The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

It's funny with this girl...when I put her is a separated place to eat, she pretends like she doesn't see the food. But she'll eat when the others are around.

Very frustrating because I don't think she gets enough that way since they're all zipping around full speed while she's taking her time. I have made a way to get more to her when they are around however.

I have given all the things above except for herbs and even put some of the probiotics I sent you (AFL) in the water and extra in the feed. She has perked up a bit in the last couple of days but just not normal. I don't believe I've had an egg from her since molt.

For some reason I'm blank on herbs. They have had dried oregano.

I think I'll just have to try to see if I'm missing anything physically without bringing her in.

The one single thing to give a hen for ailment is an egg.

 

[CoopChick719]

Hmm I tried that tactic with my hens when they stopped laying for winter. They didn't believe me either.

Maybe next time I will take the stew pot out with me.........

(I am 5'2" also)

I'm 5'0" and when I picked up my Silkie roo to scold him he bit my hand. That earned him a special place under my arm as I walked all over the yard with him. DH said What are you doing? I said, He's in timeout!

Yes I lied 5' 1 3/4" in reality. Small means feisty anyways. We have to make up in spirit and wit what we lack in stature....like a bantam!

I like that..."I'm not short, I'm a banty!"

those things individually have nothing to do with each other, but the thing that binds them together is the 'family' of friends on this thread.

Wanted to post what I found tonight when I got home. I worked late so my mom stopped to make sure the girls had enough food & collect eggs. That was around noonish. I'm sure when she dropped my son off she said hi to the girls as well. I finally got home around 6 & decided to collect the eggs if there were any. Imagine my surprise when I found Stella on the coop floor hopping around. It was dark by then. Apparently the cabbage that was tied with hay twine was finished off today and the twine was laying on the coop floor & Stella got it wrapped around both legs & feet. I picked her up & got it off one leg. I couldn't get it off the other & didn't want to put her down in fear she would tighten the piece on her other leg. I called my mom & she was at work but as I was talking to her I was able to untie the twine from the coop wall. I figured I could cut off the piece still on her leg but realized I couldn't hold her & get the right angle with my hand to cut it. My friend was on his way home & had called me so he stopped over. Took his knife to get it off. Thankfully it wasn't tight on her leg but very little room to cut it off. Thankfully Stella stayed calm thru it all even when he was cutting the twine off as we stood under the porch light. No wounds on her legs or feet thank goodness. I put her back on her roost & stuck Edie btw her and one of the other girls to keep warm & closed up the coop.

Moral of the story if you tie something in the coop monitor it. She got caught up in it in less than 3 hours from when she was last checked. I used the same twine to tie the other half of cabbage up with no problem.

I'm guessing she was scratching where the twine was & got it tied around her one leg & wrapped around the other. I'm sure tomorrow she will voice her displeasure to me

I had a friend who's chicken ate some bailing twine and he noticed it hanging out her bottom. Unfortunately, she died soon after. Now, I always worry about twine or rope near the coop.

 

[CourtsCacklers]

I had a very busy chicken weekend. If you remember-- I had separated my hen out that was getting picked on and had bloody feet. It has been a couple of weeks (I think...who knows....one day is very much like another this winter...) any way since the weather was acceptable at the end of this past week I decided to add her back in. I did this while they were free ranging in the yard. It was very hard to watch the first couple of days. They did not draw any blood but they were very set on making her know that she was the lowest in the pecking order. They chased her out of the coop-- at times they made her stay in the coop and not access the run. I just kept a careful eye. I have the monitor in there so I was up as soon as they were and opened their door and watched them head to roost every night. To date-- no more blood-- and they actually all roosted on the top roosting bar last night (the first night I had to assist to even put her on the bottom roost. Before-- this girl was really getting picked on but almost seemed aloof about it. They made it very clear about her place in the pecking order now and she finally took the hint I think. I think we might be getting back to a cohesive group of 6 again....

 

[aoxa]

My first silkie hatch..
Can silkies be hy-bred? I have a cuckoo bred to a solid white. In the real world all solids would be girls.

Where is Ki4got?

In my experience, white does not make sex links period. White hides all colours.. I know when I asked if I could use my white Ameraucana over my Barred Rock hens for sex links the answer was no.

 

[TeaChick]

I had a very busy chicken weekend. If you remember-- I had separated my hen out that was getting picked on and had bloody feet. It has been a couple of weeks (I think...who knows....one day is very much like another this winter...) any way since the weather was acceptable at the end of this past week I decided to add her back in. I did this while they were free ranging in the yard. It was very hard to watch the first couple of days. They did not draw any blood but they were very set on making her know that she was the lowest in the pecking order. They chased her out of the coop-- at times they made her stay in the coop and not access the run. I just kept a careful eye. I have the monitor in there so I was up as soon as they were and opened their door and watched them head to roost every night. To date-- no more blood-- and they actually all roosted on the top roosting bar last night (the first night I had to assist to even put her on the bottom roost. Before-- this girl was really getting picked on but almost seemed aloof about it. They made it very clear about her place in the pecking order now and she finally took the hint I think. I think we might be getting back to a cohesive group of 6 again....

Sounds like things are going pretty well! =)
I hope it continues that way and gets better.
This is the hen who had an I'm at the top of the pecking order whether you know it or not attitude toward the rest of the hens, is that right?

I'm 5'0" and when I picked up my Silkie roo to scold him he bit my hand. That earned him a special place under my arm as I walked all over the yard with him. DH said What are you doing? I said, He's in timeout!

I like that..."I'm not short, I'm a banty!"
I gotta use that one some time; I'm 5'2", the tallest woman in my family (I can still say woman, b/c even though DD is taller than me, she's not an adult yet. lol)

I had a friend who's chicken ate some bailing twine and he noticed it hanging out her bottom. Unfortunately, she died soon after. Now, I always worry about twine or rope near the coop.

 

[CourtsCacklers]

Sounds like things are going pretty well! =)
I hope it continues that way and gets better.
This is the hen who had an I'm at the top of the pecking order whether you know it or not attitude toward the rest of the hens, is that right?

no--- unfortunately... when I added her back in after a while she roosted in spot #3 for one night and then was right back to top of the pecking order. Sadly, this was the one that they were picking on that they bloodied up a toe on each of her feet and had been munching on her feathers just for spite.... once she was bloody they were treating her so bad that I knew that if I left her in there I would come out to a dead chicken in the morning...it didn't seem like she was taking the hint to settle into her place (where ever that was they wanted her to be) I removed her for a couple weeks as a last resort. Things got uglier for a couple days after putting her in (but without blood atleast) and now she might be at the bottom of the pecking order but she is playing their games and seemingly "fitting in". They are free-ranging ALL together again and roosting ALL together again....

 

[ki4got]

My first silkie hatch..
Can silkies be hy-bred? I have a cuckoo bred to a solid white. In the real world all solids would be girls.

first, it depends if it's dominant or recessive white... also, white is capable of hiding all other mutations, even extended black and melanizing genes since it removes all pigmentation from the feathers. since they're all dark, I'd say you have the recessive white which requires 2 copies to be visible.

second, cuckoo is the barring gene, which is sex linked. so if it's a cuckoo male over white hens, everyone's likely to be barred. but it looks as if at least one of the whites is also NOT carrying silver (aka a red /brown base).

the only real answer anyone can give you when you ask 'if I breed X to white what will I get'. unless X is also white, the answer is, who knows...

 

[Shan30]

That reminds me of this video.  Cows are just big chickens, I guess!

http://blog.petflow.com/a-group-of-...lieve-what-the-cows-did-when-they-were-freed/

Adorable! Makes me miss having cows, they are just too sweet

 

[TeaChick]

no--- unfortunately... when I added her back in after a while she roosted in spot #3 for one night and then was right back to top of the pecking order. Sadly, this was the one that they were picking on that they bloodied up a toe on each of her feet and had been munching on her feathers just for spite.... once she was bloody they were treating her so bad that I knew that if I left her in there I would come out to a dead chicken in the morning...it didn't seem like she was taking the hint to settle into her place (where ever that was they wanted her to be) I removed her for a couple weeks as a last resort. Things got uglier for a couple days after putting her in (but without blood atleast) and now she might be at the bottom of the pecking order but she is playing their games and seemingly "fitting in". They are free-ranging ALL together again and roosting ALL together again....

Oh. Well, sometimes we have to play ball just to live together. The "ALL" parts are good! =)

 

[delisha]

Quote: The White Silkie male is from white on white breeding ..who know how many generations..but many.
The cuckoo is from cuckoo to cuckoo
Sounds like white does not work for any type of sex link..poo