The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[flyladyrocks]

The easiest way may be to add something to their water. I use dish soap every so often. I put a squirt in a gallon of water or 3 squirts in our 3 gallon water containers. I will make a guess that my squirt is between a teaspoon and 2 teaspoons. I keep the soap in the water for at least a week, sometimes up to a month. I tend to do it in cooler weather so fall and spring. I don't want to risk a bird not liking the soap and overheating in the summer.

 

[LindaB220]

The easiest way may be to add something to their water. I use dish soap every so often. I put a squirt in a gallon of water or 3 squirts in our 3 gallon water containers. I will make a guess that my squirt is between a teaspoon and 2 teaspoons. I keep the soap in the water for at least a week, sometimes up to a month. I tend to do it in cooler weather so fall and spring. I don't want to risk a bird not liking the soap and overheating in the summer.

Ok, let me get this straight. I've heard of dishsoap but not why. As a wormer? I read in an old book the other day that when she finished doing the dishes a lady would put it in their waterer. I wondered.

 

[Kassaundra]

The only soap I had heard of for using this way is Shaklee's Basic H.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

What kind of dish soap - who knew it could be that easy! I use the cheap basic kind. My chickens use a lot of water and if i ever wanted to try it on the ducks I know lots would get wasted in the mud. Also I'm not sure if the kinds with lotion in them might have health risks for the chickens.

Quote: I'm not entirely sure why it works but I like that I can use it and still eat the eggs.

 

[Kassaundra]

If I were guessing on how it worked I would say it washes off a protective coating on the worm. I do not know that to be a fact, just guessing as to how it would work.

 

[subhanalah]

If I were guessing on how it worked I would say it washes off a protective coating on the worm.  I do not know that to be a fact, just guessing as to how it would work.

probably, making them susceptible to the chicken's digestive acids.

 

[armorfirelady]

I use pumpkins seeds & cayenne pepper for deworming. No set schedule. Actually the post made me realize I hadn't done it in awhile lol

We had a big t storm come they & dump a ton of rain in a short period. Of course it started as I was trying to put grommets in the bill board tarp.

I almost thought I would have to go out and save the hens and chicks, they all hunkered down under the A frame instead of the coop. But apparently they know best. A couple hours later the storm passed & everyone was out looking for bugs & walking thru the "lake" from the heavy rain. Even the babies walked thru & it was probably past their knees.

I figured they were either fishing or giving swimming lessons

That area is a natural low point that always floods. I dug a 100 ft ditch to road with a French well with a sump pump in it to drain it when it rains. We got so much rain it will take a couple hours for it to drain

 

[lalaland]

I use pumpkins seeds & cayenne pepper for deworming. No set schedule. Actually the post made me realize I hadn't done it in awhile lol

We had a big t storm come they & dump a ton of rain in a short period. Of course it started as I was trying to put grommets in the bill board tarp.

I almost thought I would have to go out and save the hens and chicks, they all hunkered down under the A frame instead of the coop. But apparently they know best. A couple hours later the storm passed & everyone was out looking for bugs & walking thru the "lake" from the heavy rain. Even the babies walked thru & it was probably past their knees.

I figured they were either fishing or giving swimming lessons

That area is a natural low point that always floods. I dug a 100 ft ditch to road with a French well with a sump pump in it to drain it when it rains. We got so much rain it will take a couple hours for it to drain

what the heck is a french well?

 

[lalaland]

well, now the mama's don't want their babies in their coop at all! such bloodcurdling screaming going on. I solved it by grabbing the sulmtalers off the roost and tossing them into the big coop. They grew up in there and roosted there until just a few months ago. They were stunned! Couple of the other hens clucked disapprovingly, but nothing else happened.

Went to get the three tiny chicks out of the chick pen and found two of them balancing on the fruit netting that was supposed to keep them in the pen. Hah! At least I was there at the right time. If they got out I think they would be fine except for probably getting lost in the run. There are some serious blackberry brambles at one end....

Got the older babies into their coop, just in time for a downpour. So all the chickens were tucked in, nice and dry, and I was under a fire hose. Those babies are so skittish of me - I haven't handled them at all and they would sooner face an angry hen than me. I will have to stay up late some night and pop them into the big coop. If I can do that for a couple of nights, they should learn to go roost there.

And broodies! the one I thought I had broken out of broodiness was hiding behind a door yesterday with a hidden nest. The one that has been in the wire cage for three days flew the coop the first thing this morning and never returned - I had to go to work and of course came home to her puffed up on a nest and growling. ANd another hen who was broody a couple of weeks ago was on another nest also growling...broodiness seems to be contagious.

I'm complaining I know, but....life is sooo much easier without the rooster. Now I just have those two little ones to cull....and one is mean enough already that it will be easier.

 

[armorfirelady]

French well is used to drain water. My friend dug a 4 ft hole, put the plastic well in it. Then I dug trenches on both sides about 40 ft each. The pipes in the trench collect the water and run it into the well. THere's a sump pump in the well hooked up to smaller pipe that travels inside on of the drainage pipes pops out top of one where it's once again buried in the ground for about 200 ft till it reaches thenend of my driveway. There the water runs into rain water drain. It's the only way I can keep the lowest area of my yard from being under water for months on end. I have other low areas also but this area is where coop , veggie garden & wood shed are so they need to dry out faster. Plus it was a great breeding area for mosquitoes.