The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

One thing that I really encourage to help with the health of the flock is to practice a deep litter in any outdoor pens. You can get usually get free wood chips from tree services in your area, and put all litter from the inside coop out onto the deep litter in the pens.

Keeps the ground healthy and full of good bugs and bacteria. The birds love to dig through it and it stops that unhealthy, impacted, disease breeding ground.

I know that I say that a lot, but it is one thing that I think could help with the health of all birds if they can't freely range... Here's a quote from a former post:




Quote:




Quote: From 2014

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: The reason I was saying that is because of the flu issue. Providing the healthiest ground possible if they are confined to a run is very important. Another benefit of the deep litter is that as it is composting, it creates an environment that is unfriendly to "bad bacteria" and produces additional vitamins (specifically the "B" vitamins and some others) as part of the bacterial process. Helps fortify healthy immune systems in a way that's similar to taking probiotics as it is a healthy ground full of probiotic activity.

 

[JulesChicks]

Well, I've been lurking on this thread for quite a while (and absolutely love it!), so I thought it's about time I introduced myself. I am very new to chickens (along with my husband, 9 yr old son and 5 yr old daughter), though I am not new to natural living, food, medicine, etc. So, I was very interested in how to manage our new flock naturally. We are using the deep litter method in the coop but I hadn't started on the run yet. Incidentally, we put the coop over an old fire pit/hole in the ground that had been filled in with wood chips. Underneath the coop is open and is part of the run so they have shelter. They do love it under there. Right now we only have 5 chicks that are almost 8 weeks old so they haven't destroyed the grass at all, but the poop is starting to collect. We still have piles of wood chips from tree trimming in January, so I'd say they are full of worms and the chicks will go nuts over them. Time to add the chips to the run I guess. I hate to cover up the grass completely, but maybe I could leave a section of grass and rake the poo into the chips so they can have grass for a little while longer.

We will be getting more chicks this Sunday, they are supposed to hatch on Saturday. I'll be adding sod to the brooder by the end of week one. We are already feeding fermented feed and experiencing great results. They seem to have fuller feathers maybe than pictures of other chicks of the same breeds at the same age. We have Black Copper Marans (one is a splash roo) and 2 are questionable as to whether they are full Marans or half Welsummer. They may end up being pure. We are getting 4 Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas and 2 Welsummers on Sunday. Lastly, I have 6 additional pullets coming in a week or 2: 2 Black Copper Marans, 2 Cream Legbars and 2 Swedish Flower Hens (half of this order will be at POL). And yes, we will be quarantining the new birds.

Question on ACV: Do you add this to all the water or only weekly or how do often do you add?

Thanks to all of you for your contributions! We're enjoying this new adventure so far!

Jules

 

[Leahs Mom]

@JulesChicks

Sounds like you have the makings of a great flock! It will be interesting when it comes to integrating them all together

I have SFH myself...and hoping to get 6 new chicks this spring. I also a variety of hatchery girls (original chickens...6 hatchery girls; 4 of them are still here).

On the ACV - or anything else for that matter - I have a philosophy. When I put something in water for general purpose, I do it free choice. Meaning that I offer a waterer that has it and one that doesn't and let them decide if they want it.

Something else to consider is that if you are lacto-fermenting feed, it will have a good amount of lactic acid which, in my opinion, lessens the need for giving ACV. But ACV does have a different set of enzymes than you'll find in the lacto-ferment, so there is still benefit if you offer it with the choice of fresh, clean water for them to decide.

 

[slordaz]

Welcome Jules I am still new to this, these gals are a great help though.

Thanks Leahs mom for the clarification on ACV as I was like ut oh I missed a step or something.

I am considering changing to sand for the coop and run, so far the run is looking good for having 2 ducklings and 16 chicks in it they are not eating all of the grass as there's lots of bugs right now they are to busy chasing them, other than they decided that the odd stink bug that wandered in wasn't good eating and ran away to wait for us to remove it from the run lol. We are also doing a lot of planting right now so are adding a good size piece of sod with grass and weeds into the pen and changing it out about once a week only have a couple spots other than the sandy area that a few cleared cause they wanted to take their dust bath there. we actually clean the coop out daily and have been using the old litter to plant around the trees so it was still being useful.

These chicks are between a few days old-10 weeks old and we can already tell we have a couple of really good mothers growing up, the Duck did a good job at teaching the chicks I would say, you can tell 2/3 of the 10 week pullets will be brooders. They adopted the baby mallard the duckling didn't want anything to do with until she realized it was the only one that would go for a swim with her, and took straight to watching and teaching the new chicks. we did a booboo there set them to close and one of the pullets heard them while we were unloading other stuff , now she won't let anyone near them so we let her keep them in a protected area so she didn't get to upset.

 

[flyladyrocks]

I'm trying to wrap my head around this: A chicken farm with 1.1 million chickens .... has H2N2 virus/bird flu in Minnesota.

It is about the 15th turkey or chicken farm in Minnesota struck by the virus, but what I'm struggling with is, what does a million chickens look like?

A million chickens look like a breeding ground for disease.

 

[flyladyrocks]

A million chickens would look something like this (and this is probably not even close to a million). These are classified as "free range" chickens so they can sell their eggs as "free range eggs". Otherwise they would be in cages, several to a cage, without the ability to fully stand up. Laying eggs until they could no longer when they would be destroyed and probably become either your dogs food or feed for cattle and pigs...and other chickens. You can see how something like avian flu would spread rapidly in this environment.

 

[slordaz]

that map tells a lot different story, irresponsible commercial farms are the hardest hit ones.

gotta love that unspecified one in Canada though , 9000 turkey's would be a commercial, or crazy ocd lol

 

[armorfirelady]

One thing that I really encourage to help with the health of the flock is to practice a deep litter in any outdoor pens. You can get usually get free wood chips from tree services in your area, and put all litter from the inside coop out onto the deep litter in the pens.

Keeps the ground healthy and full of good bugs and bacteria. The birds love to dig through it and it stops that unhealthy, impacted, disease breeding ground.

I know that I say that a lot, but it is one thing that I think could help with the health of all birds if they can't freely range... Here's a quote from a former post:

PS: The reason I was saying that is because of the flu issue. Providing the healthiest ground possible if they are confined to a run is very important. Another benefit of the deep litter is that as it is composting, it creates an environment that is unfriendly to "bad bacteria" and produces additional vitamins (specifically the "B" vitamins and some others) as part of the bacterial process. Helps fortify healthy immune systems in a way that's similar to taking probiotics as it is a healthy ground full of probiotic activity.

I agree 100% DL was the best thing I ever did. My hens are happy & healthy with minimal work. I feed them once a day and that's it.

All that chicken gold (DL) went into my garden this spring and was rototilled down in the soil. In a couple weeks I will add some peat moss and re rototill it before planting my veggies. I've never had plants burn from the feces of the hens. When I cleaned out the coop the DL on top that had not broken down all that much, went in the garden first with the bottom DL being a nice black color and smelling like earth. I bet it was 18 inches thick. The top DL was about the same. The coop floor is now bare earth. I need to add some free sawdust to it but keep forgetting lol Just something to cover the droppings from roosting time.

This time of year my hens only go in the coop to roost, pass by on the way to their water in another add on area or to lay eggs. Keeps the mess to a minimum.

I have never had an ill hen and I truly believe the DL, FF, good ventilation & letting the hens decided when to go out or stay in has made all the difference

 

[COChix]

Hi gang,

So what's is everyone's experience in introducing chicks to a broody hen, specifically has anyone had luck introducing week old chicks to a broody? I am hoping that my Dark Cornish is finally broody again, she had a bare breast and is sitting on golf balls this am for hours. Our babies are a week old today and I was just curious what your experiences have been like. Thanks so much in advance for the knowledge you all share.

PS - I took her off the golf balls at around 11:30 when I took some kale out to the gang. When I just collected eggs at 12:20 she was back on the same nest sitting on golf balls. I am going to let her be and then see if I can get her moved tomorrow night, if she is serious, to the small coop blocked from others on the balls for another day or so and then try to slip her a few chicks at night. I understand it is just trial and error and each hen differs. I am hopeful at this point as these guys are a feisty bunch and will outgrow their in the house brooder by next weekend. If she doesn't stay broody then I will be building the mama hen heating pad broody and set that up in the small coop with part of the run blocked from the rest of the gang. That is my plan and hope right now.