The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bill Matthews]

My mind is open to different methods and ideas. What do garlic, cayenne, and oregano do to help poultry?..Best Wishes..Thanks...

 

[Bill Matthews]

Lots of chickens lay early in the day. Let them out later until most have used the nests a few times..Luck..

 

[salt and pepper]

How many of you have kept a rabbit with the chickens? Someone offered one to me, and I was wondering if it could live in the smaller pen with about 4-5 chickens. I would make sure to keep the space sanitary, and to feed it properly, but would it work?

 

[Alibabe]

Helloooo

I was wondering if anybody could help me out by telling me what the following 2 ladies are a cross of?

Is she a cross of maran or barred rock? I think she is laying more of a normal beige/brown egg and she has a very slight green tinge to some of her feathers.






Is she a cross with a maran or black rock? She has the slight green sheen to her feathers when you see her in sunlight. She is laying a dark brown egg.







Thanks all.

 

[aoxa]

How many of you have kept a rabbit with the chickens? Someone offered one to me, and I was wondering if it could live in the smaller pen with about 4-5 chickens. I would make sure to keep the space sanitary, and to feed it properly, but would it work?

I keep my rabbits with the poultry. Found Daisy Mae in the chicken's nest box yesterday at the same time as Gertie (chicken) laying her egg.. Apparently Frankle can be a father.. We are going to neuter him and get rid of all boys and all girls other than three. Sigh.. But they get along GREAT with the chickens. I free range my rabbits. They do not get fed anything in the summer but occasional carrots, cabbage or leftover veggies. The grass, weeds and whatever they can find is the main source of their diet. They are definitely eating well. Nice and plump.

We got rid of the two boys yesterday as soon as we found out Daisy had babies.

Remember that rabbits pee though, and can really smell if kept confined.

Helloooo

I was wondering if anybody could help me out by telling me what the following 2 ladies are a cross of?

Is she a cross of maran or barred rock? I think she is laying more of a normal beige/brown egg and she has a very slight green tinge to some of her feathers.






Is she a cross with a maran or black rock? She has the slight green sheen to her feathers when you see her in sunlight. She is laying a dark brown egg.







Thanks all.

Looks like a hatchery barred rock, and a black sex link

 

[Alibabe]

Looks like a hatchery barred rock, and a black sex link

Thank you, I also thought barred rock hybrid but was not sure. Black sex link is that the same as black rock? Sorry for the dumb questions but she does lay a dark brown egg so was wondering what was 'in' her.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I lost a rooster to an owl this morning. Any recommendations for making the owl go away?

 

[delisha]

Our RIR chicks are 21 weeks old now. We are awaiting our first egg. The chicks free-range morning until they go in their house. Any tips on making sure they lay their eggs inside the hen house in the nests? Thanks!

Stuff a nest with nesting materials, add golf balls. When they are readyto start to lay they will start checking out the nest and practice.

I lost a rooster to an owl this morning. Any recommendations for making the owl go away?

You need to do a variety of things. They do not like change. Put a chair by the coop entrance, next night set a hat or a shirt on the back of the chair. One night leave lights on. You have to change it nightly or they will come back. It is a pain but better than dead chickens. Find out where they watch your chickens and remove the tree limb.

 

[stonykill]

Lots of chickens lay early in the day. Let them out later until most have used the nests a few times..Luck..

chickens lay in 25 hour cycles. It takes that long for an egg to develop and get laid. That is why the daily egg laying gets later and later in the day until they lay just before dusk, take a day or 2 off then start over. Chickens are not like ducks who lay their eggs the same time daily. With ducks you can expect to let them out in the morning and collect their eggs. Chickens don't work that way

 

[delisha]

Quote: the only dumb question is the one unasked.
No, a black sex link is not a black rock, but referred to as a red rock. It is using barred rocks for mothers. The males have dots on the heads at hatch. Both hatch out black, males get bars and females are black with red in neck area.