The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[MrsHall28]

One of my chickens is having really liquidy poops. Haven't found out which one yet but I only have two. Both eat and run around and act perfectly normal. The drink a decent amount of water. Is this something I should be concerned about? In their bed area I never find that, it's always just normal poop there. It's only in their run area or in the yard where I'll come across watery ones.

 

[lazy gardener]

I've heard that this is merely here-say, or old wives tale. But, it would be fun to do a study. Perhaps start a thread. I'm sure that if there were any truth to it, this technique would be used by the hatcheries.

 

[LindaB220]

I've heard that this is merely here-say, or old wives tale. But, it would be fun to do a study. Perhaps start a thread. I'm sure that if there were any truth to it, this technique would be used by the hatcheries.

It does say on the site that the hatcheries use it and that's why we got so many males on SR. I thought they just picked through them. Hmmmmmm Interesting.

 

[lazy gardener]

I think we get so many males with SR b/c the hatcheries pull off a certain percentage of pullets to sell at the higher price before selling the rest of the hatch as SR. Last year, I bought 3 Dominique pullets, which are fairly easy to sex based on external appearance, and received 3 cockrels.

 

[subhanalah]

It does say on the site that the hatcheries use it and that's why we got so many males on SR.   I thought they just picked through them.    Hmmmmmm   Interesting.   

So, straight runs are the pointy eggs? Is that what that's supposed to mean?

One of my chickens is having really liquidy poops. Haven't found out which one yet but I only have two. Both eat and run around and act perfectly normal. The drink a decent amount of water. Is this something I should be concerned about? In their bed area I never find that, it's always just normal poop there. It's only in their run area or in the yard where I'll come across watery ones.

are they Cecal poops, seems mine hold them in until they are out of their sleeping quarters in the morning.

 

[Leahs Mom]

ok, took a break from laying on the ground with my head in the coop watching the broody. she and I both snoozing a little. 5 chicks so far!! the two sulmtaler eggs that got snuck in there are left, maybe probably not fertile since the rooster was culled a week or so before they were laid, and one other egg left. mama hasn't kicked the eggs out yet. Babies are still in feathers, but peek out. I'm still over the moon.

anyway, look at what I just found in mother earth news:

this is new to me, I sure would have liked to have tried it with this hatch. Writer said they got 23 pullets out of 23 eggs by going for the oval eggs and not anything slightly pointed.

If this were true, one of my birds is laying all males and another is laying all females.

Seriously...one of my pullets has longer pointier eggs and the other always has round ones.



On the poops - if the birds look healthy, don't worry about it. They poo all kinds of variations. As long as EVERY poo isn't water.

There are some photos here that could be helpful...and lots of other places. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html

 

[jime]

On the egg shape: In my country we are very olds wife tales followers .
For me I tried it all the time with my chickens and duck eggs and most of the time it works but you will get the the pullets out of the really round ones and the cockerels out of the really pointy one with sometimes people don't consider them (use good shape eggs don't incubate the odd shape ones).
The other thing I do is the ring and the strand and that works for me as well.Try it first with your dog or cat (some animal you know the sex for sure and can sit still for you until you get the moves figure out.)This will work only if you are relax, don't do it when you are exited or worry other wise your energy will change the ring movement, you can even try this when the eggs are candle on the days where you can see a chicks for sure with feather .
My last resource is sex venting I do that as well, I can not explain it but if you know how to sex bunnies then you will get it easy.

 

[mlowen]

I've heard that this is merely here-say, or old wives tale. But, it would be fun to do a study. Perhaps start a thread. I'm sure that if there were any truth to it, this technique would be used by the hatcheries.

There's also been a rumor that fermented feed leads to more pullets. Anybody feel like that's true??

 

[Leahs Mom]

Don't know! But the last time I had a broody I set 3 of our own eggs. 100% pullets.

 

[ki4got]

it looks like some species of bacopa... often a true aquatic many can live in boggy areas and are very wet tolerant. this is an aquatic version of bacopa for comparison...


this one is Bacopa Caroliniana