The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

I want to try hat Leah's mom but my mom needs to show me how to use my grams sewing machine so I can make bags out of the burlap I have. Might just try sprouting it in a sieve I think I saw on here? Of course using the freezer full of veggies would make better sense lol

Spring must be coming soon........someone else started back laying today. One of the PR girls. I made sure to show it to Edie, Lucy & Sophie to remind them they need to get back on the job. I think they think I don't know what eggs they lay.....it is nice having them lay distinctive eggs. Then I know who the slackers are

 

[Leahs Mom]

I want to try hat Leah's mom but my mom needs to show me how to use my grams sewing machine so I can make bags out of the burlap I have. Might just try sprouting it in a sieve I think I saw on here? Of course using the freezer full of veggies would make better sense lol

Spring must be coming soon........someone else started back laying today. One of the PR girls. I made sure to show it to Edie, Lucy & Sophie to remind them they need to get back on the job. I think they think I don't know what eggs they lay.....it is nice having them lay distinctive eggs. Then I know who the slackers are

It was me.
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/12/easy-ways-to-sprout-seeds-for-your.html

 

[Leahs Mom]

Leslie - Have you read this book? http://www.nortoncreekpress.com/feeding_poultry.html

Do you recommend it?

Anyone else?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Sprouting is easier than fodder. Pumps are not required for fodder unless you're growing a huge amount. How many chickens are you feeding? I grow my sprouts in a 1 qt canning jar with a screen cut to fit inside the jar ring. Soak the seeds for a few hours, then rinse twice a day. It can't get any easier than that! And they love them. I grow a mix of BOSS, lentils, wheat, and barley. It takes 3 - 5 days, depending on how big you want the sprouts to get.

Trying the jar tonight. I just put some old grass seed in the jar to soak. I'm hoping for sprouts in a week or less.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Leslie - Have you read this book? http://www.nortoncreekpress.com/feeding_poultry.html

Do you recommend it? Anyone else?

I've been reading it free online and I LURVE it!!! I've quoted from it or linked to it in other threads. It hasn't answered my every question, but it sure has gotten me excited about a few things and feeling far more confident about how I feed my birds. I've been thinking a chapter-by chapter online book group for it here would be fun ... I could use some help translating some of the terms and making sense of some of the charts. It is amazing how many nutritional issues with chickens of all ages can be resolved with sunshine, tender fresh green things, liver, dairy products, and/or brewers yeast. Oh, and free-choice calcium on the side ...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:

Quote: Agreed....thus the "Natural" chicken keeping thread and philosophy

Same with all livestock. I did a lot of reading this spring and summer on cattle and goat nutrition from the natural perspective and the prevention of LOTS of common diseases thereby. Same with chickens!

Would the book thing be appropriate to do right here in this thread?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Quote:
Agreed....thus the "Natural" chicken keeping thread and philosophy

Same with all livestock.  I did a lot of reading this spring and summer on cattle and goat nutrition from the natural perspective and the prevention of LOTS of common diseases thereby.  Same with chickens!

Would the book thing be appropriate to do right here in this thread? 

Possibly. But the book is lots of chapters with specific topics, so it would be easier to navigate if they were individual threads so people could jump in any time without having to sort through a lot of other posts that might confuse/scramble the discussion ... not to mention all the other interesting topics that get discussed in this already fast-moving thread ...

Just my thoughts. I've been happy to bring this book any time I've had the urge ... I've probably even linked to the free online version of it right here in this thread ... probably ...

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
LOL and all the rocks and reds I've had, had bad attitudes compared to my others, so all went away, one way or the other.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yes, you have I think!

 

[TeaChick]

Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens and BYC. We are starting our flock this spring. I have a million questions, and hope to work my way through this thread gathering answers. That said, I hope you don't mind one round of newbie questions. Right now, I'm concerned with raising chicks naturally. Is it wise to forgo vaccinations? Is it possible to get chicks from hatcheries without them? Same question for medicated feed. I want to be as natural as possible since our hens will be producing food for us, but I absolutely don't want to create suffering for any animal and a miserable experience for us. Vaccinated or not, are there certain breeds that are particularly hearty/disease-resistant? We're looking for birds that are good foragers but also able to tolerate confinement in the run/coop (we have severe predator activity). Grateful for any guidance you can give.

- vaccinations: IMO, the risks w/o them are less than the risks of them; some go with minimal vax, others go with whatever the vet says; it's up to the owner/breeder, just like with dogs; the owner/breeder is responsible to themselves and their animals for the decisions they make on behalf of those animals.

- hatchery chicks: IDK if you can get them from hatcheries w/o vax; even if the chicks themselves aren't the parents probably were, so...

- medicated feed: same answer as for vax; depends on what is important to you (natural vs. fighting nature); sometimes "Mother Nature" is cruel, some say it's better to just roll with the flow and go natural b/c chickens are natural creatures.

- particularly hearty/disease-resistant breeds: yes, but IDK what they are; I would go more heritage breed b/c they're generally bred and grown with a survival of the fittest attitude (the ones that get sick are culled for the good of the flock and of the breed, etc).

- forage and confinement tolerant: I have very similar criteria (adding good layer before tolerating confinement). Here are the five breeds that scored best in my analysis of over 90 breeds (not all of them by any means, but a large portion of those available): 1. Wyandotte (perfect score), 2. Dominique, 3. Welsummer, 4. Plymouth Rock, 5. Dorking (the other five in my top ten were 6. Java, 7. Buckeye, 8. Cochin, 9. Sussex, 10. Orpington).
My criteria were these: 1. Forage/Free range, 2. good layer, 3. self-reliant (protect self, well aware, needs little from ppl), 4. tolerates confinement well, 5. friendly, 6. not aggressive, 7. not flighty (not skittish and doesn't fly well). I assigned each criterion a point value; number 1 got 10 points and each criterion subsequently received one less point than the criterion before it. (#7 received 3 pts).
In choosing a breed (or breeds) for your chickens, figure out what one or two traits you must have, then figure out one or two traits you really want, then maybe add one or two traits you definitely do not want. Then talk to several breeders (like on BYC) and maybe talk to some ppl in a thread that's devoted to those breeds. You should be able to narrow it down to a reasonable list of breeds that you can get some of fairly easily.

I, personally, prefer barnyard mixes and then I want to have one heritage breed or one breed that I keep a roo and hen of around for purebred chicks, hatching eggs, etc to sell. =)
All the best to you, Hon!!!