The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Lacy Blues]

Entertainment
What a really mad cockerel looks like:



In his opinion, cages and baths are for girls. The ONLY good thing about this show stuff is getting to sleep "next to" girls. ;-)

He is beautiful! Good luck at the show and do let us know how he did.

 

[armorfirelady]

Remember my heated base I purchased for the water? Well they told me that I could just dispose of it. They don't have anymore product left

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FQ61ZD4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now I have to find something else. Ugh !!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady

How is your situation currently? I was wondering if the deep litter in the chicken hoop was soaked through too. I'm thinking it's time to build a little hill next summer to put the hoop on. Wonder if that could be done w/ a load or 2 of wood chips from the tree trimmer? The main problem I see w/doing it that way is that it would be very easy to dig under for a predator to get into the hoop at night so that probably wouldn't be the best foundation....

O well...just thinking out loud here.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Remember my heated base I purchased for the water? Well they told me that I could just dispose of it. They don't have anymore product left

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FQ61ZD4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now I have to find something else. Ugh !!

Seriously.... I got out the dog bowls again with the little chick waterers on them and they are working like a charm.


Put grit into a heated dog bowl deep enough to to form a stable base and raise the waterer up to the rim level; put water in the grit to conduct heat. Place one of these 2 kinds of waterers on the bed of grit depending on which sizes you have.

Quart size heated bowl fits the canning jar sized water bases which cost about $2 and can be used with any regular mouth canning jar or a 5 lb honey jar which holds 1/2 gallon. This photo shows the 5 lb. honey jar (apx. 1/2 gal. water). (I used this size all last winter successfully with all age birds.)




The 5 quart larger dog bowl fits a 2 gallon waterer:
Photo by @hoosiercheetah

Hoosier Cheetah is trying this size this year and so far has kept thawed. Watching to see how it does in negative temps.

 

[Leahs Mom]

THEY DID REFUND YOUR MONEY ON THAT DIDN'T THEY? (They sell those at Tractor Supply if you wanted to try another one and have a TSC local.)

 

[wwarren8200]

Hey guys and girls. I'm new to natural chicken keeping. Just thought I'd stop by and talk and learn

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wwarren8200

Hey guys and girls. I'm new to natural chicken keeping. Just thought I'd stop by and talk and learn

You're in the right place!

 

[wwarren8200]

Has anyone looked at the Chicken Caravan

as a free range coop? I plan on building something like that soon.

 

[Lacy Blues]

>< snip ><

I'm thinking it's time to build a little hill next summer to put the hoop on. Wonder if that could be done w/ a load or 2 of wood chips from the tree trimmer? The main problem I see w/doing it that way is that it would be very easy to dig under for a predator to get into the hoop at night so that probably wouldn't be the best foundation....

O well...just thinking out loud here.

If you were to get a bunch of cinder blocks and form an area larger than your hoop coop, you could put wire underneath a lot of wood chips so it couldn't be dug through. Maybe then get rocks or pavers to put down over the area that has the wire underneath...

Another issue, at least where I live, would be wind. You would need to provide anchored support for the thing. Maybe if you did as suggested above, you could sink some 4x4 posts into the ground with concrete footings, fill up the area with wood chips, then put your hoop coop where it could be secured to the posts so the wind could not carry it away.

I think out loud too and I love your little smiley guy deep in thought!

 

[mlowen]

@ Leah's Mom--you should enter your pin-cushion girl into the "worst molt picture" contest. I think you'd have a really good chance at it. And maybe the prize would be a chicken sweater she could use.