The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

Quote: for a 4x8 (guessed on size, RR said 4x6 so you could adjust as needed) I'd estimate 10 2x4 (2x3 a little less $ and weight but still sturdy enough for chickens) some wire (24-36" roll, 25' ought to do) and probably 1 sheet of plywood (3/8 ti 1/2")

I may need to play with this design... I've been using a similar 4x8 pen for bantams and babies but the house is on the ground and has a flat roof.

here's a pic of the 3, but the middle one no longer has a house end as of the day this pic was taken... see the smoke? a cfl I had in the house for the babies (to get them to go to bed at night) shorted out and burned up the house end. no babies were harmed. I didn't think anything of the smoke when I took the pic, what I noticed was the dorking cockerel OUTSIDE the pen (to the left end) when I went to edit the images. LOL now it has a doghouse that attaches to the end.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

PEAK
Hardware Mesh 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch 36 inches x 5 feet​

Nustock on the chicken & neem oil on the wood.
And no it doesn't matter what kind of wood except I probably wouldn't use cedar. I have used ash from pine trees before

best prices for wire I've found are from www.wireclothman.com that's where I get my 1x1 especially, but have ordered others as needed. southern states is comparable for hardware cloth in 2 3 and 4 foot rolls, if you have one locally.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: I don't even give it a second thought. Then again I'll toss chick fil a scraps in their pen too, and should there be a cheeseburger from McDonald's left over its for the chickens too. I try to do many things naturally but I have my limits. My chickens have eaten many many things that are not natural to them and I'm sure are not gmo-free. Even my heritage chickens don't get organic feed just the higher protein stuff from RK or the feed mill.

I also spray by coop with seven stuff once in a while, well DH does the spraying due to me being in the family way. But I also try the natural stuff first. The vanilla worked for a while but it got to the point of the coop needing something stronger. The vanilla still works great as a bug repellant for people though.

We use wood ash and deep litter too to help keep bugs off of the birds. We have not had an infestation of anything other than flies. But flies are very very annoying to me. Next summer with the duck pool I will be on the look out for more mosquitoes. But the 2 ducks keep the water in motion pretty well.


you can always buy some feeder goldfish to put in the pool/pond... a few pieces of 2" pvc pipe about 12-18" long will lay on the bottom and give them shelter from the ducks... and they'll eat any bugs that try to move in. and depending how icky the water gets, you can also add aquatic plants like anacharis to help keep the water cleaner... some ducks like the taste, but I found that if you put multiple bunches and anchor them to rocks, they won't eat it all, and it'll keep growing as long as there's ample nitrates/nitrites in the water... with ducks swimming i'm sure that won't be a problem either. LOL

 

[ki4got]

oh and re: undainty stuff to a roo... LOL you'd be surprised... i was a bit hesitant at first, but someone showed me how to collect at the knoxville show, and the roos I've tried it in so far have enjoyed themselves... makes them easier to catch too LOL.

and it makes it a sure thing for fertile eggs where none have been yet. if the girls will ever start laying that is...

 

[Kassaundra]

oh and re: undainty stuff to a roo... LOL you'd be surprised... i was a bit hesitant at first, but someone showed me how to collect at the knoxville show, and the roos I've tried it in so far have enjoyed themselves... makes them easier to catch too LOL.

and it makes it a sure thing for fertile eggs where none have been yet. if the girls will ever start laying that is...

I'll just say I bet they do and it does!

 

[armorfirelady]

Hope everyone has as ace new year.

Lala & Delisha I know how much you wanted to sure your cold temps but you can have them back!! Ok its a real feel temp here of -5 & not close to your temps but I would be happy to be in the 30s. Heck I would be happier with 4 ft of snow!! And it's suppose to be a toasy 0 by tomorrow with real feel in the -teens. If I could stay home in front of the wood stove I would

But on a good note apparently chickens can be food motivated to go in the snow. My mom stopped to feed the hens & Stella & Lucy walked in the snow to get to the food hut. Why Lucy was standing IN the food dish I have no idea. Maybe because it was warm? I checked her feet when I got home and they are warm and I didn't see any frostbite. Maybe her feathered feet kept them warm & frost bite free?

 

[TeaChick]

I'll just say I bet they do and it does!

<----*giggles*

oh and re: undainty stuff to a roo... LOL you'd be surprised... i was a bit hesitant at first, but someone showed me how to collect at the knoxville show, and the roos I've tried it in so far have enjoyed themselves... makes them easier to catch too LOL.

and it makes it a sure thing for fertile eggs where none have been yet. if the girls will ever start laying that is...

If it's not that big a deal, then I might consider trying it, if it is absolutely necessary. I would want to avoid it if at all possible, though.

 

[Scott H]

This is definitely girl talk now. ....

 

[TeaChick]

This is definitely girl talk now. ....

 

[ki4got]

This is definitely girl talk now. ....

no, it's animal reproduction 101... if it can't be accomplished the 'natural' way, then someone has to step in and take over. whether that be due to design (aka too much fluff), location (like with cattle or horses, the animals are located in distant places) or injury (like with my red dorking roo and his crippled foot)...

AI is done on a large number of species, not just chickens, but turkeys (double breasted can't breed naturally), dogs, horses, cattle and more. and yes, people too for that matter, but we won't go there...

if you're bashful about the process, or their various pieces/parts, try owning several stallions at once... you lose that bashfulness the first time one of your studs drops and starts slapping in front of someone who isn't familiar with horses much, who says 'what's he doing?' LOL