The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Nothing out of the ordinary. They are happy and seem healthy. We recently moved, last month, and they are able to free range more and have a wider choice of plants available. I have never noticed a worm, but their old run could get really muddy and took forever to dry out. Their new run is larger and much drier. I figured it couldn't hurt to dose them just to make sure if they are carrying bugs from the old place, they don't take hold at the new place. I did add a few birds this year The new house also has a wet and marshy section that they love to forage in. Doing it once every 1.5 years shouldn't hurt anybody. ;-)

One thing that I repeat a lot (those of you that have been around will be tired of hearing it...)

If you want to keep the ground in an enclosed run area healthy, use a deep litter. Once the grass is gone out of the run it becomes impacted and unhealthy ground. I have been using FREE wood chips from tree trimmers ever since I started my run base.

Many tree trimmers will bring loads of chipped branches from their jobs and leave them in a pile on your property when they are working in your area. You can contact some of them in the area and see if any of them will do that. I let it "cure" in the pile until I see that there are worms beginning to inhabit the piles before using them in the run.


I just take wheelbarrows full of the chips and dump them in a pile in the run; the birds will dig through and spread them out. I keep putting more and more on over time to do a built up litter. Whenever I clean out the litter from inside the chicken house it also goes right out into the run to continue to build the litter deeper.

If I didn't have the wood chips, I'd just use the indoor litter to begin building up the litter in the outdoor run. Just throw it out the door into the run when it's time to clean some out of the hen shed/coop and the birds spread it out. This is assuming pine shaving litter.

Keeps the ground from becoming an unhealthy, disease breeding, slick, impacted, disgusting surface. It stays full or worms and alive for the birds.

This last spring after having it winter over deep, we were able to dig down and pull out the most beautiful, finished, composted soil full of worms to use in the garden for our yard and my daughter's gardens as well. Then continuing to build again.

Sometimes I go out w/my shovel and the birds all come running as soon as they see it. I'll dig down in that composting litter and turn over some soil full of bugs and worms and they have a heyday digging through and eating them up. They also scratch through it themselves, digging down to get bugs and worms.

 

[flyladyrocks]

@flyladyrocks
I know you just got a new little boy. Have they been completely quarantined away from him where there is no contact at all? I saw the photos of them looking at each other through the glass. Have they been where they can touch each other through bars or even on opposite sides of the screen?

It seems like this is happening right at the time you brought in the new kid.

Bubbling eyes like that can be the symptom of some very bad problems...

 

[armorfirelady]

So I blocked off the nesting box tonight. Babies were not happy. One finally roosted while the other 4 piled on the log in front of the nesting box. I put them on the roost and left them be as I finished roofing my wood lean to. Heard some squeaks in there and checked on them again and only 2 left on roost. So I put the other 3 back on the roost. So far so good. Hopefully later tonight they are still all up there. I did put a lower roost up for them but they ignored it but it can be used to help them get up on the main roost. I really want to make sure they are roosting before I give them to my friend

 

[onmelissa]

Hi peeps! I'm new to natural chicken keeping. I've had birds for about 18 months and I've had more than my share of illness due to unknowingly purchasing sick birds. In fact, I'm thinking about starting over, but either way, I'm implementing strict quarantines from now on!
I have a shelf of chicken meds (that haven't solved anything) and I'm thinking that there must be a better way. I hope I came to the right place.

I'd like to know everyone's top three tips for healthier birds.

 

[armorfirelady]

Hi peeps! I'm new to natural chicken keeping. I've had birds for about 18 months and I've had more than my share of illness due to unknowingly purchasing sick birds. In fact, I'm thinking about starting over, but either way, I'm implementing strict quarantines from now on!

I have a shelf of chicken meds (that haven't solved anything) and I'm thinking that there must be a better way. I hope I came to the right place.


I'd like to know everyone's top three tips for healthier birds.

Welcome !!

My top 3 tips are:
Deep litter
Fermented feed
And a coop that's big enough for your birds with lots & lots of ventilation

 

[lalaland]

So this is strange. The little pullet's crop this morning was loose, not full and tight, but it had hard gritty items, not sure if that would be grit or corn kernals. Why aren't those going through?

Yesterday she had yogurt, coconut oil, mashed hard boiled eggs. Dang.

 

[Leahs Mom]

So this is strange. The little pullet's crop this morning was loose, not full and tight, but it had hard gritty items, not sure if that would be grit or corn kernals. Why aren't those going through?

Yesterday she had yogurt, coconut oil, mashed hard boiled eggs. Dang.

Don't fret. I've heard of that very same thing from a couple of folks that had the same issue and both of their birds are okay today. Just keep doing what you're doing for a little longer!

 

[lazy gardener]

Onmelissa: In addition to ArmorFireLady's excellent advice, which are the 3 most important, I'd like to add #4: A nice big run so you can keep them safe from predators, even if you do primarily let them out to free range. Because there are lots of times when it will be necessary to put them behind a fence. AND if that run ends up being stripped of vegetation as so many runs do, keep that run in a deep litter as well.

Oh, my #1 recommendation to a healthy flock: Keep a closed flock. Don't bring in birds from outside, unless they are day old, or hatching eggs. (that still carries some risk, but we can't keep happy chickens in a bubble, and there's always a bit of risk. )

 

[armorfirelady]

 
So this is strange.  The little pullet's crop this morning was loose, not full and tight, but it had hard gritty items, not sure if that would be grit or corn kernals.  Why aren't those going through?

Yesterday she had yogurt, coconut oil, mashed hard boiled eggs.  Dang.

Don't fret.  I've heard of that very same thing from a couple of folks that had the same issue and both of their birds are okay today.  Just keep doing what you're doing for a little longer!

Sophie's was the same way. I figured the hard pieces were grit which I had in with her when she was in the crate.

 

[onmelissa]

Yes! That's exactly what I'm doing from now on. No more started birds! My kids and I are building an incubator.

What material makes good litter?