The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TipihlowLadies]

my meat birds I kept back to gain more weight started laying five today well maybe four and a half.


my neighbor called this a wind egg no shell

 

[armorfirelady]

So, AFL, specifically how much feed are you now putting out for your birds.  Tell us the number of birds and the amount of feed by measure.  [COLOR=FF0000](For example:  8 birds, 3 cups of feed daily.)[/COLOR]

Um well......I don't measure just give about 3 spoonfuls in each trough (slotted spoon you would use for cooking) those girls came running when I went to feed them when the rain stopped for a little while. But the big girls were back out foraging after a couple bites. I do have to say today was the first time I saw the tots out foraging during a thunder storm. Guess when they are hungry they don't mind getting wet .

I really need to start measuring........but I want to switch over to grains as soon as I can get a recipe on how much of everything I need so I can buy stuff.

Me too, mary

AFL...GREAT IDEA on renting a chipper!  I wonder how much they cost to rent?  Maybe a few neighbors could go together and do all their trimming and contribute to the cause

Funny you say that I was up eyeing my neighbors brush pile . I have 2 pine trees I want to take down and a couple dead branches on some maple trees that need to come down. Thankfully my best friend is willing to help me . Some days he thinks I am nuts with my to do lists but together we get them accomplished

 

[ChickChickChicky]

LIZARD predators?????

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/26/4437605/conn-police-kill-menacing-monitor.html

 

[Leahs Mom]

LIZARD predators?????

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/26/4437605/conn-police-kill-menacing-monitor.html

What will they think of next? If I have to worry about any more predators.....

(Glad I don't live in lizzard alley).

 

[Sally8]

Last week I sold a couple of pairs of turkeys and the one gentleman who came asked me about hawks here. He lives near Harris Hill where they offer glider rides. He said that he noticed the chickens either running for cover or all crouching low, huddled together several times. He finally realized that they thought the gliders were predators.

I really have to applaud it to you that have shot coyotes. Any that I have seen have been hauling butt. They don't sit and wait for you!

 

[TipihlowLadies]

Last week I sold a couple of pairs of turkeys and the one gentleman who came asked me about hawks here. He lives near Harris Hill where they offer glider rides. He said that he noticed the chickens either running for cover or all crouching low, huddled together several times. He finally realized that they thought the gliders were predators.

I really have to applaud it to you that have shot coyotes. Any that I have seen have been hauling butt. They don't sit and wait for you!

use a rabbit call they will come to you

 

[bbdal]

We will be processing our first chickens this weekend. Anyone have a synopsis on process and recipe for brining?
Thanks!

 

[MumsyII]

I would LOVE to see an outdoor photo or 2 showing how your runs are set up out there. I really wish I had a second door on my hen house/shed coop so that I could let the broody mammas go out in a more protected area with the babies when it's hawk season like this.

Whatever hatches should begin on Friday and hatch over the weekend. Just in time for a nice hawk lunch.

I took some pictures. My set up is cobbled together with found and salvaged lumber and windows. Not going to win any 'beauty' awards. But for my small place and the need to shuffle and separate breeding, growing, and laying birds, it works surprisingly well. I can feed, water, and tend to letting birds in or out in less than a half hour for fifty.






I've posted these images before. My pop doors are manual and predator proof. All birds except the turkeys are shut up tight every night.


Inside the little A frame coop attached to the front of the barn are two pop doors. One is access to the barn aisle and one is access to the layer pen. I don't use them now. This little coop houses my HRIR cockerels. They only sleep in here. No roost. Just a few logs to sit on. They have out grown it and I will only keep them in here for another month. I need to butcher, sell, and pull my breeders from them soon.


The door was salvaged from an old cupboard.


The space behind the barn is a large run. We have used this space to store lumber and unused stuff for decades. It's the run for the White Silkie flock right now.None of my lumber or windows match on this old barn. But it has withstood twenty five years of weather. I have old roof tin leaned up against the barn to keep their dust wallow dry. I throw buckets of wood ash in it every few months.


The street and our driveway are outside this fence.


The turkey hoop coop and run is adjacent to the layer run. It's left open all day every day. I have begun letting the turkeys free range every day for a few hours at a time. They are juvenile delinquent's and harass the flock. When they start acting like punks, I herd them back into their run. And it doesn't take them long to act like punks. When they are free, they spend most of their time chasing the chickens. Jerks.

 

[armorfirelady]

The turkey hoop coop and run is adjacent to the layer run. It's left open all day every day. I have begun letting the turkeys free range every day for a few hours at a time. They are juvenile delinquent's and harass the flock. When they start acting like punks, I herd them back into their run. And it doesn't take them long to act like punks. When they are free, they spend most of their time chasing the chickens. Jerks.

They look like very tasty jerks though

Love your set up Mumsy

Leah I also have 2 pop doors in my hoop coop. The south end leads into their summer digs (electric netting) . The north end is their winter digs (veggie garden) When I switch them to their winter digs I will just remove their auto pop door and put in the other pop door.

 

[lazy gardener]

Well the little Am girl is still alive this morning; prhaps a tad livelier than last night; Her ears were not as gunky as yesterday and didn't stink this morning, still a lot of snorting, sneezing and gurgling tho. Cleaned out her ears, put in antibiotic cream. Realized she is not eating or drinking, so I took two thin slices of fresh ginger root and a clove of garlic mashed. Poured about 1/4 cup boiling water over it and let it sit until cool, then strained. I've been giving it to her with a syringe and she is swallowing once it's in her mouth, just not actively looking for it. I have to leave for work in an hour, so will give some more before I leave. so far not finding anything she is hungry for, hoping her appetite perks up at least by tomorrow.

Tho I know she can go a long time without eating as long as I can keep her hydrated. My BO that survived the dog attack last year with a bite through the skull went a week or so without eating a thing.

I've never done it before, but you can hydrate a bird by giving subcutaneous fluid injections. You might want to read up on that. what about an antibiotic?