The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

@Leahs Mom do you let your broodies out into electric netting area with her chicks? Do the chicks go thru it?

The chicks can go through it.

Here's the deal. The last time I let the mamma decide when to take them out. She was very conservative at first not taking them out of the kennel. But she did take them out while they were tiny. They did go through other fence openings and totally freak her out from time to time - or get stuck on the other side and she didn't realize it. That makes me very nervous.

Plus - you said that you have crows. Crows WILL catch and eat little chicks and very easily if they get separated from mom.

The next time I have a broody I am planning on being more protective and keeping them in an area that has overhead protection unless I'm out working in the area for WAY LONGER than I did the last times. Those young'uns are such an easy prey that I feel like I need to protect them more than I did.

 

[armorfirelady]

Hmmm well I think I've decided,to move Lucy into the old run tomorrow and wrap it with netting so the chicks don't get stuck in the he lattice work. It's not predator proof but I've only seen a rabbit on the game cam. She can take them out into the veggie garden while I am gone. Hopefully they don't go out that fencing. I really don't have anything big enough to put them in that chicks can't get thru. Nor enough small fencing to cover the whole garden. Hmmmmm maybe I do......I need to check it out in the morning.

 

[lalaland]

Hmmm well I think I've decided,to move Lucy into the old run tomorrow and wrap it with netting so the chicks don't get stuck in the he lattice work. It's not predator proof but I've only seen a rabbit on the game cam. She can take them out into the veggie garden while I am gone. Hopefully they don't go out that fencing. I really don't have anything big enough to put them in that chicks can't get thru. Nor enough small fencing to cover the whole garden. Hmmmmm maybe I do......I need to check it out in the morning.

Its such a puzzle! and whatever I figure out is only good for a few days or weeks - they keep needing more space etc.

My chicks are a week old, and confined with the broody in 2.5x2' coop with a run of 6'x 16' that I cobbled together with a hog panel and misc fencing all lined with chicken wire. Covered with garden netting, which catches on my hat and drops ticks on me. NOT predator safe, I think a dog could dig under the fence in a heartbeat, or possibly knock it down. Broody mama thinks she could use some bigger space.

If mama keeps mothering the chicks, I'll try to open up the coop and let the babies and mama share the whole coop ( a whopping 4'x5' ) with an additional attached run.

Not ready to let mama venture out into the big world yet, I guess I am not trusting her to keep her chicks out of harms way with all the nooks and crannies a chick could get into nearby. Maybe in a week or two.

 

[Leahs Mom]

They'll go through chain link too so I had to line the bottom of the kennel run...then if I had that gate shut they didn't go out. Used the plastic netting cut in half lengthwise since I didn't need it to be high...just enough to keep them from going through when they are little.

See the lining at the bottom:






Overlapped at the gate opening.










There is also a fence between 2 areas that they run in. I had to put something at the bottom of it too because they could go through and end up in places that would make them a target. We had some of this old shelving material salvaged from somewhere that I zip tied to that.


In this photo you're looking through the kennel out to the other fence. You can see the shelf we zipped on. (You can also see that fence on the previous photo above.

 

[Scott H]

Ours go thru our chain link fence but we have so many bushes in the yard to protect from overhead predators. Crows everywhere! Right now they don't get to far from Tina and she's very protective. I have a blood blister on the heal of my hand to prove it! LOL
So fun to watch her range the chicks. She picks up whatever she wants them to eat and sets it down in front of them. If it's too big she chops it up for them.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Ours go thru our chain link fence but we have so many bushes in the yard to protect from overhead predators. Crows everywhere! Right now they don't get to far from Tina and she's very protective. I have a blood blister on the heal of my hand to prove it! LOL
So fun to watch her range the chicks. She picks up whatever she wants them to eat and sets it down in front of them. If it's too big she chops it up for them.

That's why I love the broody (AKA: Natural) way of raising chicks. These 3 two week olds I have right now are missing out on a lot.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady

One thing I didn't say. Even though the kids "can" go through the electronet, I never had one go through it. They did go through the chain link, etc.

I think that's because the adults - including the mamma - all steer clear of that fence. She never went close to it so her kids didn't either.

 

[ki4got]

well, my 'youngest' momma (aka youngest chicks under a broody) went outside today, to a temporary pen. I just rolled out some 2' 1x1 wire and made a circular enclosure for them with a dog crate in the middle and a piece of plywood over the top for shade. at night she'll get moved to a secure area with the chicks and then put back out in the morning. at least until I can get the cochin momma to move herself and her brood (including 3 turkeys) to the horse trailer, then that pen can get cleaned up for this girl.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Finally got some photos of the Swedish Flower Hen babies today. If I have my numbers right they were 2 wks old last Thursday.

Put them out in a little pen on the grass today...first time in the "great outdoors".





Could this little one be wanting to crow already

Hard to tell the blacks apart in the photos. I'll have to band one of them.

I think this is Black 1










And this is black 2



















Little brown.






Everyone on high alert....first time seeing beyond their cardboard box boarders.




For perspective. Half of it is covered for shade.

 

[lalaland]

leahs mom, they are sweet! I can't believe how much bigger they seem than my one week olds. Who, by the way, snuck into the other half of the coop occupied by the other two sulmtalers. both were on the nest, and they just watched the babies. I'm thinking I can probalby remove the barrier in the coop...

the rooster, who hates the sulmtalers, has been patrolling the fence with the sulmtaler broody and the chicks. Today I saw him try to treat the chicks, calling them but the fence was in the way. hope this means the babies won't have too much of a problem with him when I put them in the big coop after mama leaves them. I figure 6 weeks?