The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[browncow15]

How many roosters do you have for the 28 chicks?

There's 16, to many I know! We'll butcher most of them in a couple of weeks, but I was thinking about keeping a couple. Unfourtinatly they are the ones harassing my poor hen!

BTW- I'm in indiana too! Just west of Indy in Danville.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
16

all roosters

all teenage roosters

??????


I think you need to have a separate pen for the boys so that they're not in with the girls!!!

Oh...I'm from Indiana too - North near the border.

 

[stonykill]

There's 16, to many I know! We'll butcher most of them in a couple of weeks, but I was thinking about keeping a couple. Unfourtinatly they are the ones harassing my poor hen!

BTW- I'm in indiana too! Just west of Indy in Danville.

16

all roosters

all teenage roosters

??????


I think you need to have a separate pen for the boys so that they're not in with the girls!!!

Oh...I'm from Indiana too - North near the border.

yup, or have a bunch of dead pullets and hens. And they WILL kill them. They won't mean to, but it will happen

 

[NanaLynn]

Congrats on your babies!

Beautiful!!

Sorry for your loss!

You and me both!!

Oh - and since I know we have a few SFH fans on the thread, I hope you don't mind if I show off my latest art work. (Watermarked version.)



It's also available on Zazzle here if anyone is interested.

Beautiful work!

 

[aoxa]

yup, or have a bunch of dead pullets and hens. And they WILL kill them. They won't mean to, but it will happen

So Stony, think I should use my baby barn for a bachelor pad?

I say bachelor pad. Susan says storage. I think life would be easier if we put the excess roosters (or troublemakers) away from the hens until butcher (with run).

 

[stonykill]

So Stony, think I should use my baby barn for a bachelor pad?

I say bachelor pad. Susan says storage. I think life would be easier if we put the excess roosters (or troublemakers) away from the hens until butcher (with run).

absolutely. I agree with your thoughts. It will make life much easier on you and the pullets

 

[aoxa]

absolutely. I agree with your thoughts. It will make life much easier on you and the pullets

It has a pop door.. so it has to be used for chickens, right?

I don't have too many boys just yet, but soon. And It sure will be helpful in between the horny stage and butcher day.

 

[stonykill]

It has a pop door.. so it has to be used for chickens, right?

I don't have too many boys just yet, but soon. And It sure will be helpful in between the horny stage and butcher day.

the rooster horny stage only ends with freezer camp . Only thing hornier than a rooster is a drake

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a "ground water" safety question... Anyone know the answer to this...:

FIRST THE BACKGROUND:
We are going to be away for the weekend and, for various reasons, I'm going to keep them in the dog kennel run rather than letting them out to range. (I have a guy that will tend to them but it's just safer not to let them out and hope they'll come in for him - in addition to the fact that the pullets have occasionally been jumping fences and if that happens, it would be hard for a stranger to round them up.)

-The "kennel run" is in full sun in the hottest parts of the day so I need to add a shade cloth again since they'll be stuck in there for 2.5 days.
-We were given an old mesh swimming pool cover that would work great. It has not been on a pool in probably 3 years.
-Last summer, it laid out flat in the grass and had about a month to air and get rained on, then it was folded and stored.
-I will thoroughly spray it down with fresh water this evening before putting it up.
-It will only be over 1/3 of the kennel run. 2/3 will be open.

THE QUESTION:
Does anyone know if this thing will leach harmful chemicals if it rains. (Rain falls on the cloth and sifts through to the ground below where these chickens will be stuck stratching around for stuff.)

The cover is similar to the one in the photo below...polyester I think.

eta: cutting it down to the size we need.

 

[stonykill]