The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Can anyone identify this?
What concerns me is the roo only has 4 hens to service and I notice that the one has lost the feathers on her back. She's a smaller hen compared to the others and he's a big boy. He tends to have a problem keeping his balance on her. So what do I do? Should I add more girls for him to even out the ratio? Or just leave well enough alone?

@galefrances
So good to see you! Been a long time!

I agree w/ @oldhenlikesdogs I think it is just a fluke and you probably won't see that in the eggs consistently. I've seen a bit of tissue like that now and then over the years.


When I had "Mister", there was ONE HEN that lost the feathers on the back consistently. Only one in the whole group. After molt in the fall, they grew back in beautifully, then the next spring, the same thing again. I think it's like you said. It may have just been the way he was mounting her. None of the others had the problem, just this one.

As far as adding hens, I guess you could do that. But if she is prone to losing the feathers there it probably won't make a difference unless you keep him from mating her. I would put one of the "aprons" on this hen just to give her some relief from the sun on bare skin. She looked terrible each summer season that Mister was with us.

Another thing you should know - feathers don't just grow in at random times. They grow in after molt. So don't be alarmed that they aren't coming back in. They will come back in their glory after her molt.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What often happens in the bottom hen will use the rooster for protection and the rooster will mate that hen more and sometimes exclusively. I would spend some time observing them. She may need a hen saddle. Adding hens may or may not help. Sometimes removing the rooster for a while and penning him up can change things up enough, or giving the bottom hen places to hide can help.

 

[galefrances]

Thanks to both oldhenlikesdogs and Leahsmom...... It's reassuring to know my instincts were right. I've only been raising chickens for about 4 yrs. and I still have so much to learn ( that's why I always lurk here) you guys are all great , knowledgeable and willing to teach without making someone feel stupid. This is my first rooster and first integrated flock so I feel like a newbie all over again. Thank you for your input. I'm happy to know their behavior is normal. Oh, and thanks for the heads up on feather regrowth. I probably would have wondered why they weren't growing back. I guess I'm going to have to put an apron on my girl...I used to shake my head when I saw those for sale thinking they were a fashion statement.

I did look at the pics and I'm hoping my DH will redesign our coop this year. Once you start working with a flock you begin to see where you went wrong. First thing I'm doing is getting rid of the ramps and having an old tree that's been laying in our yard cut up for steps in the coop. Last year I battled with bumble foot. I ended up culling one of my hens because I couldn't resolve it. I've got a few good ideas from your pics.

I saw everyone's posts about rodents. This winter was the first time I had to deal with them. I can see my coop from my kitchen. I knew they were around because I saw the holes in the ground going under the run. Caused a huge spat between my DH and I because I told him when he and his brother were building the run that the hardware cloth had to be buried a foot down and then faned out at the bottom to prevent any rodents from burrowing underneath. He insisted it was done, but it was obvious it wasn't. Anyway, one morning I'm looking at the coop drinking my coffee and out from underneath the coop comes a parade, yes I said parade! Of rats going along the run wall burrowing underneath then into the run to the auto feeder and back out again under the coop. I counted nine huge rats! So I refused to go out and take care of the chickens until the rodents were gone. So there my poor DH and our grandson were out in the frigid weather digging into hard ground laying the hardware cloth. We spoke to an exterminator and were told to bury and fan out the hardware cloth and then set bait boxes along their path about 6 ft from their nest. We were told that the dogs or chickens wouldn't be able to get inside the box and even if one of them ate a dead rat, they've never seen an animal die from eating one. Evidently they would have to eat quite a few to get sick. Jump in here and correct me if my info was wrong. I don't like using poison but I'm deathly afraid of rats. I haven't seen any rats in a while but I've been told once you have them they never go away, just that they're controlled enough that you don't see them. I just don't know where they go to die because I've never seen a dead one either. There's a guy on this website that built a bait station that I thought was interesting. He had a pic, but I can't remember what forum I saw it on. Anyway, he took a pvc pipe about 4 inches in diameter and then attached another pipe so that he had a large T upside down, he puts a cap on the top and he burys the open ended pipe on the bottom just underground along their path. Then he just drops the poison down the capped tall part that sticks out of the ground. He can peek in there and see how much of the bait is eaten.

Well, thanks again. I'll be lurking

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We get rats every fall, only poison will work. We put out the box in the fall when we see tunnels and pick it up in the spring. I haven't actually seen any rats, but if you do you have hundreds I'm told. I think you will find that it's something you might have to do too. The rats die in there tunnels, and I'm assuming they are long and deep because we don't even smell them decomposing. I have seen the pvc bait station but just use the box. Rats can eat a lot of food, and are wickedly smart.

 

[lalaland]

leahsmom. any update on the bees?

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland

Getting a pkg for the top bar hive coming on the 20th. Then Husband is building a long langstroth hive that I'm going to try foundationless. One of the local beekeepers that has good practices (Treatment Free = TF) and has good wintering hives is supposed to be doing a split that we're going to put in that long lang.

The more I read the more I think that I"m not going to like the top bar...mainly because I think it will turn out to be too small and a little more hassle to deal with than foundationless. We shall see. The plans for the long langstroth is here: http://horizontalhive.com/how-to-build/long-langstroth-plans.shtml But going to do a few modifications on it.


I honestly don't expect the package to flourish over winter in the tbh. But...one of my main things is I'd like to see honeybees back here again even if they swarm and find a tree to live in. I'm in my childhood home and there used to be bees everywhere. I honestly haven't seen any bees in the 4 years we've been here. Except...last year a neighbor put a couple hives on his property. I left about an acre of clover, dandilions, etc. growing for them and never saw them on it. I did see them come to drink from my chicken's water pans now and then but not on the flowers. I think that he must have been feeding them junk and they just didn't forage much. Very unfortunate.

 

[curious chickee]

The best incubator

 

[lalaland]

leahsmom, I'm going to follow your bee experience closely!

Busy spring - building the hooop coop, the quail are calling and starting to mature, so there is a little chasing going on. Have to get some optional quarters so they can separate if they like. They have been ranging a bit father each time I let them out, but soon go scurrying back to their run. The wild world frightens them.

One of the buff orps who is just about a year old, a hatchery hen I took in when the owner didn't want to overwinter the tiny flocok - has repro problems. In the 4 months I've had her, she has been in sick bay twice - sort of generally not feeling well. Both times, after 4-5 days, she was ready to rejoin the flock. Today she was doing the telltale standing still by her self thing and I thought oh-oh, here we go again. Watched her and she was straining hard, and finally laid an egg (standing in the run). When I went to shut the coop up, she was still out under the coop and had just laid a rubber egg. Wish there was something I could do for her, but I figure it will be another few days in sick bay and then either she will be better or be culled.

I have two broodies setting - today one had kicked an egg out of the nest to the other end of her quarters, and another egg totally disappeared. I think it may have broken since it looked like one egg in the nest had yolk on it - didn't get a good look. Hatch day is april 30.

@armorfirelady , I can't remember if you put a roof brace on your hoop coop or not?

 

[slordaz]

well will be posting pictures any day, hen was ok letting me grab one egg to candle em but then kicked my seat end when tried to look at another lol. can't see to much in there,

then got one more hatch in 10 more days and the white leghorn went broody and tried stealing the eggs the BR was sitting on so we gave her 6 eggs this morning

 

[Leahs Mom]

Wish I had a broody!!!!!!

Here are a couple photos of the new kids. All Swedish Flower Hens - though some may be cockerels!

Someone said they look like they've all been punched in the eye and have shiners

That platform is made of 2 clementine boxes turned upside down. Raises the water up from the shavings so it stays clean. Works for the food bowl too.




A 5-gallon paint stir stick roost.