The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[beccasev]

Scary day today. I was sitting in my office, which has a window that looks out through a covered porch and into the front yard. I had been checking on the chickens rather regularly. They've been extra naughty and crossing the street to the neighbor's yard lately. But I didn't really see them today at all. I looked a few times, but they weren't out in the open like usual, in any of their favorite haunts. Suddenly, I hear a really weird squawk and open the curtain to look out and I see A HUGE bird FLYING down my porch and out and away. For a moment, it looked like one of my buffs, but chickens don't fly like that. Then I realize it was a hawk. I drop my work and run outside freaking out. The hawk is gone and I start calling for my girls. I can't find them immediately. I run over to far end of the house and something goes crashing into the woods. There are also about 5 crows flying around screaming like mad. My husband comes out to see what I am calling frantically about. Obviously I felt panicked. Finally I go back to the side of the house where my office window was and see my girls back behind the house in the woods, stock still. The hawk comes back with his buddy. They are circling the yard across the street where the girls have been going without permission. They are also screaming at the crows, who are screaming at them from farther down the street. From this vantage, I can see they are definitely red tailed hawks. Finally they move off, my girls haven't made a peep. I went in and got some scratch and lure them all to me. All 9. I'm supposed to have 10. And then we see the pile of feathers on the ground. I'm crushed. I start bringing my girls back to the far end of the house where their coop and covered run are. My husband and I are trying to figure out who was taken. The feathers are barred rock, of which I had two. But the one left has lost her "bracelet"- her zip tie so I know who she is. I can't tell them apart otherwise. As we walk back to the other side of the house, the other barred rock comes out from under the porch. She is perfectly fine! I checked her over several times, but can't find any scrapes, cuts, or anything else. Apparently the hawk tried to grab her, but she ran too fast and all it got was some fluff from the back leg area. Luckily, there was a small space between the lattice under the porch and the ground and she was able to squeeze in there to be safe. (I'm fairly certain the girls have been using this small space as an entrance/exit to the newly discovered underporch.) This is my first predator attack. I was shaky. I still am, 8 hours later. I left the girls locked up while we went our for a few hours and then let them out to roam again when we got home. And hawks were no where to be seen. I'm impressed my girls knew enough to stay in the woods for the most part. They don't usually go in the woods. They prefer the open yard. I thought maybe they were just finally looking there for food since the yard food is winding down for the season. Apparently not. Pretty sure they knew the hawks were out there.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I want one... Doing gutter feeders again this winter, and I think it would be great.. if it was fire safe. Definitely not around the goats though. I can see them chewing it :|

gutter feeders? Do you have a picture? is it as simple as going to the hardware store and buying a short section of guttering?


Sorry about the hawk attack. Up close I feel those things look very very mean. not the lovely flying, soaring creature most people think of. I dread the day I ever get to look an eagle in the eye. After seeing hawks up close as well as owls, I'm not a big fan of these kinds of birds. To be they would make great October scary creatures, their eyes just gleam "I want to eat you"

 

[armorfirelady]

LM- my food processor whipped up the dry grains pretty good from the powder I got lol. Those peas are sneaky suckers tho. But most got cut up. Even doing dried peas alone not all cut cut up. But boy they made a lot of pea dust. I think I'll just use the dry premix and grind a big batch at a time and put in my old container to add to the ff bucket as needed. At least that way most of the grains get grinded. I put the bowl of newly grinded stuff near the wood stove as well. Curious to see what it looks like in the morning. THe big bucket def has more bubbles now when I take off the lid (an old small metal garbage can lid that doesn't touch the ff nor is it on tight or make a seal.its only being used as a dog deterrent so they don't eat it)

Thanks for reminding me you grinded it. I knew that but until your mended me I forgot about it. Retaining info hasn't been my high point lately. I need a vacation lol

 

[ki4got]

ok, maybe i'm just being overly paranoid... my new bantam blrw girl (still in quarantine) is stick thin, no meat at all. been a challenge to get her to eat, which is why I started thinking hard about FF... well, tonight she's started gimping lightly.

I've done the drastic measures treatment of all new birds from unknown situations. treatment with ivermectin the day she gets here. well that's been close to a week since she's been treated, so I doubt the ivermectin has anything to do with the gimp. I DID see a bunch of worms in the stools the next couple days, so I feel that was definitely worth it. also the mites are gone. but she still breathes hard and gapes like she's got gapeworm (ivermectin isn't always the first choice for that, so i'm not surprised she's still gaping) and now starting to gimp...

I did put one mixed mutt baby with her, one of my 'smee-chins' (bantam blrw x partridge cochin) about 6 weeks old, who will remain in quarantine with her for the duration and have noticed a big difference in her eating and activity just in the last day. so i'm pretty sure there's a definite benefit to that. just hoping the gimp is just a tweaked foot or something from the baby making her move around more than she has been... she's maybe 3 - 4 months old, but weighs the same as the 6 week old baby.

thoughts? suggestions? and yes I know the chance i'm taking with the baby but feel the benefits of having a friend are going to outweigh the risks...

 

[Jewelwing]

Quote:

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

I like the idea of heating a rock, since I do heat the house with wood (we have a masonry heater, though, not a standard wood stove, so I can't just put a rock on top - I'd have to put it in the firebox). Do you think I could put a warm rock in the water dish to keep it from freezing during the day? I'd probably use a piece of fire brick, so I could just put it in with the fire and use it when it's cooled off before I start the next fire. It should be just warm then, not hot.

If anyone wants to know more about what a masonry heater is, check out the Masonry Heater Association (MHA) site:

http://www.mha-net.org/

I just dip the feed I'm going to use into my (PLASTIC

) bucket that has a handle, carry it to the feeders and put it in. So it's only in the plastic long enough for transport. Could use a ss milking bucket for the transport but just don't have one at the moment.

OMG! I can't believe you use plastic!

I found a fantastic stainless steel bucket (like you said!) for carrying the ff from my kitchen counter to the coop:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002U4HEDK/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got the 1 gal size, which has been perfect for me and my 9 chickens, but it comes as big as 9 qts. I love it - very easy to use and easy to clean. You're probably right that a small amount of time in the plastic bucket is probably fine. I just didn't have one, so since I had to buy a bucket anyway, I got ss.

 

[aoxa]

Okay. I'm entered. A rubber chicken purse. Yep. Right up Leah's alley.

Scary day today. I was sitting in my office, which has a window that looks out through a covered porch and into the front yard. I had been checking on the chickens rather regularly. They've been extra naughty and crossing the street to the neighbor's yard lately. But I didn't really see them today at all. I looked a few times, but they weren't out in the open like usual, in any of their favorite haunts. Suddenly, I hear a really weird squawk and open the curtain to look out and I see A HUGE bird FLYING down my porch and out and away. For a moment, it looked like one of my buffs, but chickens don't fly like that. Then I realize it was a hawk. I drop my work and run outside freaking out. The hawk is gone and I start calling for my girls. I can't find them immediately. I run over to far end of the house and something goes crashing into the woods. There are also about 5 crows flying around screaming like mad. My husband comes out to see what I am calling frantically about. Obviously I felt panicked. Finally I go back to the side of the house where my office window was and see my girls back behind the house in the woods, stock still. The hawk comes back with his buddy. They are circling the yard across the street where the girls have been going without permission. They are also screaming at the crows, who are screaming at them from farther down the street. From this vantage, I can see they are definitely red tailed hawks. Finally they move off, my girls haven't made a peep. I went in and got some scratch and lure them all to me. All 9. I'm supposed to have 10. And then we see the pile of feathers on the ground. I'm crushed. I start bringing my girls back to the far end of the house where their coop and covered run are. My husband and I are trying to figure out who was taken. The feathers are barred rock, of which I had two. But the one left has lost her "bracelet"- her zip tie so I know who she is. I can't tell them apart otherwise. As we walk back to the other side of the house, the other barred rock comes out from under the porch. She is perfectly fine! I checked her over several times, but can't find any scrapes, cuts, or anything else. Apparently the hawk tried to grab her, but she ran too fast and all it got was some fluff from the back leg area. Luckily, there was a small space between the lattice under the porch and the ground and she was able to squeeze in there to be safe. (I'm fairly certain the girls have been using this small space as an entrance/exit to the newly discovered underporch.) This is my first predator attack. I was shaky. I still am, 8 hours later. I left the girls locked up while we went our for a few hours and then let them out to roam again when we got home. And hawks were no where to be seen. I'm impressed my girls knew enough to stay in the woods for the most part. They don't usually go in the woods. They prefer the open yard. I thought maybe they were just finally looking there for food since the yard food is winding down for the season. Apparently not. Pretty sure they knew the hawks were out there.

Definitely keep that underdeck open for them to hide. Sounds like perfect hawk cover. I'm glad no one was injured or killed. This is the worst time of year for hawks.

 

[aoxa]

gutter feeders? Do you have a picture? is it as simple as going to the hardware store and buying a short section of guttering?


Sorry about the hawk attack. Up close I feel those things look very very mean. not the lovely flying, soaring creature most people think of. I dread the day I ever get to look an eagle in the eye. After seeing hawks up close as well as owls, I'm not a big fan of these kinds of birds. To be they would make great October scary creatures, their eyes just gleam "I want to eat you"

Vinyl gutters cut in two (they do this at the hardware store) with brackets on the wall to keep them level. Or you can screw them to your own base so you can move them outside - but I find it easier to use them in the winter on the walls in the barn. I get two end caps as well. Worked out great last winter - but the feed did freeze quickly.

 

[RedRidge]

I answered the pea question earlier but...I always grind mine.  The outter coating is too tough and takes a long time to break down.  When I run them through the blender it ferments faster.  Same with the grains.  I at least crack them to break the seed coating and expose the interior.  Makes the ferment get going much quicker and I think lets it ferment much quicker.

I have an old vita mix which is just a high powered blender that I grind in.  Delisha said she got an old glass container blender second hand and uses that for hers.

This is a great idea.
If you have too many chickens to make this practical then is time to sit on Santa's lap. .. check out the small hammermills that Premier One Sheep Supply sells. I absolutely love mine. It has paid for itself many times over by the money I save not having to buy cracked grains and because I now grind corn and peas for several other local poultry folks.

 

[RedRidge]

Thought I'd share a pic... this is Victor - Rhodebar cockerel.
Rhodebars, for those unfamiliar, are a barred, autosexed version of the RIR.
They are a rare breed from Britian... my current HRIR breeding program involves improvements in the US Rhodebar genetics also.
Victor is now 22 weeks old...he is one of two cockerels who will be breeding this coming season...
One to current Rhodebar hens, the other to a group of excellent HRIR hens to create the first generation
of what I hope will be some vast improvement to the Rhodebar genetics.
He is quite young still, but he's coming along relative to many other Rhodebars I've seen - I think he'll be a good one.

 

[armorfirelady]

Red ridge victor is stunning !