The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

well, what with storms, family emergencies, and travel plans, I ran out of feed and I grabbed a bag of pelleted feed (sprout brand) from a fleet farm to tide me over til I could get to the mill.

Wasn't all that surprised when the flock refused to eat it day one. and day two. and......week later.....2 weeks later......So I had to laugh today when it was finally warm outside with only mild windchill and the flock went outside. I noticed on the ground under the coop there was still a dish of those pellets - untouched by mice, wild birds, and of course, the chickens. It had to have been left there two weeks ago at least. no one will eat it!

makes you wonder, doesn't it?

 

[Scott H]

I would skin and eat one if it came from the wilderness...I like bear meat but I would not eat a garbage dump bear...just sayin....I could keep a fine restaurant in coons of questionable quality. They eat my garbage.....

 

[Jewelwing]

CR - Once it's spring and your birds are outside and more active I think you won't need to worry about it

Good, that's what I'm hoping too!

x2..more meat..less grains

you are feeding them for you..not for them..
a healthy chicken is hungry..if your FF is freezing...you are over feeding...if you toss grain in your coop ..they should tear the litter apart to find it..using energy to hunt for those important grains. Bread is one of the worst things to feed anyone.

It is hard not to over treat pets..I am horrible with the dogs

I disagree about the ff freezing. It freezes so fast there wouldn't be time for the ones lower on the pecking order to eat. Plus, I like to leave some out in dishes overnight so when the chickens get up in the morning they have something to eat (it's outside the coop, but they have an automatic pop door). I don't get up all that early, especially on weekends... I will cut out the bread, though.

I love the idea of turning leftover food into eggs, so it's hard not to want to feed the chickens everything!

For me, I find it easy not to over treat my dog and cats, since they don't get any people food. The cats never get treats - they get toys instead, and the dog only gets treats during training and judiciously during walks to keep her behaving well. Easy peasy to keep the dog's weight just right since she gets her food measured every night. Now when she gets into the chicken run and helps herself to their treats, that's another matter!! Oh, and she also likes to gobble up the "treats" they leave behind as they walk around.

Pretty sure my birds don't have salmonella - the dog is my canary in a coal mine!

Good point. I have heard a lot about BOSS causing fatty liver in birds if fed too much.

Too many grains make us fat as well.

I didn't know that about birds, but I did know that sunflower seeds are quite fatty. It's why we feed our rat (yes, a pet rat, but she's really cute and sweet!) rat chow blocks instead of one of the mixes. She'd pick out the sunflower seeds and get fat!

 

[Scott H]

Rats make great pets! Had one when I was a kid and it was like a miniature dog,no kidding.

 

[Jewelwing]

BTW..I have never eaten it ..I would try it..I have tried many odd things to see how they tasted..even porpoise.

You ate porpoise on purpose? *groan* - couldn't resist...

 

[Jewelwing]

Rats make great pets! Had one when I was a kid and it was like a miniature dog,no kidding.

I totally agree! But a lot of people give me a questionable look when they hear my daughter has a pet rat. IMHO they are the best pets of all the little caged mammals. Mostly people don't like their tails.

 

[chick rookie]

And
Cheese
Real Pickles
Kefir

Want some more examples?

I have been reading all kinds of things to him I will ware him down... I always do. lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

well, what with storms, family emergencies, and travel plans, I ran out of feed and I grabbed a bag of pelleted feed (sprout brand) from a fleet farm to tide me over til I could get to the mill.

Wasn't all that surprised when the flock refused to eat it day one. and day two. and......week later.....2 weeks later......So I had to laugh today when it was finally warm outside with only mild windchill and the flock went outside. I noticed on the ground under the coop there was still a dish of those pellets - untouched by mice, wild birds, and of course, the chickens. It had to have been left there two weeks ago at least. no one will eat it!

makes you wonder, doesn't it?

This is another "confirmation" of what I've been hearing from folks all over about feeds that have processed and GMO items in them. Not to mention the fats becoming rancid from sitting on a shelf for sometimes months on end.

When even the mice won't eat it....well...that's saying a lot.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
Wait....
Did you pot roast a coon? What did I miss here?

LOL no, that was just a total non sequitur. LOL "on a totally different note..." just had to share that spur of the moment thought. LOL

 

[Turkeytruff]

i'm a control freak with my eggs... i incubate everything then decide which girls deserve chicks... I ALWAYS relocate a broody (once she's definitely setting) to one of the brooder boxes before deciding to give her any eggs or chicks. if she relocates and stays broody, then she'll get one hatching egg (internally pipped usually) and a few warm dudds to hold the heat if she gets off the nest to eat. once it's hatched and she's accepted it, then i'll give her more of the new chicks straight out of the hatcher. but again, she stays inside for a few days to get to know them, and for me tomake sure she's being a good momma. then they go to a broody pen for a week or so (so the other free rangers can get to see the new guys) before I let her out to range again.

I've had some girls prove to be excellent mothers, I've had others that will brood 100 chicks if you let them, but once they're in the pen for a few days with the babies they're done and don't want anything else to do with them... the ones who prove to be poor mothers don't get chicks again.

with your girl, I would say keep the chicks in the bator/hatcher/brooder a bit longer, and see if you can relocate her once she's gone to bed, (some place a bit more sheltered, warmer, etc) that you can observe her from, and if she's still acting broody in the morning, in her new home, then try giving her a couple chicks at a time. they don't have to hatch under her for her to accept them. I always added chicks after dark tho, so she couldn't see them to peck them. and by listening to them over night by morning she was talking to them...

awesome broody, but sucked as a mother. she's never growled or pecked once at me. if memory serves, there were 42 chicks in this pic ranging from new to 3 weeks old under her, (the 2 white faces are my blue mottled cochin girls) she just kept taking more and more every time I walked by with a new chick she'd raise a stink until it was under her... when she went outside with some babies the first time, she had 6, but lost 4 in the first 3 days out due to indifference. she'd walk away and they didn't follow, she wouldn't call them to her. I took the last 2 back away from her. so now if I need a broody to keep babies warm (going to swaps with them) she's my choice. LOL I can keep rotating chicks in and out, and she's just content to sit there and keep them warm. (indoors where the temp averages about 70 or so... so even if she doesn't cover them all, it's not critical. they get cool they scoot under further)

my buff orp is the best broody for actually raising chicks...

thanks for your considered reply and that awesome picture of your broody. Wow! Love it!
Although she seemed OK today, I haven't seen her emerge from under her so I have kept all 4 new chicks (and 3 more zipping as I type this

) in the house under my Ecoglow. I don't have the luxury of choosing a broody as at the moment there is only the one. The rest are out foraging all day.
I'll see how tonight

and tomorrow goes. Rather raise them indoors for a bit than lose them....