The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I've had both varieties. I wish I knew when they *hatched* but I think it would of been by now.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Something keeps eating my strawberry plants but its not touching anything else

I would of thought if it was a bunny it would of just continued to eat the rest of the garden as well. (not complaining just weird )

That brings up another question I had. Ive heard or read that the nasturtium is good for the hens as well. They (except the chicks) have no access to them in the garden. Do you think I could dry them for use over the winter? That's what I am doing with their greens.

This could be a ground hog (some call it a wood chuck).

Nasturtiums? Yes. Dry them You can eat them too. Have a peppery kind of flavor but they look really pretty in a salad when they're fresh. Leaves too.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

I slit the stems and picked out the borers (in pan for chickens or squash them) then bury the slit stem and keep moist to retake and root. Later call chickens into garden when you pull plants and let them get them.

Had them last year until I did that and showed the chickens where they were.... then tilled and let chickens back in to harvest them from soil. None this year.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I don't think its a wood chuck/ ground hog. I have seen the bunny in the garden on the camera.

Thanks for the info on the nasturiums

 

[armorfirelady]

So this is what I saw when I just went out to check on the hens for the night. My mom called it chicken bunk beds

You can't see it but on the far left is another chick tucked under Sophie's wing against the wall. The other 3 are piled,together in the nesting box. Tomorrow night I am guessing they might be another chick or 2 on the roost. I'm pretty impressed the babies made it up there. The roost is about 4 ft high. I have stumps under them on each end for the girls to use as a step. Some use them some don't. These babies amaze me very day with what they can do. They spent all day out in the rain. It didn't even phase them.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady
You're going to miss those kiddos! So adorable

 

[armorfirelady]

Yes I certainly am. Little grey is not so grey anymore. New feathers are coming in black. And her comb is pinked up I've got them for a couple more weeks. My mom went on vacation and I promised I wouldn't rehome them until she got back. The guy taking them doesn't care. He just got 15 day olds Friday. He wants to give me eggs to hatch for him. I told him if he gets a broody hen next spring he won't need my girls to do it lol

I want to zip tie the ones I think are boys and see if I got them sexed right. I think my chances of grey being a girl are slim. Guess I need to look at Edie's pics at the same age and see if she looks the same.

@Sally8 grey came out of the blue egg, so she will be an EE. But I'm curious if you got grey chicks whose new feathers came in black. I'm really curious to see what she feathers out as. And I noticed today she has grey feathered legs now. She certainly didn't have them before now. It's fun to see how much they change. Of course the black one with the white tux breast is adorable as well

 

[misbhaven]

today i was fed up with crazy broody hens...I smelled an off smell knew it was eggs should have hatched wends, so I grabbed work gloves got two of them to move, one actually went out and free ranged all day...eggs were stinky I had Rememberd my husband moving them for almost a day thinking the hens would go where he wanted so that must have killed them..gave the one hen that wouldn't budge not matter what i did some eggs i knew where close out of my incubator I just didn't realize how close staggered hatch and knew i had some due this week just guessed by air cells ...one hatched about 4 hours later ..I think the hen killed it or broke it open but no shell to be found and was a day 21 chick..

 

[lalaland]

msbehaven, thats discouraging to have that happen. hope thing sgo better next time.

I can't believe how easily the 4 week old chicks are blending in with the flock. Out on their own for two days now. Last night one of them made it back to the coop on her own. When they all were in the coop, at least 30 minutes after the older hens were already roosting and dozing too, the little ones decided they needed to be up on the roosts too.

This morning at dawn, they were still on the roost with the big girls:



Never had chicks that were allowed by the hens to be on the roosts with them til the chicks were about full grown size!

The 6 pullets and cockerals are still in their own coop - haven't seen any venture inside the main coop although they are hanging out in the big run with the grownups and the chicks.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@misbehavin

Very sad...has this particular broody girl ever brooded before?

@lalaland

I sure wish my new kids had a mom... I love that they can get in there with the elders....and a thousand other things they get to do when they have a mamma.