The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[SherrieC]

sorry but still wet behind the ears lol,

You have to treat with the med 10 days later as any eggs they laid will hatch, and if you don't you will have to start over with the treatment. not sure what else you need to do though as if they do have them they are in the ground too and guess I need to read up on that if it's bad enough you have to treat they are probably pretty heavy in the ground too.

I wouldn't worry to much about the new ones not being to keen on FF, it's probably a dietary change for them and they will get used to it with time. Although I admit I get chicks so it's not usually a problem as they are on starter /grower food , they seem to like the change from dry to wet though lol

Thanks, I am still deciding wether to worm again with the same wormer or another one that's meant to give them a boost as well, I think it starts with an L. I haven't seen anymore round worms in their poos, just the one adult so far.

I give them all a wet meal anytime I want to feed them something such as garlic, probiotics etc especially if I notice they're not eating their dry feed.

My new Wyandotte girls don't seem to be big eaters or are very fussy, maybe once they're in with the others they will improve. I would've thought they would be bigger eaters. In a way it's going to be a shame introducing them as my Australorps (minus the broody) seem to be accepting my Plymouth finally. They were all eating together from the one feeder this morning which was a first.

 

[slordaz]

Thanks, I am still deciding wether to worm again with the same wormer or another one that's meant to give them a boost as well, I think it starts with an L. I haven't seen anymore round worms in their poos, just the one adult so far.

I give them all a wet meal anytime I want to feed them something such as garlic, probiotics etc especially if I notice they're not eating their dry feed.

My new Wyandotte girls don't seem to be big eaters or are very fussy, maybe once they're in with the others they will improve. I would've thought they would be bigger eaters. In a way it's going to be a shame introducing them as my Australorps (minus the broody) seem to be accepting my Plymouth finally. They were all eating together from the one feeder this morning which was a first.

That I don't know anything about thatSherriec, just remember reading on here that you need to do it again in 10 days so maybe someone that has used wormer can guide you on that

I give my small flock a what they will eat of FF in 30 minutes (morning and before going in for the night) then leave dry food out for them, they are free ranging supervised part of the day and come back to run while we work, ducky is pretty good about getting vocal when she thinks we forgot her fresh veggie treat which is usually what ever veggies we had left over from making lunch, they all love lettuce,sweet peppers, tomato,watermelon cut up small.

Might be just nervous in new place, getting an older chicken would ask when I got them what they were used to being fed and grab some of that to mix in with what I am going to be feeding if it's something I don't feed, just to make the transition a little easier. At least that's my thought on it it and like I said before take it with a grain of salt I am still reaquainting myself with flock managment as haven't had a flock in some time

been long day was was super busy today so sorry if there are typos coffee wore off 4 hours ago lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

I just had a whole post written and my computer shut down on me before posting it

Anyhow...
What I was saying was that I agree that it does sound like that chick had a weakness that you wouldn't want to perpetuate in your flock with heroics.

However...in my case, I make it a matter of course to feed my baby chicks some raw liver and/or raw ground meat and also some brewers yeast when they're little. So for me, to add those things is just the norm when I have the babies. The feed we get from our feed bags doesn't have a rich source of animal-based B12 and the other B's - which are more bio-available from meat/insects than any veg. source - so I make a point to be sure they get it from an animal source especially when they're tiny.

If I had a single weak chick under those circumstances, for sure I'd make the assumption that there was an issue with that specific chick.

 

[slordaz]

Leah, how long do you add that into their feed, mine are having a hay day free ranging some now and looking good even the cornish x's (they are kinda stupid),but I do have the 4 new RIR's we got last week. I thought starter food had everything they needed, but then started reading the other OT thread and your post makes me wonder about it being nutritionally complete for them, it's been feed dry and fermented.

 

[Leahs Mom]

If they're outside and able to get bugs I don't worry about it as much. Usually my babies have been inside on litter longer in the early spring so it is more of an issue. So If I know they have access to the bugs and dirt it's not as big a deal to me.

I do give all my birds some raw meat/liver in the wintertime. I've also been adding the brewers yeast to their feed as a matter of coarse as I just did a re-formulation on their feed a few weeks ago so it's going in the feed regularly. I was just putting some in a pan free- choice before and letting them eat what they wanted on the BY.

 

[slordaz]

Thanks for the insight there Leah it is much appreciated,

lots of things to think about before I do those foraging trays I'm going to experiment growing inside to put in the coop in wintertime as here we get pretty deep snow in the northern mountains.

my older chicks were but they are already outside in run or free ranging, the approximately week old RIR's are in the coop but in a separate protected box, and are wanting to go outside with the others, so we have let them supervised they all seem to tolerate it well though the baby duckling does get jealous as it wants all the attention from the chick that chicknapped the newest babies when we brought them home, so we send the ducklings out to swim in the pond while the babies are out mingling with the older chicks

 

[Jewelwing]

Am I right to think that I shouldn't try putting the chicks under my Australorp who is broody for the first time (she's two years old)? She's only been broody for about 5 days, so I'm guessing it wouldn't be smart to try putting the chicks under her. But if you guys think it's worth a try, I'll do it tonight. The chicks were hatched on Monday, sent in the mail, I got them Tuesday, and last night they slept peacefully under my Speckled Sussex broody only to be attacked by her in the morning.

Thanks for helping me with this, guys! Here are the chicks in question:

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well...I probably wouldn't trust her "broodiness" if it's only been 5 days. I usually test a broody out by carrying her away from the nest and plopping her on the ground several days to see what she does. So I usually only give eggs after they've been determined for a week or so.

I've also heard people say that they need a period of time for the hormone cycle to really kick in and make them ready to raise the babies. Now I'm not sure if that's true. I've just heard people say it.

So...
In any case, I guess you could try it if you're there to rescue them in the morning if needed. I said it before, but I know someone that has a hen that is a "natural mother" and that girl had more than 20 chicks of all ages with her many times. They'd just keep adding chicks and she'd just keep taking them. So you never know if your girl may be one of those kind's of personalities unless you try it!

 

[slordaz]

Am I right to think that I shouldn't try putting the chicks under my Australorp who is broody for the first time (she's two years old)? She's only been broody for about 5 days, so I'm guessing it wouldn't be smart to try putting the chicks under her. But if you guys think it's worth a try, I'll do it tonight. The chicks were hatched on Monday, sent in the mail, I got them Tuesday, and last night they slept peacefully under my Speckled Sussex broody only to be attacked by her in the morning.

Thanks for helping me with this, guys! Here are the chicks in question:

I wouldn't think that would be a very good idea unless she is a natural momma which you don't know yet, add in the fact that the chicks already had a bad experience with it, you might have to brood them. in my limited experience some are naturals, i have a chick that heard the new babies and got so upset we thought maybe showing them to her would help calm her back down before putting them in the brooding pen and she chicknapped one tucked it into her box nest and wouldn't calm down until I gave her all 4, strange as it is as she is so young she took to raising a couple day old chicks being a chick herself at 8-10 weeks. and a week later she's doing an awesome job still, the duckling is a bit put out but knows not to mess with the babies.

Had never seen one that was naturally motherly like this, our chicks were raised in the brooder by a blue swedish duckling they decided was momma and she gladly played the part and then when instincts kicked , but they were still crazy enough to try to follow the duckling as she was calling to them as she wanted to go swimming, so we watch really close for now so they don't end up in the canal when free ranging with them.

they sure are cute chicks

 

[YardBirdMom]

She won't accept them at a later date, nor will they accept her after the "imprinting" window has passed.

How long is the imprinting window?

The reason I ask is I had two hens that went broody and I bought fertilized eggs and put under them. Only one egg hatched but I purchased chicks and put them with the hens, all were readily accepted and the babies quickly claimed the mama, at 2 weeks of age.

Then one mama got a mysterious injury that required her to be put down. This left me with 3 1/2 week old chicks motherless. I literally shrugged my shoulders and "tossed" them in with the other hen. You would have thought she was theirs and they were hers from day one.

So, is she just a very special and unusual hen??

Sometimes that's the cool thing about being a chicken newbie, I don't have preconceived notions something can't or won't work