The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[4Hgirl]

Sorry, had to share, anyone agree with this?

Lol we are building number three right now!

 

[Keepitathome]

Wow over 1700 pages to this thread

... it's hard to navigate and find the information I'm looking for so I'm just going to ask... sorry if I'm repeating questions.

We are new to country living, actually we're not quite there yet, still in the research and development phase.

We live as chemical free as we can, I avoid vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and processed foods for my family and intend to raise my food in the same manner. It's taken me years to learn how to use herbs and nutritional foods for health. I'm really hoping I can apply the same principles to the chickens and other animals we'll be keeping.

So my questions:

Is there a repository of natural methods of curing chicken illness? I'm in the process of going through BeeKissed's thread on recouping her flock and it's encouraging, but I'm wondering if there is some kind of resource to refer to that would give me common problems and natural treatments.

Can I feed chicks something other than processed feed? Firstly we are a gluten free home and I'd like to keep as much gluten as I can out of my animals. Secondly, I'm just not comfy with processed stuff as food for anyone or anything. I've already figured out that we can let the full grown chickens forage behind the cows in the pasture (from what we've read it's recommended that chickens are two paddocks behind the cows) so we hope to avoid feed in the adults (we'll reassess this in winter, but since we get very little freeze [18" frost line] I'm expecting there should be plenty of bugs and greens all year)

Are there anythings that chickens are likely to "catch" from other animals? Like reptiles are often carriers of salmonella, if there are toads around the coup is this a concern? Is there anything else like that I need to be mindful of when planning this adventure?

Are there things from my garden/table I shouldn't feed them? Are there things from my garden/table that are exceptionally beneficial?

Can they absorb calcium from greens or is oyster shells and egg shells the only option?

 

[Alibabe]

edited out

 

[delisha]

Quote:

Wow over 1700 pages to this thread

... it's hard to navigate and find the information I'm looking for so I'm just going to ask... sorry if I'm repeating questions.

We are new to country living, actually we're not quite there yet, still in the research and development phase.

We live as chemical free as we can, I avoid vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and processed foods for my family and intend to raise my food in the same manner. It's taken me years to learn how to use herbs and nutritional foods for health. I'm really hoping I can apply the same principles to the chickens and other animals we'll be keeping.

So my questions:

Is there a repository of natural methods of curing chicken illness? I'm in the process of going through BeeKissed's thread on recouping her flock and it's encouraging, but I'm wondering if there is some kind of resource to refer to that would give me common problems and natural treatments.

Can I feed chicks something other than processed feed? Firstly we are a gluten free home and I'd like to keep as much gluten as I can out of my animals. Secondly, I'm just not comfy with processed stuff as food for anyone or anything. I've already figured out that we can let the full grown chickens forage behind the cows in the pasture (from what we've read it's recommended that chickens are two paddocks behind the cows) so we hope to avoid feed in the adults (we'll reassess this in winter, but since we get very little freeze [18" frost line] I'm expecting there should be plenty of bugs and greens all year)

Are there anythings that chickens are likely to "catch" from other animals? Like reptiles are often carriers of salmonella, if there are toads around the coup is this a concern? Is there anything else like that I need to be mindful of when planning this adventure?

Are there things from my garden/table I shouldn't feed them? Are there things from my garden/table that are exceptionally beneficial?

Can they absorb calcium from greens or is oyster shells and egg shells the only option?

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/
There is a ton of information on this blog that is compiled from Bee's thread too. All of your questions can be answered there and remembered in a well organized, easy to find, tab search.
BDM has done a remarkable job in getting that information in there with help from quite a few people. The woman has energy to spare.
I toss all my leftovers in the compost pile and the animals have access to that pile.All my weeds and rotted garden veggies are in there too.I toss my old bedding from the coop on top. They love the mound of fun and it keeps them busy for hours daily. I have a small worm bin under the wood chip pile also they have access too.
Chickens are meat eaters. You attract the meat and they take care of the rest. During this time of year they really do not need grains if free ranging. They get all the nutrician they need in plant matter and bugs. I grain feed all my moms and chicks until they too are free ranging., add meat to the diet. I do grain feed during the hard freeze.
I plant oregano, spinach, kale, and clover right in the grass for the chickens. When I mow the grass I use the bag and save all the clippings. Those are dried and added to leaves and dirt in the coop for bedding. I add herbs in the nest boxes to deter bugs and rodents when they are ready. I do also save all my peelings from citrus and toss them in the coop too.

Welcome to the group and it sounds like you are doing it right..research first. Thank you and the chicks thank you too.



Just a note for those who order meaties. I have started stock for anyone who wants to breed and raise them..them selves. It is my own version of a meat bird. It grows just a little slower but not by much slower. It can also be used for eggs, but the eggs are medium sized and not jumbo. The birds are cornich and rock crosses.

 

[Kassaundra]

Had to google those terms. I am certain she is a Huacaya - as her mother and father were those classic smaller teddy bear looking alpacas.

I like that idea Splitting the fibre. That would be awesome. I think I'd be able to shear myself. I do my poodle's grooming (not the same I know) but it takes me two hours minimum. If I can handle her screaming at me whenever I touch her feet, and the ache in my back I can do an alpaca. I just have to tame her down first. Also, really glad she is in the petting area of the zoo. I think all this human exposure will be good for her (hope so..) There is 4 of the alpacas in with the deer, who are very people friendly. Fingers crossed!

Yes her colours are not common from these guys according to our zookeeper friend. She is the only one who has been born with those unique colours in all the years they have had them.
Will he eat birds you have killed?

I find it rather disturbing that people find it strange that we eat our own meat because we have raised them.. Thinking it was sad. What is sad is the way store bought meat (for the most part) is raised and then slaughtered. I'd much rather eat something I know had a good life. Who had many good days and only ONE bad one.

Yes he will, he likes meat, but just not how you get it, so left to his own he would prefer just thinking the Styrofoam/ celephane fairy makes the tasty meat for him every night in the back of the store. Obviously he knows better, just prefers not the think about it or be involved in the process.

 

[NanaLynn]

Good morning everyone! I was wondering , is it normal for pullets when they first start laying to going back and forth pacing into and out of the coop clucking loudly? I finally got my first brown egg yesterday, but I have a few hens that have nested in the nesting boxes for long times and no eggs, then a few that have done the pacing and loud clucking. I am not quite sure who laid the 1st brown egg. I have 10 brown egg layers in the flock. There are just so many of them tricking me with their loud crazy clucking and pacing. I guess all this is just them getting ready to lay an egg?

Plus, is this loud clucking the egg song? Doesn't sound to much like a song to me.

My leghorn is laying almost daily now and my EE just laid her 2nd one yesterday. I can tell who laid those eggs since I only have one white egg layer right now and two EE's, one is obviously the egg layer since she has the bright red comb and wattles. Also, these two, when they laid their eggs yesterday, just went in quietly laid their egg and came out quietly, no egg songs.

I'm not worried about all this just wondering about the process, it is fun to try to figure out who lays the eggs and when. Whoever laid the brown one used the nest box, so she's doing a good job. My EE still lays hers on the floor and my leghorn uses the nest box now too.

Pretty soon all this will be common day stuff and I'll have plenty of eggs each day, but right now it's all new to me.

 

[delisha]

Good morning everyone! I was wondering , is it normal for pullets when they first start laying to going back and forth pacing into and out of the coop clucking loudly? I finally got my first brown egg yesterday, but I have a few hens that have nested in the nesting boxes for long times and no eggs, then a few that have done the pacing and loud clucking. I am not quite sure who laid the 1st brown egg. I have 10 brown egg layers in the flock. There are just so many of them tricking me with their loud crazy clucking and pacing. I guess all this is just them getting ready to lay an egg?

Plus, is this loud clucking the egg song? Doesn't sound to much like a song to me.

My leghorn is laying almost daily now and my EE just laid her 2nd one yesterday. I can tell who laid those eggs since I only have one white egg layer right now and two EE's, one is obviously the egg layer since she has the bright red comb and wattles. Also, these two, when they laid their eggs yesterday, just went in quietly laid their egg and came out quietly, no egg songs.

I'm not worried about all this just wondering about the process, it is fun to try to figure out who lays the eggs and when. Whoever laid the brown one used the nest box, so she's doing a good job. My EE still lays hers on the floor and my leghorn uses the nest box now too.

Pretty soon all this will be common day stuff and I'll have plenty of eggs each day, but right now it's all new to me.

lol..they sure can make tons of different noises. it can be enough to drive you crazy sometimes. The behaviors you are describing sound totally normal for POL. They start nesting behaviors about two weeks before laying. Sometimes they cluck to encourage others to lay too.
I have never had large quantities start at the same time. I can just imagine the noise.

 

[Bill Matthews]

To stonykill......Your comments are always smart, useful, and well thought out.....By NO means should you imitate the cute pic, shallow, mindless "oh it is soo! cute I just don't know if I can stand it" bunch.....Some people are smart, some people are totally inane....Don't even consider "sticking to cute pics and stay by yourself" as an option....There are way too few critical thinking, open minded people...We need everyone of you...Best To You...

 

[aoxa]

I think $8 is plenty expensive... I paid $5 for my buckeye and faverolle chicks and I thought that was high (and turns out I like my hatchery EE's better... go figure!). If I were looking for a super hard to find adult chicken I MIGHT pay 20-50, depending on the breed, age, health, etc, but I don't even see myself doing that. It's such a risk bringing in adult birds anyway, plus the expense? I'll avoid it if I can. However, I am going to pony up more cash the more time I bring in new EE chicks and get them from someone local instead of from the hatchery. I am DONE with hatchery birds, other than cornish cross, and if I could come up with an even remotely comprable meat bird I would. There's a small hatchery out east I think I'm going to get all my meat birds from from now on. I just watched a thing on how large hatchery chicks are treated and WOW, how the heck do any survive?

You get what you pay for. Quality birds should definitely go for more than $8 a chick. Just my opinion. Some of these birds are HARD to hatch, and those breeders paid a ton for their birds. That said, I haven't paid more than $5 for a chick yet, but I've paid more than I care to share for a goose. For chicks I will charge $10 for a silkie. Especially my good quality stock. With those vaulted skulls, the hatch rate is not so great.

Now I am really seeing what Mumsy and Del were talking about in that case.. My previous flock did not have a lot of vaulted skulls, and my hatch rates were AWESOME. They grew into their crests nicely, and a good % were typey birds. However, with these whites.. I get a lot that die between 14-18 days. It can be discouraging. I wouldn't sell a chick for under $10, and I'd rather not sell any at all until they feather out and I can keep the best for myself (greedy?)

Nice article and easy to read. Even a semester of nutrition and numerous nutrition books read this really helped.

Q
Difficult subject but thank you for explaining it.
I got in a debate with a vegan at work about this when I was showing pics of our milk bottle calf who will fill my freezer next year. She felt it was sad. I said its sad how awful cattle are treated at feed lots! And a non-vegan also at work says the same thing but gives me coudose for doing it as she wishes she had the nerve. She just says she never could do it. She sure wants to try the beef though! Most people are so out of touch with food anymore.

I get really heated when vegans and vegetarians try to force their beliefs on me. I do not try to convince them to eat meat, and respect their decisions.. But I am not cruel for being a meat eater. It is what we have done FOREVER.

I liked this article a lot. I have quite a few vegetarian friends, and a few vegan friends. None force it on me, and I have tried going vegetarian - oh gosh.. I was so sick, so was Susan. We had vertigo and just felt downright exhausted. It's not for everyone! We went 2 months.

Yes he will, he likes meat, but just not how you get it, so left to his own he would prefer just thinking the Styrofoam/ celephane fairy makes the tasty meat for him every night in the back of the store. Obviously he knows better, just prefers not the think about it or be involved in the process.

If only it grew on trees..

lol..they sure can make tons of different noises. it can be enough to drive you crazy sometimes. The behaviors you are describing sound totally normal for POL. They start nesting behaviors about two weeks before laying. Sometimes they cluck to encourage others to lay too.
I have never had large quantities start at the same time. I can just imagine the noise.

They are SO loud at POL. Whiny little things. They seem to calm down after a while. I find they get whiny before they start laying. It's a good sign of things to come.

To stonykill......Your comments are always smart, useful, and well thought out.....By NO means should you imitate the cute pic, shallow, mindless "oh it is soo! cute I just don't know if I can stand it" bunch.....Some people are smart, some people are totally inane....Don't even consider "sticking to cute pics and stay by yourself" as an option....There are way too few critical thinking, open minded people...We need everyone of you...Best To You...

 

[stonykill]

To stonykill......Your comments are always smart, useful, and well thought out.....By NO means should you imitate the cute pic, shallow, mindless "oh it is soo! cute I just don't know if I can stand it" bunch.....Some people are smart, some people are totally inane....Don't even consider "sticking to cute pics and stay by yourself" as an option....There are way too few critical thinking, open minded people...We need everyone of you...Best To You...

ehh, we will see