens.. these chicks seem more fun to him. Something we will have to really work on.

The ducks! Such pigs. They're happy most days to just hang out in the pond, but we recently planted a tree and now they're playing in the trees water hole. Making me crazy. We've been thinking about giving them away. They're very different from chickens. I have the room for them, but it doesn't feel like a great match. I wish I could have the quacking, waddling cuteness without the pigness. The poor chickens have figured out they need to eat as fast as possible, because the ducks are on it quick. I have a broody issue. My Cochin girl gets up sometimes, which would be fine, if the little space head got back on the right nest. Twice now she's gone to the wrong nest, I guess she just sees eggs and gets excited. Should we pen her up with the eggs? And, how long sitting on my eating eggs will make them bad? Also, how long off the eggs is too long?

 

[loanwizard]

This made me really LOL.

I would. I hate beer. The beer we have we use to pay men who come to help out. Seems like their favourite form of payment.

Not quite.... probably 2nd..... Truth is, I rarely even drink... but it seemed like the right thing to say at the time.

 

[Ashdoes]

Not quite.... probably 2nd....

LMAO

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I don't have time to catch up, just wanted to pop in and say hi and I am still around. Crazy work schedule has me switching between days and nights a week at a time. UGH

 

[uglychickens]

I don't have time to catch up, just wanted to pop in and say hi and I am still around. Crazy work schedule has me switching between days and nights a week at a time. UGH

That bites! My DH has to do that too... Your body just can't adjust!

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: 'Cull! Cull! Cull!' --- Jokes, I only say that when a rooster has attacked someone. Regarding your hen, or any hen with an unknown problem, 'cull' is often a mistaken choice in my opinion, because if one animal shows symptoms the chances are at least some others have it, and until you know what it is, culling is like sweeping dirt under the carpet and turning a blind eye... Doesn't make it go away. I would always rather know, and strive to find a cure. It can be diet or inherited inability to utilize the complete nutrition, it can be she's toxified herself by eating something stupid, it can be genetics, etc, so culling isn't going to find the answer or help in future.

If her sister/hatchmate died mysteriously... To me that sounds genetic but the problem itself that is causing the egg production failure could be any of many issues, even a virus. Casportpony linked to some viruses that can cause that in some other thread... I'll see if I can find it. Aha!:

Quote: If you go to post number 26, she gives links to a few sites (I think it's several anyway) detailing some causes of bad eggs. But of course all the treatments stated are for chemicals.

I know my hens lay flat sided eggs with thin spots when they are harbouring a paralysis tick. The ticks can't cope with the garlic too well either, I've had literally three chickens get ticks on them out of hundreds raised within a few metres of (and daily freeranging in) a forest absolutely swarming with the paralysis ticks. They seem naturally quite strong against the tick's effects. None have died yet.

(My dingo mix was bred and born in that forest, so he's completely immune; he gets ticks but THEY die, not him, lol! I suspect his blood responds with an anti- anti-clotting reaction to the tick's anti-clotting enzymes. Those pups gallop around covered in a minimum of 50 adult female paralysis ticks each, completely immune, so I think that would make him valuable as a stud dog as the immunity is passed on to most pups in each litter).

 

[uglychickens]

Good question here guys and gals: we have really hard water (no chlorine or fluoride added to it) anywho my water heater started to leak and we had to clean it out of the deposits from the water to fix the leak. There is a lot of this stuff and I was wondering sense it's calcium and limestone, would it be ok to put in my compost? My chickens regularly eat from that compost pile so if I put it out there they could eat it!
The leak wasn't rust related so no rust just calcium and limestone,.,

 

[Bulldogma]

Your so right!
So chicken question here... I have two wild roosters that live in the back pasture (someone just dropped them off one day) we give them water. Anywho my babies (2+ months old) were out in the yard playing around and the one rooster came out of nowhere and pins my one young rooster down and starts shrieking at him! Feathers all ruffled... Why would he do that? My dears arnt old enough to do anything yet!

It's a territorial behavior. He wants to teach the kids who's boss right off the bat.

I had to share the news that Spook my lavender Catdance silkie finally laid her first egg!!! At 1 year 2-3 weeks old!!yeah spook!

Congrats!!!

Not quite.... probably 2nd.....

I don't have time to catch up, just wanted to pop in and say hi and I am still around. Crazy work schedule has me switching between days and nights a week at a time. UGH

Nice to see you, Trav!

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa - to answer your question from much earlier, RedRidge's SFH chicks are from my eggs. Well... from Ginger, Astrid and Elinor's eggs and Gunnar was the father. (All I did was collect them, mark them and ship them - LOL)

Good hatch for shipped eggs. Assuming there was 12 that is!



Not sharing this on our FB page yet. Want to wait until the barn warming party to show it off there.. If I can hold off that long.

You guys are getting a sneak peak at the finished exterior! Just a couple of things needed to be finished inside - hardly anything at all.



Door to chicken room. It was recycled. I love it. Especially that you can see into the room from the hallway.