The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Got mine set up but not sure which way should be up. The little tab on the bottom or top? If this question sounds insane, please disregard it.

I tried it both ways and water comes out differently.

No question is insane!!!!

The little red lip thing goes to the bottom. It's like a "drip cup". So the metal nipple is above and the little drip cup underneith.

So it looks like this on the bucket...the little lip below the pin.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Couple more photos so you can see it applied to a bucket or container:

So the longer/larger piece goes on the bottom.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I like this little square one. It would sit against the wall and not get wobbly and spill... plus dry wattles... for winter anyway! How many birds do they recommend per fount?

 

[COChix]

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I'd really like to learn about the flaky type calcium if you can give us some info from the bag or a link.  It looks like something easier to eat by looking at it.


On the horizontal nipples, I'd really encourage you to read through the thread about them here.  Lots of helpful info about drill bit size, etc.  I have the info somewhere around here if you want me to look it up. 

I don't remember - have your birds used nipples before?  I think I remember you saying that they've used the vertical ones?  It will take a bit of time to train them to where the water is but they'll have an easier time figuring it out quicker if they used the other kind since they're usually both red and both on a bucket.  Just a little familiarity helps.

I will keep you posted on the oyster shell will be going tomorrow to grab some. I will post the 411 about what I end up with.

On the nipples I have read those threads, was just wanting first hand experiences from you all as to what went goo for you or what went bad and why.

I don't amend my feed.  I guess I used the phrase "along with" instead of along side so my fault but I do not add calcium to the feed.  I only have a hopper in each pen with oyster shell for the girls.  When I refill the girls' hoppers, I'll toss a handful into the boys' yard as well.  They do eat them sometimes.  They also eat the egg shells.

I don't know if my birds have a preference for how their eggs are cooked.  I used to whip them all up in a bowl, shells included and bake them in a big pan.  Then I would chop all of that up and serve.  That way seems to be a lot more work.  Now, I just hard boil a pot full of them every once in a while.  Chop and serve.  They eat them eagerly any way they get them.

Sorry if you took that the wrong way, that was not my intention. I was merely trying to state that our roosters will eat oyster shells and egg shells,so they must need some amount of calcium. I was agreeing with you but did a poor job of communicating it. Ours love scrambled eggs, those are usually feed with an whole oat warm mash with some BOSS and blackstrap molasses on a cold morning.

We had a brief warm up today so I decide to turn over the DL in the coop. Girls couldn't decide where to scratch first. And you can't tell the peepers from the big girls anymore.

I had to take the door off the old run (brick in front of the door raised up) and turned that over as well and refreshed their 2nd dust bath. I even sifted thru my garbage can of wood ash. Hens couldn't decide what to do first.

I have oyster shell available on the side for the hens to eat as they need it. I just refilled their oyster shell ( it didn't stay dry in container I had it in outside so I hope it dries out in coop). Neither did their grit. I need to come up with a different plan for next year. The ouster she'll is whatever the feed store has available.

The eggs I get are hard like normal. Only Stella & 2 peepers are laying now.

Nice sounds like you got a lot done. It has bee unseasonable warm here as well it was 65 today.

Couple more photos so you can see it applied to a bucket or container:

So the longer/larger piece goes on the bottom.

Thanks for the pics and explanation.

I like this little square one.  It would sit against the wall and not get wobbly and spill... plus dry wattles... for winter anyway!  How many birds do they recommend per fount? 

Yes,that is why I bought some of these as well because of the wattles on our boys. Our packing states that one nipple will water 6-8 chickens.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

Ok,not sure if this has to do with Natural Chickin Keeping,but I plan on hatching Production red chicks mix,1 problem,my PR hens don't brood much,any way I can get them?\

The problem with your lack of broodiness is the breed you're using: Production Reds are bred for PRODUCTION (of eggs), so broodiness has been bred out of them. Get a few hens of a different breed that's known for going broody, such as Australorps (and I'm sure there's many more broody breeds out there).

 

[Leahs Mom]

I did have a production red girl brood 2x for me but that's unusual.

 

[vpatt]

I did have a production red girl brood 2x for me but that's unusual.

Are production hens specific breeds or a mix of breeds....I'm told that the sex links are bred for easy sexing and not for laying ability. I thought it was for both as my RSL lays everyday.

 

[LindaB220]

No question is insane!!!!

The little red lip thing goes to the bottom. It's like a "drip cup". So the metal nipple is above and the little drip cup underneith.

So it looks like this on the bucket...the little lip below the pin.

Yea, thanks so much. I have my 4 new babies ready to go out to the brooder and have a plastic coffee creamer container set up with 2 of them. Going to teach those little suckers how to drink. I have 40 ISA Brown pullets coming in a couple of weeks and want to be set up and running. I have a 5 gallon bucket with 3 on it but I'll need to add some more. Sooooo many plans. Exciting time of the year, isn't it. A new beginning for all of us.

@thePRfan, I'm planning on ordering a few bantam Cochins. They are the BEST at brooding.

 

[lalaland]

sigh. I'ld surely like to win the lottery.

PM'ing with a woman who raises 300 broilers a year plus her own egg flock....she and others share processing so she has had a ton of opportunity to see what happens internally with different feeds. She is feeding soy free, corn free, alfalfa free for her own birds because of the internal tumors, yellow or spotty livers, etc that she has observed in flocks.

If I understood her right, access to pasture versus a run makes the biggest difference, followed by eliminating the gmo issues of soy corn alfalfa - at least in our region, there isn't really such a thing as non gmo soy corn alfalfa. so, conventional feed and access to fresh pasture was better than organic feed in a run or with limited access or no access to pasture. best of all = non soy/gmo and access to pasture.

I just interrupted two big black dogs chasing deer . These are the two that I am pretty sure took out my entire flock a couple of years ago by digging under the fences.

 

[lazy gardener]

Are production hens specific breeds or a mix of breeds....I'm told that the sex links are bred for easy sexing and not for laying ability. I thought it was for both as my RSL lays everyday.

Production hens are most likely a mix. Each hatchery has their own "blend" which may or may not be the same as those of an other hatchery. Sex links are a specific hybrid, designed to be color sexed at hatch. They are often prolific layers and have a good feed conversion rate, the down side being that they often cease laying at an early age, and succumb to reproductive issues. If you're interested in finding out what goes into producing a sex linked hen, read the sex linked thread. There are some wonderful charts that tell you which breeds work together to produce a sex linked chick. I've produced my own sex links for the past two years, and am optimistically thinking that these birds will posess good hybrid vigor, and not be prone to the laying issues of the commercial sex links.