The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Meinertzhagens]

Thank you teachick, lazy gardener, Karen, and delisha!

I feel a lot better now about cancelling those vaccinations and putting sod from the yard in the brooder.

I have already decided on FF, although the DH is not to thrilled about that I read I should start it (maybe on here) on the day of scheduled hatch, but I am having most shipped, so maybe a few days earlier?

Also, any suggestions on a good, but easy to obtain chick starter? I really don't want to use medicated feed...

Thank you all again for my online chicken education!!

 

[Pozees]

I'm with Karen, I would much rather use scissors - but the ones you use make a difference. I have a pair I spent good money on when my son was an infant (22 years ago) - blunt tipped, very small, VERY sharp - still work fantastic and that's what I used to trim the crests I did last week. The blunt tips and sharpness make a huge difference.

Delisha, just curious, why do you vaccinate chicks you ship? Will you send unvaccinated if people request?

 

[delisha]

It all depends on your goals and your storage situation.
FF chick starter:
You will be dollars a head if you can find a mill that can get you organic chick feed. It is expensive, but 50lbs of chick feed goes a long way. Make sure you store it in a tight container that keeps out moisture and rodents. I am fortunate I can get it in 10lb packages if needed. This time of year I have few chicks and 50lbs is too much to have laying around for the mice for $38.00 to feed them. In a few weeks that 50lbs is going to be needed.

You can find smaller weights of organic chick feed online and have it shipped. Supplement raw liver weekly. Bagged feeds no longer contain meats in most states (They want poor chickens to turn into vegans). It is necessary for huge poultry businesses to go to a vegan diet. They feed the poop to cattle and it can't contain meat bi-products.

Most chick feed will work..I do not use medicated for many reasons. If your goal is to have chickens for a long time I encourage you not to use it. If your goal is to replace chickens every few years, medicated should be ok.




Justin,
I have pips..my chicks should be on time..and its 4 chicks not 6...I have 6 due on the 24rd.

 

[RedRidge]

Delisha... If you buy your own ingredients and mix and ferment your own your cost per 50 lbs is a lot less and assured a lot better quality - mine for chicks is less than $24 for 50 lbs... several dollars less than that for adults.

 

[Meinertzhagens]

Thank you!
Mice and cotton rats are a major issue for us right now too, so much that our thee cats can't keep up and we find them dead all over the yard!

I'll start looking for a local supplier, but have a feeling I'll be ordering. I definitely like the idea of organic. I'll only have about 20 chicks to start and once they go in the yard this summer they'll free range, so I don't mind paying more now to "try" to keep them that way. (We only garden organically with heirloom seeds.) I know it's only organic to our standards, but good for our piece of mind.

With 120 eggs in the bator, I'm sure you'll need to re-up soon!! I can't wait to see pics of that many babies, If you get around to it before shipping them!

 

[Meinertzhagens]

Sheri,

I just found this recipe
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/03/organic-chick-starter-feed-recipe.html
(thanks mlowen!)

Is this about what you use? I think it would be a whole lot easier to make my own than finding it locally or ordering it. Not to mention that it would give me a greater piece of mind knowing exactly what was in it!

 

[RedRidge]

Sheri, 

I just found this recipe 
http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/03/organic-chick-starter-feed-recipe.html
 (thanks mlowen!)

Is this about what you use? I think it would be a whole lot easier to make my own than finding it locally or ordering it. Not to mention that it would give me a greater piece of mind knowing exactly what was in it!

No... In my opinion that ration is not well balanced. .. way too much wheat for one thing. Way too complicated for another. It is wiser to make use of readily available ingredients and then balance from there. It is also wise to use as few ingredients as is necessary to balance it. Lots of ingredients mean more work, more storage, and more likelihood of not being self sustaining (which is a huge goal here). Too much wheat can cause pasty butt. I don't use wheat at all most of the time. It is easily available here but we use our wheat for human consumption. I use non gmo corn, oats and field peas. Grind and ferment those. The add the "premix" (powdery ingredients) each day as I remove the grains from the FF. My premix for chicks is a combination of nutribalancer, alfalfa meal, fish meal & meat meal. I use BSF instead of fish and may meal for adults (BSF is too high in calcium for chicks), and I add limestone to the adult FF. There are a few other ingredients as well but I can't remember of the roll of my head. .. some kelp depending on time of year...

 

[Meinertzhagens]

Thank you, I had started researching where to find all of those ingredients organically and was beginning to get discouraged. Also, good to know about the wheat.
I'll be scratching that recipe out of the notebook.
Thank you for a start on yours, I really appreciate it!
DH is up and cleaning, guess I'd better help. Plus, it's supposed to be in the mid 40s today, with no rain. Maybe I'll actually spend some time outside today!! ... in my swamp :/

 

[aoxa]

Sue (LM) I think your SFH is very cute with her short haircut! She looks like Jennifer Lawrence, now.

Axoa...I changed my avatar, again.

Thanks for remembering to tell me!

Justine,
I have pips..my chicks should be on time..and its 4 chicks not 6...I have 6 due on the 24rd.

I am going to count mine when I go to lock down. They are due Wednesday. I am finding I don't see internal pips until two days prior, so Monday is when I am expecting to start putting them in the hatchers. I have put them all in the bottom tray for hatching in my Sportsman, but I am not increasing humidity in there.. I just needed room for this weeks eggs

 

[Pozees]

Quote:
Is nutribalancer a brand name, and is there something similar you know of? I asked for it at our local feed mill and they had never heard of it.