The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[camilleathome]

Can I rant?

Vegans often (not all) really bother me. Why do they try to force their beliefs down our throats? I just don't get it. It's not like we are stuffing hamburgers in their mouth.

What makes them feel we are inadequate to them?

Often their arguments relate to factory farming, which I don't agree to in the first place.. How in the world is properly raised meat a bad thing?

How is letting a cow get old and die of old age a good thing?

Boggles my mind!

Sometimes I just don't know what to say. It just aggravates me.

I'm from California, living in Texas, only because this is where my husband grew up, and he loves it here. I have the same problem with hardcore Christians, lol. Keep your beliefs to yourself, don't shove them down my throat, you don't judge me and I will not judge you. Words I live by, lol.

You are so cute..this is pretty funny. Its the heat making you bothered more than usual.

There is nothing wrong with them having firm beliefs. Sometimes it is hard to understand where they are coming from, just as it is hard for them to understand where you are coming from.

I Think that having beliefs and being passionate about things is great. It is when you SHOVE them down peoples throats that it becomes an issue be it veganism, hard core christianism, Feeding dogs raw etc etc etc XD. Peta is still a name that gets my blood pressure up when I hear it for that same reason. Ive had a cabbie who ripped into me that I was going to hell etc when I accidentally slipped while on the phone about my religion. It was the first time ive ever(And I was proud of myself) I was able to debate and defenc myself right back(Usually I get so upset I clam up) with him back and forth about what he believed that I believed in untill he was speechless and I told him to not believe everything he was told and slammed out of the car.

Camille, I am experiencing serious barn envy! It's beautiful

Thank you We are very blessed with our barn. Couldnt be happier with it.

 

[fowlmouthgirls]

I agree if a problem arises you treat it accordingly and raise your chickens using preventative measures. When I hear "biosecurity", I envision chickens in little plastic bubbles bouncing around the yard, lol. Everyone should raise their flock how they see fit, no criticism there at all, I just thought it was funny that this thread is supposed to talk about "natural" chicken keeping, and some of the stuff didn't sound very "natural". Just saying.

 

[wlhtx]

Once you add one bird that is a carrier of a disease that wipes out your flock, you will know why we talk biosecurity and it's importance. 

Adding birds you have not properly quarantined is a risk. 

There are some people I would add from without quarantine (Camille), but with the rate of ILT in our community, I could have my entire flock exterminated by the government if my gamble didn't pay off.

I get it if you have a large outbreak of a contagious disease in your area. That makes sense to me. But just for your normal, every day owner (like me), I'm not going to switch clothes, bleach my shoes, etc. if I go pick up some new chicks from a neighbor down the road (like I did last weekend). Those are the kind of conversations that make me chuckle. What happened to letting your flock become stronger overall by building up their natural immunity to chicken colds, etc? I am not saying to throw an obviously ill new bird into the pen with your flock, but if the new bird appears healthy, I'm not going to quarantine for a set number of days before integration. I may separate for a day or two, but within eyesight of each other so that they get use to one another before a true face to face meeting. But that's just me.

I am one of those that actually does truly free range my birds too. No runs. No fences. No strings of wire strung up all over my pasture. Just a couple guard dogs and lots of chickens wandering at will throughout our property...

 

[Shan30]

You're going to want to ask around. We don't have certification programs like the USA.

I've heard a lot of good things about Triple J Farms in Alberta. She ships hatching eggs and chicks. 

However, most people are done hatching and selling eggs this time of year. 

ILT is raging in flocks this year. Be very cautious! 

Thank you Justine we will look into Triple J

 

[delisha]

Good discussions on what people feel is natural and not natural everyone!!

 

[camilleathome]

Once you add one bird that is a carrier of a disease that wipes out your flock, you will know why we talk biosecurity and it's importance.

Adding birds you have not properly quarantined is a risk.

There are some people I would add from without quarantine (Camille), but with the rate of ILT in our community, I could have my entire flock exterminated by the government if my gamble didn't pay off.

Thats because all my birds have come from you or Ive gotten them with you . Im sure youll be getting a call from me the first time I try to get birds from a different source lol.

 

[aoxa]

I get it if you have a large outbreak of a contagious disease in your area. That makes sense to me. But just for your normal, every day owner (like me), I'm not going to switch clothes, bleach my shoes, etc. if I go pick up some new chicks from a neighbor down the road (like I did last weekend). Those are the kind of conversations that make me chuckle. What happened to letting your flock become stronger overall by building up their natural immunity to chicken colds, etc? I am not saying to throw an obviously ill new bird into the pen with your flock, but if the new bird appears healthy, I'm not going to quarantine for a set number of days before integration. I may separate for a day or two, but within eyesight of each other so that they get use to one another before a true face to face meeting. But that's just me.

I am one of those that actually does truly free range my birds too. No runs. No fences. No strings of wire strung up all over my pasture. Just a couple guard dogs and lots of chickens wandering at will throughout our property...

How do you keep your dogs in?

I have no fence at all either. I truly free range. I am putting up an electric fence to keep goats from going to the road (or to our deck) but the chickens can pass right through.

How do you put within eye sight if you don't use any fences?

Again, risk. Disease in our area is insane. I will not add any adult birds because of it. Chicks yes. I do not quarantine chicks. Even then there is a risk, but in my opinion it is so small.

Chickens don't get colds.

 

[aoxa]

Thats because all my birds have come from you or Ive gotten them with you . Im sure youll be getting a call from me the first time I try to get birds from a different source lol.

Don't you dare lol

You are really close to a very heavily infected area.

 

[delisha]

Remember 6 weeks ago we were shoveling snow? I wanna shovel snow..this heat is disgusting.

 

[Eggcessive]

Does anyone else find it strange that for hundreds of years people have raised chickens without paper suits and hand sanitizers, and changing their shoes 3 times? There's nothing wrong with being cautious, but in a "natural" chicken keeping thread, some of this seems a bit unnatural ! Lol. I had 4 chicks bought from 3 different places, got to more from another different place, I integrated them over a 24 hour period, a little bit at a time. Everyone is healthy and happy. I guess because I'm not a huge "breeding" "processing" operation, that letting my chickens just be chickens is a bit easier for me.

Just go to the emergencies page and read about all of the people that go to swaps and up to total strangers selling diseased birds, then asking "what do I do for my sick bird?" You have just lucked out so far with having no illnesses. Biosecurity measures are just to protect you and your birds from very unscrupulous people who will knowingly sell chickens with CRD and who knows what because they don't care.