The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[misbhaven]

I guessI am lucky my roo is not agressive at all toward my 8 yr old but he is the one who gives treats. Their pie plate full of scraps the get happy when they see him because of that. He always goes in alone but always to just give treats he even likes to give the scratch. DH took my 3yr old in the coop today to give treats. So my chickens relate kids to goodies.

 

[delisha]

5-10 top things that I have learned to help me raise healthy chickens is:

1. look at all my ceramic feeders I had been using for years..

2. Fire Safety..rewiring some of my coops and replacing some lazy practices of using unapproved outdoor extension cords. Hanging them up off the ground.

3. Fermented Feed

4. More herbs

5. Creative ideas for getting through the winters..(hanging entertainment)

 

[beccasev]

I've only been raising chickens for a year. But I had a few things to mention.
1.have twice as many chickens as you want eggs in a day. You will drown in eggs in the summer, but in winter, you won't have to buy eggs.
2. Let them be chickens. Let them run around and eat bugs. Vegetarian chickens are ridiculous. I've seen one of my girls catch, hide, and eat a frog.
3. If you want an automatic pop door, and you aren't terribly handy or have parts sitting around, just BUY one. I'm fairly handy, but can't get the dang DIY thing to work right. And I've spent almost as much as I would have just buying one. Though thanks to the video posted a few days ago, I think I have a solution.
4. Mix your own feed if you can't find one that fits your ideal. It doesn't have to be perfect if they free range.
5. Small coops suck. Mine is 4x8. I have 10 hens in there. It's overcrowded and I know it. Most of the time, they go out. There were a few days this winter that they just stayed in, though the door was open. I've had no picking or other issues. But I would love a larger coop. One I can stand in would be great. It won't happen for now, so we are making do.

 

[yawningreyhound]

Top 10 things (of the 100's) I've learned since chickens came into my life last Sept.

Introduce new birds at night; better yet, separate within sight of each other for a while if you have the room.

If you free-range in predator country, do the best you can to deter access to the run and coop and get used to the idea that there will be losses if your free-range area isn't fenced and protected from digging, knockdown, climb over, etc.

Playing talk radio all day helps keep day-roaming but-normally-nocturnal predators away. (Haven't tested on bears, but soon; haven't been through a fox/coyote/mtn lion/bobcat birthing season either. Stay tuned.)

The cleaner the coop, the healthier the whole system. I scooped the 29-bird coop daily and I scoop the 5-bird coop daily also. The run I scoop if I see it as I keep a poop container and paint scraper hanging in the run. Poop Boards are not over-rated. Poop management.

Chickens who are roosting are the most docile, nearly catatonic, they will ever be. I do everything I need to at night if possible. Less stress from cornering and restraining if you don't have hand-raised chickens or breeds who don't like handling.

Read Open Air Poultry Housing by Woods. That will be my next coop.

Too much "treat" supplementing (scratch and corn add fat via carbs (nice when it's COLD)) and mealworms and BOSS add healthy protein and fat without the carbohydrate factor--but there's inadequate Calcium and probably a bunch of other inadequates) can throw off the whole reproductive system.

Treats, in my experience, are what increase pecking and biting. Chickens are driven by food. I don't actually know what else drives them. Just food. And high-value food (treats), especially if scattered in a small area where the birds are close to each other, causes pecking and biting. Especially if there's two birds who are still trying to grow tails from a crowded situation...the bird bends over, another hen walks by, sees the bare tail and gives it a peck just for good measure, aiming for the forlorn few blood feathers trying to pop out. I scatter my treats far and wide in one big throw. If you do several small throws, they all run to the last throw. Competitive creatures. Very competitive. Protect that bare tail the best you can (peck no more; blu-kote; i used a sharpie to make it black).

Provide as much room as you possibly can to their enclosed environment. Even if you're free-ranging, there'll be days you can't (maybe, depending on where you are) and then they're locked inside the run or maybe even inside the coop if the run is allowed to get wet muddy snowy, etc. Keeping the coop and the run as dry as possible is a game changer (we have tarps and screws that fit all the open sides and i weight them down with lumber at the base so there's no scary flapping). The books say anywhere from 3 to 5 square feet per hen. I have an 8x10 roofed run plus the underneath real estate of two 3x4 buildings. And I think they're crowded on the days the 5 of them are locked in there due to weather. I drop the tarps if there's no active precipitation or high relentless wind (common here)(now, never used to be).

Provide entertainment so that they are constantly looking for food, using the dirt floor for a dust bath, scratching up the fluffy straw to look for those several handfuls of their normal food you spread out a few times a day if possible. Leave them a half used bale of straw...they love those. Try to keep it contained in a bin or squeezed in somewhere so it'll take them longer.

Check Backyard Chickens Blog for the best information and kind advice anywhere!

I did so much stuff by the seat of my pants for so long and then we got internet again and BYC saved my life (and the chickens' probably!).

 

[Turkeytruff]

Gotta post this somewhere!

I hatched 16 BCMs 3 days ago.

With fear and trembling I put one under an extremely growly broody hen a couple of nights ago, then one the next night, and the 3rd last night. (having heard pipping and good clucky noises during the day). This morning my heart sank as I opened the broody cage and saw a dark mass at the end of the cage lying there unmoving. I put my gloved hand in to the very back and picked up - the largest stinkiest most disgusting mass of broody poop I have ever seen or smelt in all my life!

 

[Didymus]

We read a lot of stuff about then hens in the winter. We decided not to light them. But they have just laid eggs each day. Once in a while, we get just 3, there are four of them, but I like it when all 4 lay, just so I know they are OK. They have been the best layers ever, and we are just under a year with chickens. Our cats, dog and chickens just live together like they were meant to be. Not that we are without problems. Sweetie Pie got a neck hurt, and thanks to the advise of this panel, she was fine in a couple of days. Then the dog, Bridger, got a stone cut in his paw. My first aid kit is growing.

Spring is coming, and since the hens eat all the bugs, we probably won't have any frogs. I don't really want them to eat frogs, but no control over that. They are so spoiled, because they get meal worm, raw sunflower seeds, a block of seeds, and all the stuff they snack on. I have to fence in my veg. garden etc. They love leftover cat and dog food, which I try not to let them eat a lot of because of salt. I fed them a small piece of chicken, and they loved it, but it is just wrong! At least I feed. They are totally free range, but have to be careful because of predator, and we live within the city limits.

Love to hear how everyone spoils their chickens, we don't have a roo, because we can't. Is there anyone out there in Western CO. Seems like the east and north really love chickens. Too cool. Best wishes and luck, Didymus (Beth).

 

[armorfirelady]

Well the strangest thing happened. Lucy had frost bite on 2 toes. When the temps warmed up it went away. This morning I remember to take my phone out with me to get a picture of her toes healed & the frost bite is back. The only thing I can think of is the warm weather allowed them to go back to normal and the blizzard & cold temps chased it to come back. While it's not as swollen as it initially was you can tell its there

*sigh* I can wait for spring to get here & STAY

 

[lalaland]

Well the strangest thing happened. Lucy had frost bite on 2 toes. When the temps warmed up it went away. This morning I remember to take my phone out with me to get a picture of her toes healed & the frost bite is back. The only thing I can think of is the warm weather allowed them to go back to normal and the blizzard & cold temps chased it to come back. While it's not as swollen as it initially was you can tell its there

*sigh* I can wait for spring to get here & STAY

Maybe it did heal, and that was re-frostbit? I know on people, if you have had frostbite, that area is very susceptible for further injury. My cat, who was a winter stray, has one paw that she will end up holding up in the air if she is out for more than a few minutes in cold weather. so maybe....

I feel your pain! hope y our blizzard is already melting.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Gotta post this somewhere!

I hatched 16 BCMs 3 days ago.

With fear and trembling I put one under an extremely growly broody hen a couple of nights ago, then one the next night, and the 3rd last night. (having heard pipping and good clucky noises during the day). This morning my heart sank as I opened the broody cage and saw a dark mass at the end of the cage lying there unmoving. I put my gloved hand in to the very back and picked up - the largest stinkiest most disgusting mass of broody poop I have ever seen or smelt in all my life!

You better give us some photos!

(And I DON'T mean a photo of the poop!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Playing talk radio all day helps keep day-roaming but-normally-nocturnal predators away. (Haven't tested on bears, but soon; haven't been through a fox/coyote/mtn lion/bobcat birthing season either. Stay tuned.)

Keeping the coop and the run as dry as possible is a game changer (we have tarps and screws that fit all the open sides and i weight them down with lumber at the base so there's no scary flapping). The books say anywhere from 3 to 5 square feet per hen. I have an 8x10 roofed run plus the underneath real estate of two 3x4 buildings. And I think they're crowded on the days the 5 of them are locked in there due to weather. I drop the tarps if there's no active precipitation or high relentless wind (common here)(now, never used to be).

Where do you keep that radio? Wondering what it does outside in the summer where they range for hawks!

Also...better post some photos of how you did your tarps for us!