The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lindz8504]

Henry snacks on things like that too. He's a weirdo.

I would raise them if I had time, and space.. and not so much on my plate as it is... I keep forgetting to rinse the sprouts...

I forgot to rinse my BOSS sprouts and they molded!

I just took them and poured them out! The BOSS and Millet I was sprouting was ok, so I went ahead and took it to the chickens. I then started 3 more jars of Millet/BOSS. Rinsed, and soaking now! Can someone remind me and Aoxa to check our sprouts tomorrow? and the next day... and the next!

 

[aaggjg]

Ok so Pearl, AKA LOUD MOUTH, my Splash Marans crowed AGAIN this morning!!! In her defense one of my local Hawks was casing the joint perched up my neighbors Eucalyptus tree but still a crowing hen does NOT work for me ... nope not at all!!! Silly Chicken!

So in my upper coop I have 4 next boxes built into the side of the coop .... I put a rabbit hutch in the run as an extra nest box as when there were broodies the girls would scream and yell trying to get access to the favorite nest box. Well the secluded hutch became a favorite spot.... So much so that LOUD MOUTH & Tank both went broody and nested in that luxury room. This made the other girls rediscover the original nest boxes ... when luxury accommodations freed up a few of the girls started nesting in there again but not all of them ... Now nobody lays in there ... not even loud mouth who was the last hold out.... Instead they have decided that laying in a corner on the floor of the coop is the best place! My silkies lay in the box but my Marans & frizzle lay in the corner. WHY??? This is a new behavior and they have switched corners over the last week .... I can not figure out what turned them against the nest boxes or the luxury private suite! How do I change their minds??? Silly chickens .......

 

[aaggjg]

Thanks for this! I hadn't seen it before. Just finished reading Gail Damerow's Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks which was very informative but the pics and videos in that thread are great!

Glad it helped!! It was so useful when I was learning how to hatch!

 

[CourtsCacklers]

My girls (3 RIR, 3 Silver laced Wyandottes) have been stuck in the coop for a few days now-- even when I have the door open-- they want nothing to do with these below zero temps and wind-chill. They are getting "at" each other! They spent the entire summer trying to figure out their hierarchy to no avail--- suddenly stuck in the coop they are figuring it out. One has gotten extremely bossy and now that one-- I have caught "feather-picking"! My biggest girl (so the easiest to get to probably) has the ends of her feathers all picked at. I know that it is one doing it to another and not rats/mice. I have not had a problem with rats/mice at all. The coop is shut-up pretty tight and I go through the litter too often because I am paranoid of getting any nests going in there..... I've done a lot of reading on the subject and found that it is most common when they are bored and/or disputing pecking order.... Today I set up a dust bathing station inside the coop (one of the boys round snow sleds with ash) and gave them a flat of greens growing without the wire mesh so that they could actually play in the dirt. I also took out a homemade suet cake I had stored in the freezer and a cut up apples to try to keep them busy. They aren't really interested in the suet cake to be honest but I have never given them one before. What is everyone else doing to keep their girls happy and amicable when they are stuck in with these extreme temperatures? I am at a loss.... I don't want everyone to begin this behavior.... My girls are used to free-ranging daily so I can see why this is irritating them but there is only 6 girls in 40sq/ft-- I am so glad I don't have more than that in this space....

 

[RedRidge]

First hatch of the year... In the basement.
8 eggs, 6 hatched so far, 4 pullets & 2 cockerels.
I always brood in the barn... Have never had chicks in the basement before. So glad I have a tolerant husband since brooding in negative temps would be tough. Will be hatching every 5 days now beginning Feb 2. Wonder how long before he mentions moving back to the barn?

 

[Amiga]

I forgot to rinse my BOSS sprouts and they molded!

I just took them and poured them out! The BOSS and Millet I was sprouting was ok, so I went ahead and took it to the chickens. I then started 3 more jars of Millet/BOSS. Rinsed, and soaking now! Can someone remind me and Aoxa to check our sprouts tomorrow? and the next day... and the next!

Is there an app for that?

 

[Shan30]

My girls (3 RIR, 3 Silver laced Wyandottes) have been stuck in the coop for a few days now-- even when I have the door open-- they want nothing to do with these below zero temps and wind-chill. They are getting "at" each other! They spent the entire summer trying to figure out their hierarchy to no avail--- suddenly stuck in the coop they are figuring it out. One has gotten extremely bossy and now that one-- I have caught "feather-picking"! My biggest girl (so the easiest to get to probably) has the ends of her feathers all picked at. I know that it is one doing it to another and not rats/mice. I have not had a problem with rats/mice at all. The coop is shut-up pretty tight and I go through the litter too often because I am paranoid of getting any nests going in there..... I've done a lot of reading on the subject and found that it is most common when they are bored and/or disputing pecking order.... Today I set up a dust bathing station inside the coop (one of the boys round snow sleds with ash) and gave them a flat of greens growing without the wire mesh so that they could actually play in the dirt. I also took out a homemade suet cake I had stored in the freezer and a cut up apples to try to keep them busy. They aren't really interested in the suet cake to be honest but I have never given them one before. What is everyone else doing to keep their girls happy and amicable when they are stuck in with these extreme temperatures? I am at a loss.... I don't want everyone to begin this behavior.... My girls are used to free-ranging daily so I can see why this is irritating them but there is only 6 girls in 40sq/ft-- I am so glad I don't have more than that in this space....

Sounds like you are doing everything you can to keep them amused. Is it possible that they are not getting enough protein? Feather picking can sometimes be a deficiency rather than boredom. Sorry I can't be more helpful, have never actually had this problem!

 

[Shan30]

Is there an app for that? 

For anything like this I use the calendar, set up appointments with reminders and set them to repeat every day.

 

[misbhaven]

First hatch of the year... In the basement.
8 eggs, 6 hatched so far, 4 pullets & 2 cockerels.
I always brood in the barn... Have never had chicks in the basement before. So glad I have a tolerant husband since brooding in negative temps would be tough. Will be hatching every 5 days now beginning Feb 2. Wonder how long before he mentions moving back to the barn?

my husband built a brooding room for me in my basement in an old coal area..it had 4 foot walls alreday got some foam type insulation board to go all the way to the top...he is talking about putting a door on it...He went and got 2 milk house heaters for that room which is heated by boiler pipes in the ceiling...by the way the room is 12 X 12 or so... chicken math has got one of us..we repurposed a toddler bed 3 big rubbermaid tubs fit in side the frame of that and light can be mouted to the frame it is a wood sleigh type..and he is saying we need more brooders. i have 8 chicks coming next week 4 buff bramhas bantams, 4 EE and what ever packing peanuts.. and then more coming next month..He was actually bugging me today asking if the chicks would be here tommorow..

 

[CourtsCacklers]

Sounds like you are doing everything you can to keep them amused. Is it possible that they are not getting enough protein? Feather picking can sometimes be a deficiency rather than boredom. Sorry I can't be more helpful, have never actually had this problem!

They are provided free-choice commercial pellets (16%), free choice grit, free choice oyster shells and I give them freshly grown greens daily.... but I suppose it could be that if they are craving more protein.... It has only happened since they have been under "lock-down"... it is so annoying!