The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

freezing here too, with snow on the ground.

I like the snow, it lets you see if there are any tracks around the coop/run, etc. Chickens aren't thrilled with it, but even the pullets are doing ok with their first snows. It is snowing right now.

I was in the house this morning and there was a ruckus, so I went out and couldn't see anything other than the chickens on alert - I was scannng the treelines when right behind flew a hawk out of the run. It was so fast and from behind that i didn't get a good look but it was maybe a cooper - definitely not a broadwing.

If anyone has time, please check out this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/832906/help-me-problem-solve-20-week-old-banty where I am talking about my banty Mrs. Murphy, who isn't doing well.

 

[Jewelwing]

I live in the East Bay on the Delta in Contra Costa County. My husband works for UC Santa Cruz, lives there during the week, and is home on the weekends. My daughter was born in Berkeley and graduated from UC Davis. I know all your old stomping grounds!

Cool! Sometimes I miss it, sometimes I don't!

Although the Farmer's Market in Davis really has no equal, and I miss that all the time...

Are you sure that Stella isn't one of Mr Tweedy's organized chickens from Chicken Run?

I think of that whenever I say "chicken run" to people (as in "today I'm working on finishing up the chicken run."). Then I think of the chicken pot pie machine and I wonder if I'd feel differently about the movie now that I have chickens!

I have several that do that! Scared us half to death the first time we saw them. I thought for sure something had happened to them. My daughter & the hens scared each other. She thought they were dead so ran over to them. They jumped up because she was running at them.

HOORAY! I haven't seen anyone scratching on the roost since I Frontlined, cleaned and added ash to the dusting bin.

We added a sun room for the girls but haven't got the roof on yet. I came home to 5 of the girls out free ranging. When I asked them what they were doing out of the pen, they ran over like "Oh good you're home, we couldn't get back in!" 3 followed me directly into the coop as I called for them. The 2 older girls started digging in the compost hoping I wouldn't see them. So the door will be closed until DH gets some lumber and wire. Knowing him, it will be tomorrow.

I bet the "dead" chickens jumping up scared the **** out of your daughter!

What did you do to "Frontline"? Did you treat the birds? If so, did you use the spray? Or did you just spray the coop with Frontline?

 

[Jewelwing]

The All Glass Natural Chicken Keeping Waterer

What an awesome piece of ingenuity! I love it, except I'm worried about not having electricity to the coop (hubby says no to an extension cord, and he's probably right, with our destructo dog that chews everything). So I can't put it on a heating block.

Maybe I'll just get some of those hand-warmer packs and put a new one under the bowl each morning. If I fill it with warm water and have a hand warmer under the bowl, maybe it'll last through most of the day.

 

[aoxa]

What an awesome piece of ingenuity! I love it, except I'm worried about not having electricity to the coop (hubby says no to an extension cord, and he's probably right, with our destructo dog that chews everything). So I can't put it on a heating block.

Maybe I'll just get some of those hand-warmer packs and put a new one under the bowl each morning. If I fill it with warm water and have a hand warmer under the bowl, maybe it'll last through most of the day.

Some people suggest heating rocks. I'd find it too much work though.

 

[ki4got]

my solution for water is 5 gallon buckets. $3-4 each at TSC, drill one hole just under the rim of the lid (or lower, if you want deeper water) and flip over into a shallow pan. make sure your hole isn't so far from the top that you'll overflow your pan. fill with hot water and carry out each morning, knock out the frozen one put in the hot one, carry the frozen bucket back to the house to thaw for later.

if the bucket splits, just buy a new one and use the old for a nest box. LOL

 

[SallyinIndiana]

my solution for water is 5 gallon buckets. $3-4 each at TSC, drill one hole just under the rim of the lid (or lower, if you want deeper water) and flip over into a shallow pan. make sure your hole isn't so far from the top that you'll overflow your pan. fill with hot water and carry out each morning, knock out the frozen one put in the hot one, carry the frozen bucket back to the house to thaw for later.

if the bucket splits, just buy a new one and use the old for a nest box. LOL

We have some of these kind of waterers. But instead of the shallow pan we got the pricy flip things from meyer hatchery.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm liking the idea of a heated rock. I could keep a rock or 2 on top of my wood stove, that is if I don't get electricity to the coop before winter.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Do you use "any old rock"? I know folks used to heat bricks like that as foot warmers (wrapped them in a towel).

 

[CoopChick719]

All my water containers have been frozen solid for the last two morning....BRRRRR I am so not mentally ready for winter.

freezing here too, with snow on the ground. I like the snow, it lets you see if there are any tracks around the coop/run, etc. Chickens aren't thrilled with it, but even the pullets are doing ok with their first snows. It is snowing right now.

If anyone has time, please check out this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/832906/help-me-problem-solve-20-week-old-banty where I am talking about my banty Mrs. Murphy, who isn't doing well.

Frozen solid waterers?! Snow on the ground & snowing?! NO NO NO NO NOOOOO! I'm not ready for it!!

Lala--sorry to hear about Mrs. Murphy.

I think of that whenever I say "chicken run" to people (as in "today I'm working on finishing up the chicken run."). Then I think of the chicken pot pie machine and I wonder if I'd feel differently about the movie now that I have chickens!

I bet the "dead" chickens jumping up scared the **** out of your daughter!

What did you do to "Frontline"? Did you treat the birds? If so, did you use the spray? Or did you just spray the coop with Frontline?

We love that movie! I'm always saying to my daughter "I don't want to be a pie. I don't like gravy!" with a British accent...of course.

They did indeed scare the **** out of her! My Mum had the same thing happen when she was watching my sister's chickens. My Dad said he knew better than to laugh but burst out anyway because Mum & the bird scared each other.

I Frontlined the chickens 2 drops on the back of the neck just like the dogs & cats.

I'm liking the idea of a heated rock. I could keep a rock or 2 on top of my wood stove, that is if I don't get electricity to the coop before winter.

I was thinking the same thing. Leaving them on the stove then putting them into a metal popcorn tin to put in the coop.

 

[lindz8504]

I only have 2186 more pages to get caught up on....