The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

How bout each of us that wants to sharing a few
"NATURAL CHICKEN KEEPING" TIPS FOR THE NEW FOLKS
that have been the most helpful to us?

I'll start with a few things I want to list for the new "natural chicken keepers" that I have found to be some of the best husbandry items. Some of these have already been shared by others too. When you share your lists, please put in bullet form rather than a long paragraph...easier to read!

Brooding:
Dig up a chunk of sod and put in the brooder after a week. Replace as necessary (usually at least every day). Gives them exposure to what's in your soils early to build immunity. (Thanks @oldhenlikesdogs for sharing that earlier.

-If you have older chickens, also begin to add a hand-ful of litter from the adult coop into the baby's litter at about a week old. Also exposes them while they're young.

-DON'T BE AFRAID OF A "LITTLE" AMMONIA IN THEIR LITTER. Repeat - "LITTLE". In testing it was shown to reduce cocci when at a comfortable level for the chicks. (See article here: http://www.plamondon.com/faq_deep_litter.html PLEASE NOTE: Disclaimer: I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING LIME OF ANY KIND IN THE LITTER...this article speaks of using lime and I am against using it for various reasons.)


General:

-If they have to be confined to a run, DEEP LITTER IT. A HUGE help in providing healthy soil and avoiding disease conditions for more confined birds. (You can see myriads of my posts about deep litter in the run. At the top of this page just under the title of the thread, you will see "search this thread". Limits searches to this thread only.)

-If you mostly free-range and have a run available DEEP LITTER IT. (Ditto the above comments.)

-Fresh air and sunshine, clean water. Lots of it.

-If you use ACV in their water, offer them a source of plain water to choose from also.

-If your birds don't get out of the run much, add some avian probiotics to their feed every once in awhile. (Avi-Culture 2 is the only avian probiotic on the market that states that it's not grown on a gmo substrate. A little container goes a LONG way. And, no, I don't sell or work for the company. And, yes, the website is pretty bad looking but it's a good product. )

-Feed species-appropriate feed. No soy and no little or no legume seeds if possible.




IF YOU FERMENT:
-If you ferment or soak your feed, LACTO-FERMENT. No other type of fermentation was tested for chicken feed. See: http://www.naturalchickenkeeping.com/?p=111 (Already posted by @Jewelwing This is a 3 part article so be sure to see all 3.) Also a podcast here: http://www.urbanchickenpodcast.com/ucp-episode-048/ Scroll to the bottom for the autio feed. Long but worth the listen if you have time.

-If you ferment I recommend offering both ferment and dry and let them free-choice. If you don't ferment, even soaking overnight helps reduce anti-nutrients.


@armorfirelady It was good to see you! I know you have some tips to share!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Even if I have nothing to do I always feel like I have too much to do

You nailed it. That describes my life in a nutshell!!!!!


@oldhenlikesdogs

 

[Leahs Mom]

OH...thought of one more thing:

To avoid dry feed getting flicked out all over and wasted, feed in deep pans/troughs. Switched to this method for dry feed a couple years ago and have totally eliminated wasted feed.

I found some pyrex bread pans at resale shops and a wooden planter box that they fit in perfectly. The planter keeps them from being tipped over. Could just fill the planter with dry feed itself if you have one that's not treated lumber. I originally got the pyrex pans for wet feed which I don't put on wood. Any deep trough-type thing will work if it's sufficiently heavy for them not to tip it over.

When it's deep enough they cant "beak it out".

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You nailed it.  That describes my life in a nutshell!!!!!


@oldhenlikesdogs

I guess it's a reminder that everyone feels hurried and late, so I will have to remember it when I go to town every two weeks and everyone seems pushy and unfriendly.

I think you covered a lot of what I practice.

I do get and brood my chicks later than most, May to June, so that they get outside on some grass earlier and I don't need to use the heat lamp all day.

Never crowd, throw out the recommended square footage and go way bigger if you want to avoid behavioral problems, chickens get bored sitting in the same pen the same as zoo animals, so if you have no choice than you need to think about behavioral enrichment, or something like rotating run, and deep litter is always the way to go for endless hours of entertainment.

I personally don't treat with antibiotics or do any deworming. I cull when necessary for the betterment of the flock, most sick chickens have other internal issues going on.

I keep the old hens around as I think it adds culture and wisdom to my flock and also cuts down on behavioral problems.

I don't add extra heat to my birds in the winter, Wisconsin is known for brutal winter weather. I let my birds acclimate and they do fine, right down to my little frizzle bantam.

 

[gevshiba]

Have been reading back on this thread a little. Interesting. Here at my place, if I raise chicks artificially, they will get coccidia. Dirt or no dirt, they will get it, and untreated, some will die. The odd thing is, as virulent as it is, if I natural raise them, I will have zero with coccidia.

I learned the value of using hens instead of incubators and brooders. I can make a mobile pen, and get a hen out past the reach of extension cords. Every place within reach of extension cords there have been chicks raised before, infected with and treated for coccidia. Getting them out on the clean ground and exposed to hens seems to help build up the beneficial bacteria and let them build a slow resistance to the bad bacteria. I think being in groups of twenty or less helps, too.

As an Asil fancier, I have the perfect broody hens for raising all of my egg and meat chickens. There is no comparison when it comes to raising chicks. My hens run around four and a half to five pounds, they can cover a decent amount of eggs. They are bare breasted, they make skin contact directly with the eggs, no insulating layer of feathers keeping their heat away from their eggs. They are long legged, graceful, with a long neck, no clumsy hens breaking eggs. They have tons of instinct, don't foul nests, very good with chicks. While no match for large predators, they are very protective, not an easy meal. (I had one that beat up a skunk last year that dug into the pen with her and her six week old chicks.) They are reliably broody, if you have one that hits six to eight months old, and it's between March and September, she is going to go broody. If it's early, she will go more than once. My best raise three broods a year.

The downside is, that they don't play well with others. Fortunately they are very happy kept in breeding pairs, or alone. They are extremely friendly toward humans, the males are big pets, very uncommon to see human aggression. Females are friendly, too, but when they have chicks they can be a little more hands off. Generally you can turn one loose to range and walk up and pick them up with just a little handling. You don't need many to keep you in chickens, and they have a very long productive life, (not uncommon for ten year olds to still be laying eggs and raising broods.)

I just though I would throw this out there, seems that some people have bad luck trying to get something to go broody, or maybe less than ideal performance out of the ones that do. I have tried most of those others, and usually was glad that I had an incubator for backup. Now my incubator collects dust. And, I have a constant supply of egg layers of staggered age, nice and healthy.

I've chosen my breed, which admittedly needs a lot of help, and I'm stubbornly sticking with them. I hope to breed the broody back into them, although I don't think they'd ever be as tenacious as the game birds on brooding and mothering. That said, all my birds, chickens and turkeys, have been hand raised except one poult. Not one of my chicks has gotten cocci. I raised some for a friend and hers got it as soon as she took them home. But we had a horrible spring with flooding and constant rain last year. Maybe I've just been lucky. I do dose my chicks with a random selection of herbs and what-not, so maybe that helps. I'm hoping to let the turkeys brood this year and I'll try to encourage the chickens, too. I'd sure rather they raise their own.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had a rough time getting my turkeys to brood and raise their poults, it ended up with a round of toss the poult it ain't mine between two hens, I now let my broody bantams hatch them then I raise them. It makes for friendly birds who think I'm their mom. I hope you have better luck than I did. Please share your experiences later in the year.

 

[JanetMarie]

Avi-Culture 2 is the only probiotic I use also. Not yogurt, as many on BYC suggest. Yogurt is formulated for mammals, and is not sufficient for chickens. I give the Avi-culture to all chicks in their drinking water until they'v been outside for about two months. The last chick that has ever died was from a hatchery. None of my own chicks have ever been ill.

Chicks need to go outside in a protected area as soon as possible, (usually after one week old) for soil contact, foraging, and sunshine.

 

[Couchmo]

[COLOR=006400]How bout each of us that wants to sharing a few [/COLOR]
[COLOR=006400]"NATURAL CHICKEN KEEPING" TIPS FOR THE NEW FOLKS[/COLOR]
[COLOR=006400]that have been the most helpful to us? [/COLOR]

I'll start with a few things I want to list for the new "natural chicken keepers" that I have found to be some of the best husbandry items.  Some of these have already been shared by others too.  When you share your lists, please put in bullet form rather than a long paragraph...easier to read! 



Brooding: 
Dig up a chunk of sod and put in the brooder after a week.  Replace as necessary (usually at least every day).  Gives them exposure to what's in your soils early to build immunity. (Thanks  @oldhenlikesdogs
for sharing that earlier.

-If you have older chickens, also begin to add a hand-ful of litter from the adult coop into the baby's litter at about a week old.  Also exposes them while they're young.

-DON'T BE AFRAID OF A "LITTLE" AMMONIA IN THEIR LITTER.  Repeat - "LITTLE".  In testing it was shown to reduce cocci when at a comfortable level for the chicks.  (See article here:  http://www.plamondon.com/faq_deep_litter.html  PLEASE NOTE:  Disclaimer:  I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING LIME OF ANY KIND IN THE LITTER...this article speaks of using lime and I am against using it for various reasons.)


General:

-If they have to be confined to a run, DEEP LITTER IT. A HUGE help in providing healthy soil and avoiding disease conditions for more confined birds. (You can see myriads of my posts about deep litter in the run.  At the top of this page  just under the title of the thread, you will see "search this thread".  Limits searches to this thread only.) 

-If you mostly free-range and have a run available DEEP LITTER IT.  (Ditto the above comments.)

-Fresh air and sunshine, clean water.  Lots of it.

-If you use ACV in their water, offer them a source of plain water to choose from also.

-If your birds don't get out of the run much, add some avian probiotics to their feed every once in awhile.  (Avi-Culture 2 is the only avian probiotic on the market that states that it's not grown on a gmo substrate.  A little container goes a LONG way.  And, no, I don't sell or work for the company.  And, yes, the website is pretty bad looking but it's a good product. )

-Feed species-appropriate feed.  No soy and no little or no legume seeds if possible.




IF YOU FERMENT:
-If you ferment or soak your feed, LACTO-FERMENT.  No other type of fermentation was tested for chicken feed.  See:  http://www.naturalchickenkeeping.com/?p=111 (Already posted by @Jewelwing
  This is a 3 part article so be sure to see all 3.)  Also a podcast here:  http://www.urbanchickenpodcast.com/ucp-episode-048/  Scroll to the bottom for the autio feed.  Long but worth the listen if you have time.

-If you ferment I recommend offering both ferment and dry and let them free-choice.  If you don't ferment, even soaking overnight helps reduce anti-nutrients.


@armorfirelady
   It was good to see you!  I know you have some tips to share! 

WOW, what a GREAT post! Thanks for all your experiential info and especially the info & link on "Built-Up/Deep Litter". I am in the process of building my coop now. It is 15' x 8' & will be divided into 3 sections (3 breeds) of about 5' x 8' each and it will be tall enough for me at 5'5' to use Deep Litter.

I am planning to put windows with screens in the two 8' ends. I was also planning on putting 6-8" of hardware cloth under the eaves along the top of the 15' front & back. The main people door will be center front & is all glass for plenty of light during the day. I could replace the upper pane with hardware cloth if necessary??? Will that be sufficient ventilation?

The floor is currently just bare 2" x 10" boards (got a great deal on barely used/covered year old building that blew down in bad storm). I bought vinyl flooring to cover it, thinking that would make it easier to clean. Of course, now I am convinced I want to "Deep Litter" the coop especially since the chickens will be confined to runs attached to their individual section of the coop. Should I cover the current floor with PT plywood then cover that with the vinyl? Other ideas? Any helpful thoughts/ideas will be much appreciated

My chickens are my pets and my joy

I want them as healthy & as happy as They can be in my care. I do lacto-ferment their feed and they will be fed & watered out in the partially covered runs.

Thanks in advance for the great advice I know you all have for me

!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a hen shed that I put a vinyl floor on to protect the wood. Then litter on top.

But...
It will never really break down well unless the litter is on the ground. So I do a "modified deep litter" inside the shed. I started with putting in a layer of dirt from the garden down on the floor, then use wood shaving over it. The finer the shavings the easier they break down. I do continue to build it up inside, but when it gets to a certain point, I take that indoor litter and shovel it out - right into the dirt run. I usually leave a little as a starter for the new shavings I bring in.

Here's a link to talking about it in another post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/36540#post_15212373


Here's a couple of photos of the outdoor run where you can see how it looks with the wood CHIPS and litter. Very healthy ground!






I also started using the logs as steps up to the pop door. I found that they were sliding down the ramps and injuring their feet leading to bumblefoot. After I removed the ramps, never another foot problem since. Even the little chicks hop right up and down them with ease when they're old enough to go out.

 

[Couchmo]

I have a hen shed that I put a vinyl floor on to protect the wood. Then litter on top. But... It will never really break down well unless the litter is on the ground. So I do a "modified deep litter" inside the shed. I started with putting in a layer of dirt from the garden down on the floor, then use wood shaving over it. The finer the shavings the easier they break down. I do continue to build it up inside, but when it gets to a certain point, I take that indoor litter and shovel it out - right into the dirt run. I usually leave a little as a starter for the new shavings I bring in. Here's a link to talking about it in another post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/36540#post_15212373 Here's a couple of photos of the outdoor run where you can see how it looks with the wood CHIPS and litter. Very healthy ground! I also started using the logs as steps up to the pop door. I found that they were sliding down the ramps and injuring their feet leading to bumblefoot. After I removed the ramps, never another foot problem since. Even the little chicks hop right up and down them with ease when they're old enough to go out.

WOW, Leahs Mom; Thanks soooo much. I can't believe how much like yours my set up is! I have 2 chain-link runs for 2 breeds with another to come in June. They are lined around the base with 24" of chicken wire. The top is covered with chicken wire as I can't chance either predators getting in or the chickens flying out. Part of the runs have tarps over the top and sides for wind/weather blockage. The coop is being built in between the two runs and the third one will go in front. I love the use of stumps for the coop entrance. Will hunt the local woods for them as well as some branches for them th climb/play on

. I have access to plenty of old, fallen, partially decomposed leaves from lots of local woods and can purchase wood shavings. A neighbor also has a large, old pile of wood chips/mulch. Are any of these suitable materials for the deep liter in the coop? Thanks again for your kind assistance. You all are GREAT!