The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[flyladyrocks]

Just stopping by to share. I have to show my new babies off. My broody's chick's didn't hatch but Ms. Dottie loves her baby quackers. My incubating was perfectly timed only by chance. This whole raising chips and incubating is so up and down. I love the new babe's but it's extremely sad to open an egg and find babies that didn't make it. Her 3 silkies were fully developed and absorbed the yolk but never pipped. Same with 2 of my ducks and 1 quitter at maybe a week or so before hatch. Hope you don't mind my off topic pics as well.

oh and I did assist one duck out. It pipped the wrong end and was stuck for 48+ hours. I truly felt like it was necessary. There were not any breeders and it was truly needing out of there. They hatched memorial day.

SO sorry your chicks did to make it. These pictures would be why Chicken Math so easily translates in to Duck math. Hubbie has started talkign ducks!

 

[flyladyrocks]

You had a GREAT idea Kassaundra! I'm just copying it.

For the record, it's sunny but only 57 degrees right now. And the chicks are fine. Did I mention they're just barely over two weeks old? And they've been outside for a week already?
Also, today they learned what salmon is. This was their reaction

Thanks for the pictures - I am so visual. I love it! With the written and the visual together I can make this happen next year and not worry about exploding heat lamp lights! Woohoo!

 

[flyladyrocks]

Downloaded some pics to the computer....

You have the BEST pictures of your chickens and chicks, so sorry about Orpah.

 

[ki4got]

Boy I hate to interrupt all the cute broody and chick talk for something so gross as this. But I have a question about the dreaded c word-cockroaches. I've had my hens for a year now. I didn't notice anything much by way of roaches last summer or fall. We added rabbits in spring and they've been outside near the chicken coop since late April. And now I see roaches. On the rabbit hutches, and now on the chicken coop. I assume everyone has them? Do you do anything about it? I've contemplated getting ducks, but I'm not sure about taking on a new project right now. Is there anything natural I can do about it? Would DE help? I deep litter my coop and run and have seen roaches in the actual coop. My run is on a bit of a hill, so my litter tends to run to the back of the run downhill. I push the litter forward almost weekly. What would you suggest? Does anyone else have roaches and do you just ignore it or actually do something?

they're wood roaches most likely, and eat decomposing wood. so you may want to check your coops and other areas where they are for any signs of wood rot. we knocked a tree over last night (started to cut it but it started leaning the wrong way, got out some rope and a snatch block and used the tractor to pull it over where we wanted it LOL) that thing was FULL of wood roaches. the chickens had a field day once the tree was down.

 

[ki4got]

on the felt/fleece/wool chick warmer thingy, I'm trying to think of a way that I can make one to go in an outdoor pen AND be waterproof at the same time...

anything that doesn't use electric is a good thing.

 

[Leahs Mom]

on the felt/fleece/wool chick warmer thingy, I'm trying to think of a way that I can make one to go in an outdoor pen AND be waterproof at the same time...

anything that doesn't use electric is a good thing.

What about the bucket that Kassaundra did? Maybe you could put a layer of plastic over the top of the holes where the cloth goes in?

 

[chicalot]

SO sorry your chicks did to make it.  These pictures would be why Chicken Math so easily translates in to Duck math. Hubbie has started talkign ducks!

ducks are so messy. We have 2 nice ponds for them, but they still watch for me to take out fresh chicken water so the can dirty it. They're stealing a lot of cat food too and don't like to come in at night for lock up.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
I was thinking maybe using plastic totes... hm. I wonder how well hot glue would hold the fabric to the plastic... that might be an idea.

I never did catch the bucket thing, but how high off the floor do you keep the ends of the fabric? do you need to adjust the height as chicks grow or will they just worm their way between the pieces until they don't need it anymore?

I just had an idea of using a bucket lid... I could hang it inside my indoor brooders then move it out and just use the dog house and hang it there until they outgrow the doghouse (plastic one).

 

[MargaretYakoda]

on the felt/fleece/wool chick warmer thingy, I'm trying to think of a way that I can make one to go in an outdoor pen AND be waterproof at the same time...

anything that doesn't use electric is a good thing.

The cooler one I made comes pretty close. If you put it up on a couple bricks and put a small roof of some sort over it, I think it would stay dry.

 

[flyladyrocks]

ducks are so messy. We have 2 nice ponds for them, but they still watch for me to take out fresh chicken water so the can dirty it. They're stealing a lot of cat food too and don't like to come in at night for lock up.

Good to know! Ducks couldn't happen this year anyway.