The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[misbhaven]

thank everyone I put a Bantam sizzle that was 4 weeks old in with it.The rubber ducky did help it was a small one..some happy news, I did find 2 eggs in my bantam coop today now to just find out who..hens are Colombian wyandottte 30 weeks, 2 kinds of Cochin's 20 weeks and buff Brahma 20 weeks and some bantam ee but they were brown eggs so not the EE's .And one of my other breeds of LF is laying my elderly neighbor found a very large egg in her yard swore it was a wild chicken saying mine don't go that far LOL..

 

[Leahs Mom]

I like the idea of the feather dusters but...this being the "natural" chicken keeping thread...

I encourage you to be sure the feather dusters you get aren't treated with chemical. Many of them have the dusting chemical that attracts the dust/dirt to the duster. I'm not even sure if you can get them untreated anymore. If you can' please let me know where as I want some!

 

[LindaB220]

I like the idea of the feather dusters but...this being the "natural" chicken keeping thread...

I encourage you to be sure the feather dusters you get aren't treated with chemical. Many of them have the dusting chemical that attracts the dust/dirt to the duster. I'm not even sure if you can get them untreated anymore. If you can' please let me know where as I want some!

Amazon is where I got mine. They came bright yellow but definitely worth the money. I got 10 and with shipping is was $12 . I can't do a link with giving away my acct info.

they are called:
Unger Industrial 12In Turkey Feather Duster 961390

 

[MargaretYakoda]

You could cut 1 inch strips of felt or old wool, bunch it up, then hang that over the chick. That's the essense of (is it Beekissed)'s? bucket brooder, which works spectacularly.

I like the idea of the feather dusters but...this being the "natural" chicken keeping thread...

I encourage you to be sure the feather dusters you get aren't treated with chemical.  Many of them have the dusting chemical that attracts the dust/dirt to the duster.  I'm not even sure if you can get them untreated anymore.  If you can' please let me know where as I want some! 

 

[LindaB220]

You could cut 1 inch strips of felt or old wool, bunch it up, then hang that over the chick. That's the essense of (is it Beekissed)'s? bucket brooder, which works spectacularly.

Yes, Kassaundra put holes in a 5 gallon bucket and streamed down felt or something. I bought the feather dusters and I think her idea is better.

 

[armorfirelady]

Well its official. Co Broody Moms are off duty. Sophie started laying 2 days ago & Lucy laid an egg a few days ago. Last night all the big girls were on the roost & the chicks piled in the nesting box. Tho I do have to say when the chicks starting peeping loudly when I peeked in on them Sophie did start to squawk at me. I guess she is still looking out for them. I might put up a roost thats a little lower to the ground & see what the babies do.

Its very cute to see them babies out roaming from sun up to sun down by themselves. Apparently their moms taught them well. They even came over when I fed them last night without the Moms calling them. Little Greys legs & feet are covered in grey feathers. I think she is going to be very pretty when she feathers out completely.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

FL- congrats

Just wanted to update for yas, the pumpkin plants that I sliced last week for the bug removal... Looks like plantain oil has zero negative effects on my pumpkins.

 

[flyladyrocks]

On a similar topic to comforting a lone chick:

Any advice on comforting a lone roo? Next week it looks like we will be getting a 12 week old roo. He will be alone in quarantine and just wondering how any of you handled this - I can imagine he will be lonely.

A mirror - something to snuggle with? What do you think?

 

[misbhaven]

I have never had just one new bird but seeing he a a Cockrel 12 + weeks he probably won't care for a mirror too much, might try to attack it and injury himself...
Have any extra pullets barnyard mixes etc that you could spare in case he is sick so you could put 1 in with him?

 

[Leahs Mom]

On a similar topic to comforting a lone chick:

Any advice on comforting a lone roo? Next week it looks like we will be getting a 12 week old roo. He will be alone in quarantine and just wondering how any of you handled this - I can imagine he will be lonely.

A mirror - something to snuggle with? What do you think?

I had to isolate a single bird several times and they did okay by themselves. But since this guy is going through a MOVE and an ISOLATION that will be a kind of double stress.

I think he'll do fine but it will take him a couple days to get used to the new situation.