The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[MumsyII]

So very sorry to miss so much happenings on the forum and this thread. I took a break from all media for a while. No rest though. A lot to take care of around my place. My fourteen HRIR cockerels are now down to four.
My two Silkie pens have given me over forty two chicks and they are doing great. My husband has finished the Tudor Brooder. The pop door went in yesterday. Twelve chicks are coming outdoors into the sunshine now to scratch and sun.

We processed six roosters and one turkey hen. The freezer is full of meat. Four turkeys and a couple cockerels left to send to freezer camp. The garden is finished for the year and I just moved the layer flock and my #1 HRIR cockerel in with them.

I gots lots of catch up reading to do on this thread.


#1 HRIR cockerel gets a chance with the layers. He sticks with his girls and feeds them treats. So far, he is my best choice for the future. He is only seven months old. Just half grown. A real stunner.


Those boys that didn't make the cut, put lovely dinner on the table and filled the freezer. The best chicken I've ever tasted.


This is one of my culls. For a cull, he is really beautiful. I love my Ron Fogle strain. My first breeding efforts start Jan. 2014.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

In a perfect world you don't want to regraze a spot (for parasite reasons) for at least 21 days.
In a perfect world for forage quality, you don't ever want your forage to be taken down less than 4" in length (it begins to damage the root system when eaten below 4").

Of course... we'd all love to live in a perfect world, but... it's always nice to have goals. 

I like that system where a big compost pile is always available and opens on to rotating pastures -- each planted with the best Chicken Salad. I'd love to have some quality manure to have a setup like that.

There is a guy in our area -- a family friend -- that goes around the world gathering trees to naturalize to our zone, mostly fruits I've never heard of. I spoke to him recently about ideas for a diverse chicken orchard mix, featuring some of his exotics and also more normal things like mulberries and figs that he grows but we don't (we grow "normal" northern fruit trees here). He says he is very excited by the project, so I'll have to send him a note as a reminder. Nursery industry harvest season is coming up.

We could be like that guy in Spain who raises natural fois gras on figs and dates and marigolds.

It won't stop me wanting a manure pile, though.

 

[armorfirelady]

Mumsy WELCOME BACK

You were missed. Glad to hear all is well & that your freezer is full & your silkies are producing so well. Your HRIR rooster is stunning.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

For some reason I'm really hungry for chicken now! Thanks Mumsy!

 

[armorfirelady]

It was a beautiful sunny fall day that did warm up after the freeze last night. I moved some of the canvas on the hoop coop. The roll up pieces were inside and great poop catchers

so I moved them to the outside with the thought they would stay cleaner and as the winds blew it would blow the canvas in & be a better wind break. I also drilled 2 holes in the pieces of wood attached to the bottom of the canvas so that once I button up for winter I can use those cords with balls on the ends to hold them to the cattle panels. It warmed up so much I left the canvas up. The DL was damp around the edges so I raked it all to the center so that it can dry some. Added some peat moss as well to help keep the DL happy with all those leaves I have in there. We are suppose to get a heat wave & get back in the 60s this week.

I decided to try Leahs Mom find and added ping pong balls to the waterer to see if it stops it from freezing. The water in the bottom froze last night. We might get down to freezing again tonight as well so I am curious to see if it works.

I finished up the insulated box today (well almost it needs latches) and got it in position. Didn't cost me anything but my time. I had all the pieces and parts here already.

I need to get the spray foam on the bottom edges covered also. That will be the first thing the girls go after. I put a thermometer in there to see what the temp difference might be. (The owl isn't a hawk deterrent it's a solar light & his eyes help light up the area.) I am pretty curious to see of it prevents freezing.

I also strung shiny christmas balls across the girls run area to try & deter the hawks. I didnt see or hear the hawks at all today. The girls were happy about that.

The hardest part of stringing it was my *helpers* Mrs Green & Stella kept walking thru the string and walking away with it. Of course they thought the balls might be food in disguise as well




The girls seemed to enjoy me out & about near the coop. They followed me everywhere & were outside the longest I have seen them in awhile. I think I wore them out



The 1st 2 pics there are 3 hens there. Lucy is hidden by Stella & Sophie. The big girls look rough......they are all molting and look horrible.

Sally8 in the middle picture thats Sophie the BCM who was the 2nd smallest tot. I looked at her today & realized she doubled in size !!! She is bigger than Lucy & close to the same size as Stella. She is also finishing up a molt ...........thats why I think she looks so big. Hoping that means she will start laying soon

She is the last one.


It was a rough day for them as you can tell.........they also got a turkey carcass today. I don't know how they got on the roost

 

[delisha]

Quote: Just use a hot compress..any clean old rag soaked in hot water and soap.
The ointment is your call. If you do not see any infection my answer is no. The hot compress should do the trick. You might have to do several times for a few days.

So very sorry to miss so much happenings on the forum and this thread. I took a break from all media for a while. No rest though. A lot to take care of around my place. My fourteen HRIR cockerels are now down to four.
My two Silkie pens have given me over forty two chicks and they are doing great. My husband has finished the Tudor Brooder. The pop door went in yesterday. Twelve chicks are coming outdoors into the sunshine now to scratch and sun.

We processed six roosters and one turkey hen. The freezer is full of meat. Four turkeys and a couple cockerels left to send to freezer camp. The garden is finished for the year and I just moved the layer flock and my #1 HRIR cockerel in with them.

I gots lots of catch up reading to do on this thread.


#1 HRIR cockerel gets a chance with the layers. He sticks with his girls and feeds them treats. So far, he is my best choice for the future. He is only seven months old. Just half grown. A real stunner.

Mumsy..so glad you checked in..we all worry
He is a stunner!!

 

[delisha]

It was a beautiful sunny fall day that did warm up after the freeze last night. I moved some of the canvas on the hoop coop. The roll up pieces were inside and great poop catchers

so I moved them to the outside with the thought they would stay cleaner and as the winds blew it would blow the canvas in & be a better wind break. I also drilled 2 holes in the pieces of wood attached to the bottom of the canvas so that once I button up for winter I can use those cords with balls on the ends to hold them to the cattle panels. It warmed up so much I left the canvas up. The DL was damp around the edges so I raked it all to the center so that it can dry some. Added some peat moss as well to help keep the DL happy with all those leaves I have in there. We are suppose to get a heat wave & get back in the 60s this week.

I decided to try Leahs Mom find and added ping pong balls to the waterer to see if it stops it from freezing. The water in the bottom froze last night. We might get down to freezing again tonight as well so I am curious to see if it works.

I finished up the insulated box today (well almost it needs latches) and got it in position. Didn't cost me anything but my time. I had all the pieces and parts here already.

I need to get the spray foam on the bottom edges covered also. That will be the first thing the girls go after. I put a thermometer in there to see what the temp difference might be. (The owl isn't a hawk deterrent it's a solar light & his eyes help light up the area.) I am pretty curious to see of it prevents freezing.

I also strung shiny christmas balls across the girls run area to try & deter the hawks. I didnt see or hear the hawks at all today. The girls were happy about that.

The hardest part of stringing it was my *helpers* Mrs Green & Stella kept walking thru the string and walking away with it. Of course they thought the balls might be food in disguise as well




The girls seemed to enjoy me out & about near the coop. They followed me everywhere & were outside the longest I have seen them in awhile. I think I wore them out



The 1st 2 pics there are 3 hens there. Lucy is hidden by Stella & Sophie. The big girls look rough......they are all molting and look horrible.

Sally8 in the middle picture thats Sophie the BCM who was the 2nd smallest tot. I looked at her today & realized she doubled in size !!! She is bigger than Lucy & close to the same size as Stella. She is also finishing up a molt ...........thats why I think she looks so big. Hoping that means she will start laying soon

She is the last one.


It was a rough day for them as you can tell.........they also got a turkey carcass today. I don't know how they got on the roost

I am so glad you cut back feed..those birds are fed well and shinny feathers..you could cut back even more.

 

[aaggjg]

Welcome back Mumsy!!!

He is Beautiful!!! Wow those HRIR look NOTHING Like hatchery RIRs!!!

Love to see some pictures of your fluffy white butts when you get a minute!

 

[aoxa]

So very sorry to miss so much happenings on the forum and this thread. I took a break from all media for a while. No rest though. A lot to take care of around my place. My fourteen HRIR cockerels are now down to four.
My two Silkie pens have given me over forty two chicks and they are doing great. My husband has finished the Tudor Brooder. The pop door went in yesterday. Twelve chicks are coming outdoors into the sunshine now to scratch and sun.

We processed six roosters and one turkey hen. The freezer is full of meat. Four turkeys and a couple cockerels left to send to freezer camp. The garden is finished for the year and I just moved the layer flock and my #1 HRIR cockerel in with them.

I gots lots of catch up reading to do on this thread.


#1 HRIR cockerel gets a chance with the layers. He sticks with his girls and feeds them treats. So far, he is my best choice for the future. He is only seven months old. Just half grown. A real stunner.


Those boys that didn't make the cut, put lovely dinner on the table and filled the freezer. The best chicken I've ever tasted.


This is one of my culls. For a cull, he is really beautiful. I love my Ron Fogle strain. My first breeding efforts start Jan. 2014.

Mumsy, what great long tails they have!! Very important

 

[aaggjg]

Just use a hot compress..any clean old rag soaked in hot water and soap.
The ointment is your call. If you do not see any infection my answer is no. The hot compress should do the trick. You might have to do several times for a few days.

Great I will hot compress her eye starting tomorrow morning! I will keep you posted. Thanks again!