The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

I brought one more bird in the house today..the rest seem fine on the first day out. I am not sure the three in the house are worth the extra effort to try to save, but, I am making sure they have a few days of available food and water with out having to go far. I will give them that much.

Glad to hear that things seem to be improving

Quote:
yup. that's what I'm doing... I have one pen the dog can't get into, but my free rangers can get in to pick at it.
I toss the whole carcass where the hens can get it & the dogs cant. When everything is picked clean into the compost it goes.

 

[armorfirelady]

Over the last few days we have gotten about a foot of snow. The first few days the girls were ok with going out after I shoveled. Today not so much.........

Stella is like *You want me to walk on that white stuff?*

*Well ok if I get some chicken crack* Stella is all about food..........

A few other girls were convinced with a treat........Its hard to see but the others are all standing at the glass door pecking at the window. Perhaps they thought their siblings would bring some inside for them?


Had a wonderful surprise today......found the top egg nestled in the leaves. (the bottom egg is Stella's for comparison) Seems Sophie my 33 week old BCM decided today was a good day to lay her 1st egg

perhaps tomorrow she will try the nesting box. I had my small camera out there today trying to see if more than one hen laying (I think there is) but it only caught the top of Sophie's tail feathers under the nesting box. The picture really doesn't do the egg justice. Its much darker. I showed my son & he rolled his eyes.....oh well I was excited and needed to show someone

 

[fosterson]

Had a wonderful surprise today......found the top egg nestled in the leaves. (the bottom egg is Stella's for comparison) Seems Sophie my 33 week old BCM decided today was a good day to lay her 1st egg

perhaps tomorrow she will try the nesting box. I had my small camera out there today trying to see if more than one hen laying (I think there is) but it only caught the top of Sophie's tail feathers under the nesting box. The picture really doesn't do the egg justice. Its much darker. I showed my son & he rolled his eyes.....oh well I was excited and needed to show someone

Yay!

 

[TeaChick]

Over the last few days we have gotten about a foot of snow. The first few days the girls were ok with going out after I shoveled. Today not so much.........

Stella is like *You want me to walk on that white stuff?*

*Well ok if I get some chicken crack* Stella is all about food..........

A few other girls were convinced with a treat........Its hard to see but the others are all standing at the glass door pecking at the window. Perhaps they thought their siblings would bring some inside for them?


Had a wonderful surprise today......found the top egg nestled in the leaves. (the bottom egg is Stella's for comparison) Seems Sophie my 33 week old BCM decided today was a good day to lay her 1st egg

perhaps tomorrow she will try the nesting box. I had my small camera out there today trying to see if more than one hen laying (I think there is) but it only caught the top of Sophie's tail feathers under the nesting box. The picture really doesn't do the egg justice. Its much darker. I showed my son & he rolled his eyes.....oh well I was excited and needed to show someone

I don't do snow either.

My kids are like that about my chickens too; they say "great, Mom", but it's kind of bland, not nearly as excited as I want ppl to be when I share something about my chickens.

 

[chicalot]

Delisha, I can't imagine.. hope the chickens pull through with nothing long lasting and you didn't lose too many.

Finally got a pretty enough day today for sprucing the coops up. Thank goodness for temps in the 40s today. I think I have some dud chickens that will never lay and I'm debating if I should switch from a layer feed since I only have 3 of 11 laying. The only thing I have found in all flock is 6 dollars more a bag.

 

[ki4got]

for those who want seeds to plant for their chickens, Burpee's having a sale...

http://www.burpee.com/images/conten...dayFREESHIPPINGOnEverythingFriSatSun-non.html

 

[Shan30]

So jealous of the snow! Beautiful!! (Yeah maybe I'm a bit of a freak)

 

[fosterson]

Got up this morning from post turkey coma (thanks Goliath*), tended chickens, collected eggs, moved the barreds out of the isolation coop into the integration area (I have a big run connected to my main coop with a spare doghouse as a hidie-hole...seems to work great). Gave the eating roosters more room, but that pen will come down when they're gone because it won't withstand the winter.
Patted myself on the back for looking at the forecast (we have snow potentially) so drug my butt back outside, dug post holes, drove posts, put up 3/4 of the new coop. Hopefully it won't be much snow because I still need to cut the holes/install the doors and ventilation in the new coop, mount the nesting box, and put a sturdy tarp over it for protection, and run the electrical conduit for the lights in the new coop.

I'm pooped.

*Goliath is my big roo, who is VERY LOUD, not a turkey. I don't think those turkeys had names, but they were delicious

 

[delisha]

I lost two of my old chickens and 4 chicks. I have three in the house I am worried about. They are Gold laced Orpingtons. One I will cull and send to the lab if they make it in a month or so. I want to make sure I can use them for breeding and they do not have damage. If they have damage I will consider gathering eggs, hatching a bunch and butchering out my flock. I have several friends that have my chickens I can get my BBS going again, but not my Gold laced. I just hope it did not do permanent damage and I do not think I did. It was such a short period of time and I got them drenched pretty fast and recovery was so quick.

 

[aoxa]

I am horrible about skimming so not sure if this clarification was made when it comes to bones raw is okay, the cooked are the ones that tend to splinter.

Sorry if I didn't make that obvious

I lost two of my old chickens and 4 chicks. I have three in the house I am worried about. They are Gold laced Orpingtons. One I will cull and send to the lab if they make it in a month or so. I want to make sure I can use them for breeding and they do not have damage. If they have damage I will consider gathering eggs, hatching a bunch and butchering out my flock. I have several friends that have my chickens I can get my BBS going again, but not my Gold laced. I just hope it did not do permanent damage and I do not think I did. It was such a short period of time and I got them drenched pretty fast and recovery was so quick.

Sounds to me like you did what you should have, very quickly.