The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Will read everything later....busy day at work! But...

@RedRidge Questions about Maremmas VS GP.

-I hear GP are "runners" and often end up running off their own property if there are not good fences. Do you consider Maremma to be "runners" that would "take off" if they had the chance?
-If you have any experience with GP, could you compare/contrast the 2 breeds.

 

[aoxa]

lol..

We just talked on the phone about this..we are picking the pup up on the 15th I think. We was grilling me about heat in the coop and bla bla bla. I said..Ok I will buy a bale of straw..lol

I off the heads too...what works for me is..I drop the chick in a paper bag and place a paper towel over the head and pop it off or cut it off. I never look at the chick. Thank goodness it does not happen often.

You can't lock up her ducks......you need to go talk to her. ..Bio Security alone should encourage her to keep them home. If she does not.... you need to explain that they will be duck soup...
feeding them would be my least worry..However..
If that is all you are worried about..bring her a food bill and tell her you expect her to bring bag a feed a few times a week if she does not pen them up.

naa feed the birds

They will sleep with your chickens and become buddies..they love chickens..and love eggs more..they are notorious egg thieves and will rob you blind...and snuggle very night with your chickens. They will have baby's with your chickens and move right on in.

looks like a young juvie to me too..old enough to breed though.

It happens more if you hatch large #s for sure.

I hope @aoxa will chime in. She had that rooster that got frostbite on the feet and they sounded like they were way worse than just the toes. Not sure if she did anything for him or not.

I didn't touch him, and he lost a couple toe nails, but nothing like Margaret.

 

[aoxa]

wild turkey wants to be a flock buddy

There has been a single wild turkey hanging around for weeks. He roosts in some pines and robs the bird feeders daily. This week, he has been following my path to the coop, gets to the gate, turns around and heads back.

Friday I came home to tracks up to the run gate, and then....inside the run. He cleaned up some spilled feed, drank the water dry, and seems to have been dustbathing under the coop.

I'm not thrilled about this. Was less thrilled on saturday when he was back under the coop. I kept the flock inside saturday because of the -20's until it warmed up to about -5. Sunny day, so opened the people door and the flock started sunbathing in the doorway. I was home, so could check frequently. I'm worried the turkey will go inside the coop. Not sure what the roosters will do with a turkey either!

On a side note, windchill last night was -39. it is -22 air temp right now. I have snow up to my a** everywhere, and the snow on my roof has pushed my stove pipe over! I didn't know that was possible. seems to be still attached to the struts, but the base is off. So I can't use the wood stove til this gets fixed. Hoping the chimney guy gets here before anything melts, which might be mid next week. Guess thats what tax refunds are for, those danged expensive repairs that happen.

I miss my wild turkey hens. They were so sweet.

Are you sure it's a tom? I'd be more worried about a tom than a hen, as if the rooster decides to fight a wild tom turkey, he will lose (the rooster).

 

[aoxa]

I have killed my first chicken accidentally. I can't get it out of my head, and I feel absolutely horrible.

I had a hen with sour crop, and I have been trying to treat her.. I know, I should have made a good time line where I euthanized her, but she was still getting food through her system (pooping) but the crop was not going down as it should have been with yoghurt.

Anyway... I picked her up to massage her crop like I do every time I see her, and she started vomiting. I aspirated her lungs with the crop contents and she died right in front of me. It was 30 seconds. The crop contents were coming out every orifice.

Note.. if you have any issue with sour crop that is chronic: put them down.. If they are just starting the issue and you want to treat, BE CAREFUL how you handle them. NEVER try to get the contents out of the crop.

My poor poor girl. She was so very friendly. I cried for a good 10 minutes.

 

[lalaland]

I miss my wild turkey hens. They were so sweet.

Are you sure it's a tom? I'd be more worried about a tom than a hen, as if the rooster decides to fight a wild tom turkey, he will lose (the rooster).

yeah, its a Tom. I left the coop doors open this morning, and am keeping my fingers crossed the turkey doesn't go into the run. He didn't go there yesterday as far as I could tell....He can certainly fly over the run's fence, and even though I have the covered hawk enclosure, he busted through some chicken wire to get out when I surprised him the other day.

Yikes.

 

[lalaland]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...llions-gallons-water-normally-flow-Falls.html

You know its cold in Buffalo when the Falls freeze........

sorry! this ocld is awful. We are finally warming up today, last night it was above zero! Hope warmer winds come your way soon. Worst winter here in 38 years.

 

[aoxa]

yeah, its a Tom. I left the coop doors open this morning, and am keeping my fingers crossed the turkey doesn't go into the run. He didn't go there yesterday as far as I could tell....He can certainly fly over the run's fence, and even though I have the covered hawk enclosure, he busted through some chicken wire to get out when I surprised him the other day.

Yikes.

I wonder what you could do in this situation.. He is a danger to your birds technically, though not for sure.. I wonder if animal control would relocate him?

I wonder if wild toms don't travel in flocks? I thought they did.. Sad that he doesn't have any flock mates.

 

[lalaland]

I have killed my first chicken accidentally. I can't get it out of my head, and I feel absolutely horrible.

I had a hen with sour crop, and I have been trying to treat her.. I know, I should have made a good time line where I euthanized her, but she was still getting food through her system (pooping) but the crop was not going down as it should have been with yoghurt.

Anyway... I picked her up to massage her crop like I do every time I see her, and she started vomiting. I aspirated her lungs with the crop contents and she died right in front of me. It was 30 seconds. The crop contents were coming out every orifice.

Note.. if you have any issue with sour crop that is chronic: put them down.. If they are just starting the issue and you want to treat, BE CAREFUL how you handle them. NEVER try to get the contents out of the crop.

My poor poor girl. She was so very friendly. I cried for a good 10 minutes.

 

[RedRidge]

Will read everything later....busy day at work!  But...

@RedRidge
  Questions about Maremmas VS GP.

-I hear GP are "runners" and often end up running off their own property if there are not good fences.  Do you consider Maremma to be "runners" that would "take off" if they had the chance?
-If you have any experience with GP, could you compare/contrast the 2 breeds.

While there are differences in the two breeds and how they work, I will stay by saying that frequently a problem with not being able to contain them is the fault of the breeders/owners.
That said. .. GP tend to be more of a perimeter dog. They guard the perimeter of "their property". Maremma tend to guard "their livestock". The general tendency of the GP is to bond to a defined area and protect what is in that area. For this reason it is critical that that area be well defined at a young age and that the rules of boundaries be well defined. Most people do not do this imo... And this is why they run into problems containing their dogs. Maremma tend to bond more with the actual livestock than with the property they are on. For this reason they are less likely to wander BUT... That doesn't mean they won't IF they also aren't stayed correctly, bonded correctly, etc. Keep in mind that spaying and neutering helps both breeds also but that is not a fix.
So many problems with lgd's can be prevented. But they are often difficult to go back and fix later. The key to both breeds (assuming you have good genetics) is tight bonding early on. As in... From the time their eyes are open.

 

[aoxa]

If anyone asks about sour crop, lets all remember to tell them NOT to empty their crop.. Not that that is what I was doing, but I can see this being what happens if they were to try to empty it.