The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ki4got]

Quote:
my dorkings I used size 11.

I'm also using that on my 'dottes too (roos). the sfh would probably take a smaller size, but they're all unique so there's no need. I don't leg band the cochins because of the fuzz feet but use wing bands for permanent ID when the chicks are a week old or so. I use zip ties for different breeds/breeders/varieties etc if I need to prior to that for easy id

 

[Leahs Mom]

Found this on the Stromberg's Site: http://www.strombergschickens.com/bird_band_size

Guideline Chart for Bird Leg Band Sizes

Band Size #​

Physical Size​

Fits​

2 1/8" Canaries, day old Quail
3 5/32" Parakeet, 1-4 week old Quail, Doves, Cockatiels, Guinea keets
4 1/4" Baby Chicken, Coturnix Quail, small Pigeon, adult Bobwhite Quail
5 5/16" Pheasant hen, Tumblers, medium Pigeon, Homers
6 3/8" Pheasant cocks, month old Chickens, large Pigeons, Chukar Partridge, Wood Duck
7 7/16" Ringneck Pheasants, Mallards, Wild Ducks, Bantams, Feather Leg and Runt Pigeons
9 9/16" Wild Ducks, Pheasants, Leghorn hens, Ancona, Silkie, Gamebirds
10 5/8" Wild Turkey, Minorcas, Cross breeds, adult Guineas
11 11/16" Plymouth Rock hens, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Red hens, Leghorn cocks, medium Ducks: Runners, Swedish, Harlequin
12 3/4" Wild Geese, Plymouth Rock Males, Turkey hens, Geese, Jersey Giant cocks, Orpingtons, larger Ducks: Pekins, Rouens, Muscovy
14 7/8" Canada Geese, Turkeys, Honkers, Jersey Giant Cocks
Learn more information on poultry bands available from Stromberg's


They also told me that usually size 11 for the hens and size 12 for the roosters for SFH and Hatchery Red/BR/EE

Sound right to y'al?

 

[wolfglen]

Did this thread on natural chicken keeping disappear or is it just my fumbling attempts at using a computer that I can only find comments about a month old and for only one day here?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Must b your computer!

 

[wolfglen]

I seem to be able to find it now. At first, I could only get what was apparently the first day it was started.
I have three ponds where I raise fish and have been combining the fish farming and the chickens with natural feeding. I mentioned this on a couple of other threads to see if I could find other people doing the same, but hadn't any responses yet.

Jack

 

[RedRidge]

The spiral-bands are very forgiving in size.
My production birds get size 7 or 9.
My RIR pullets get 9 when young, 11 as adults. The cockerels get 11 when young and 13 as adults.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The spiral-bands are very forgiving in size.
My production birds get size 7 or 9.
My RIR pullets get 9 when young, 11 as adults. The cockerels get 11 when young and 13 as adults.

Thanks again! I sure wish there was a local source for these that I could just go pick some up. It would be much easier to do it by sight and I definitely don't zillions of each size.

 

[Jewelwing]

@Leahsmom You are totally right about the weight the sled can hold! I feel like such an idiot for not thinking about what they're actually designed for - to hold humans!

I have three ponds where I raise fish and have been combining the fish farming and the chickens with natural feeding. I mentioned this on a couple of other threads to see if I could find other people doing the same, but hadn't any responses yet.

Jack

I think that's a great idea!! We don't have any fish in our ponds (DH wants to keep them herp ponds), but I love your thinking. I hope you find some like-minded people to talk about it all with!

 

[lazy gardener]

I seem to be able to find it now. At first, I could only get what was apparently the first day it was started.
I have three ponds where I raise fish and have been combining the fish farming and the chickens with natural feeding. I mentioned this on a couple of other threads to see if I could find other people doing the same, but hadn't any responses yet.

Jack

How big are your ponds, and what are you raising? How much are you able to harvest from them?

I'd love to at some time in the future get involved with Aquaponics. The down side is the bitter cold winters. I have the space to do a modest set up. Can you tell me a bit about your "natural feeding"? I'm rolling the idea around in my head of going to a grain based chicken feed. Not sure how to achieve the correct protein. I saw one "recipe" that used kelp and Koi fish food to boost the nutrient in the chicken feed. I can envision a heated green house, with Aquaponic set up and, possibly chickens and rabbits for egg/meat supply. Add some solar, and I'd be sitting pretty! It doesn't cost any thing to dream.

 

[wolfglen]

I've spent a lot of time in Maine (40 years ago)
I have three ponds, the biggest is 400' by 100', the smallest 120 x 50.
I'm raising tilapia, catfish, bass, etc. I feed them the floating catfish pellets. The biproduct of this is a lot of nitrogen and phosphate in the water. I've added water lettuce and a floating plant similar to duckweed and water hyanthics (*sp?{. They bind up the minerals as vegetable matter. Then, I harvest about two wheel barrows a day and feed it to the chickens.

As you know, the little buggers are gluttons, so they pig out on the veggies first thing in the morning. After that, I feed them their corn and mash. The plants as I understand are about 8 percent protein, so it's filling and nutritious

Since the fish are used to eating those little pellets, I tie fishing flies out of deer hair, trimmed and dyed to imitate the pellets and fish for them just like you would for trout in a river or lake. They get up to 12 lbs, but the average adult is about 5 pounds. that's about 20 inches and the 12 lb fish is nearly 30 inches in length.

After filleting the fish, I take the carcasses par boil them and feed them to the chickens. At first I was afraid that they might choke on the bones, but in several years of feeding, I've never had it happen.

Also, I've found several plants which grown in my butterfly gardens which overpopulate such as the spanish needles and the birds love them. It cuts my feed bill by 50 percent. I have 140 birds and use slightly over two bags of food per week.

Jack