The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

I have one more egg to go..it is piped and cheeping away so..so far so good. They all look so cute running around like little roadrunners. My favorite time is watching them run like crazy than stop...and drop the head. Sound asleep.





I have 5 RIR so far and 7 barn yards....
One egg is piped, one egg is totally silent. No interior or exterior pip. Pretty sure that is a goner.
I actually have done very well. Out of all the eggs in lock down, I had 2 confirmed deaths and one not sure.

 

[jendodd79]

This is why I have to wear splashpants when doing chores. Save my clothes. I've had a lot of different things all over them.
Uh yes I will have a couple with just those names.

I have a trio named Sandy Mandy & Randy. I need to get a girlfriend for Carlton and name her Carolton.

Yes we mostly name for funny factor.
I have to be very careful when handling the hay. This organic stuff has already given me and my fiance hives. I am (or was before the allergy shots) allergic to almost everything 'natural' on the test. Almost all kinds of trees. Mold. Dust. Pollen. I had to take the day off work after my test. I was dizzy and had a terrible reaction to just the test. A little over 6 months of shots twice a week, than another six months of once a week and than a year of every month.. Wow. I am never clogged up any more, and never take itchy watery eyes, hard breathing or any of that. Now it's just hives if I am touching something I was very sensitive to.

For anyone that has a lot of allergies, I'm sure you know how terrible you can feel. I always felt like I was sick with a cold. Never could smell anything. So glad I went with the shots!

Breathing in dust doesn't even bother me anymore

When I was a kid we had horses and I was allergic to the alfalfa! For some reason my allergies are dwindling now - well changing. 2 years ago I developed an allergy to raw apples. What the heck? I LOVE apples!!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

I am also reading the
Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread -

 

[aoxa]

When I was a kid we had horses and I was allergic to the alfalfa! For some reason my allergies are dwindling now - well changing. 2 years ago I developed an allergy to raw apples. What the heck? I LOVE apples!!

That's really strange!

I rode horses as well, and would get terrible allergies both rashes and hay fever symptoms. On my test, I was not allergic to the horses, which stumped me. I was sure I would have been!

Must have been the hay they were eating.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Maybe I can learn something before any of mine go broody this year. We weren't sure what to expect from the half wild games.
The one game hen with the large spurs, I think DH and I will work on her this weekend.

 

[Sally8]

I don't name all male birds because I don't keep them long but I name most of the females  regardless if  I keep them or not.

Often I let my friends or children name them. Recently I let my 2 1/2 year old Grandson name a couple of the Silkie chicks. It makes it fun when they all come to visit and they get to see 'their' chicken and how it's growing.

Johnny's hens were given the names of girls I knew in high school. It makes me laugh to call them by name and I get an instant visual flash of that girl that tormented me.....or was my bff. Yep...Twisted. Hah!

I think I've posted this before but my 3 yr old grandson named every single chicken Sally. We started with 11, when I joined BYC we had 8 now there are 5 of the original 11. That's why my avatar is Sally but I'm really Sue. I don't really name the chickens except the RIR is Red, the Bue rooster is Blue, grandson named the Marans roo Wrinkles, no reasons for any names. I try once in a while to accurately call grand kids by the right names the first time. lol

 

[AVintageLife]

You have to check out "Think it's too cold for your chickens? Think again..." Great thread.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have one more egg to go..it is piped and cheeping away so..so far so good. They all look so cute running around like little roadrunners. My favorite time is watching them run like crazy than stop...and drop the head. Sound asleep.





I have 5 RIR so far and 7 barn yards....
One egg is piped, one egg is totally silent. No interior or exterior pip. Pretty sure that is a goner.
I actually have done very well. Out of all the eggs in lock down, I had 2 confirmed deaths and one not sure.

They are so cute and Congrats on the hatch even if it did have you on pins and needles and sleepy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have 5 RIR so far and 7 barn yards....
One egg is piped, one egg is totally silent. No interior or exterior pip. Pretty sure that is a goner.
I actually have done very well. Out of all the eggs in lock down, I had 2 confirmed deaths and one not sure.

I'm so glad to hear on the RIRs!!!!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Hello everyone. I hope I am not asking a repeat. I was wondering what your opinions are on natural chicken keeping vs medicated chick feed.

I understand that the medicated part is not an antibiotic but Ampolium, a cocci preventative that in my lay-mans understanding seems to work by blocking thiamine (vitamin B) and along with it the thiamine transporter of the cocci parasite. From what I have read it is only a preventative and not a cure.

I am sort of inclined to not use it for my next batch of chicks as it seems to only be moderately effective and I would rather keep it as natural as possible but am I being overly paranoid? I was wondering what you feed your babies?