The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Arkansas81]

Oh yeah. Never would have got the Silkies from a hatchery. Especially since we may breed in the future, wanted good stock. I think some of my reasons also have to do with supporting local business/farms as much as possible. We don't have any big name hatcheries here in Oregon. There are some mid sized ones, but I would rather buy from someone I can see the conditions they are raised in.

The green is not as hard to read once it is nested in a quote, but against the grey, ouch.

Sorry Turtle, that was me trying to be artsy fartsy. As you might see that I don't do to good with that process!

I might have blinded a few people with my process...whoopsie

 

[atmaclean]

OH MY

I just have to have some marans!! I just love thos beautiful eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also want some that lay blue eggs, I've ended up with olive eggers...I don't know much about legbars...plz do tell

he

My Cream Legbars came from GFF. They are really pretty. If you look a few pages back, you can see a pic of my Cream Legbar rooster, Desi. I will try to get a pic of his wife, Lucy, my CL hen. They are about 10 months old. I have had no luck getting any fertile eggs yet but I'm still trying.... They are great chickens. They free range really well. Lucy is the only hen, however, that went broody on me about a month ago. I finally had to pen her up with Desi in a separate pen to keep her off the nest boxes! She was determined. But now she is back to normal and out with the other hens all day. I really do love her beautiful, big eggs. They are about a medium sized chicken - not really big but not small like the araucanas. Hope this helps a little. You can read a lot more detailed info on the on the GFF website ( http://greenfirefarms.com/store/category/chickens/cream-legbar/ ) .
Angela

 

[rambunctious]

Since this is the natural keeping thread..I found some Organic ACV with Mother, cheaper than the gas for me to hunt it down.
http://www.drvita.com/p-471-dynamic...inegar-with-mother-16-fl-oz.aspx?SKU=DYN00341 FREE SHIPPING. 16oz for 1.55.

 

[atmaclean]

Since this is the natural keeping thread..I found some Organic ACV with Mother, cheaper than the gas for me to hunt it down.
http://www.drvita.com/p-471-dynamic...inegar-with-mother-16-fl-oz.aspx?SKU=DYN00341 FREE SHIPPING. 16oz for 1.55.

Wow! That is an awesome deal. I'll be placing an order. Thank you so much for sharing

 

[atmaclean]

Thank you all so much for all the info on the FF. This evening I made the switch with my littles. This tub is my Norwegian Jaerhorns and my Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. Within minutes they were devouring it!! Same with my 4 week old Black Copper Marans. Problem is with the tub of Rhodebars and week old Black Copper Marans They are refusing. Should I offer some dry feed as well or just wait for them to eat the FF?

Thanks for any help! Not sure why those boogers are being so stubborn when these others were so happy to switch.....

Angela

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Thank you all so much for all the info on the FF. This evening I made the switch with my littles. This tub is my Norwegian Jaerhorns and my Blue Laced Red Wyandottes. Within minutes they were devouring it!! Same with my 4 week old Black Copper Marans. Problem is with the tub of Rhodebars and week old Black Copper Marans They are refusing. Should I offer some dry feed as well or just wait for them to eat the FF?

Thanks for any help! Not sure why those boogers are being so stubborn when these others were so happy to switch.....

Angela

I would leave the FF in there and when they get hungry enough, they will eat it. If they don't by tomorrow morning, then feed some dry so they don't starve.

 

[aoxa]

Since this is the natural keeping thread..I found some Organic ACV with Mother, cheaper than the gas for me to hunt it down.
http://www.drvita.com/p-471-dynamic...inegar-with-mother-16-fl-oz.aspx?SKU=DYN00341 FREE SHIPPING. 16oz for 1.55.

shipping to Canada is 35$ lol

 

[southerndesert]

Yeah ours are out on 5 acres from mid day on as well, no fat chickens here, but we rotate at 3 years as well to keep production up. Happy healthy and lay like the dickens for us, just sticking with what works and there are also allot of variables I agree.....

FF just works for us and has for many years.

 

[rambunctious]

This might seem silly, but I'm going to ask anyway. If I add U-ACV (w/mother) to chicks water and feed an UN-medicated feed, keep their bedding clean, my 'normal' risk for cocci is diminished quite a bit right? I'd like to go that route, but I'm not sure I want to go the FF yet.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

This might seem silly, but I'm going to ask anyway. If I add U-ACV (w/mother) to chicks water and feed an UN-medicated feed, keep their bedding clean, my 'normal' risk for cocci is diminished quite a bit right? I'd like to go that route, but I'm not sure I want to go the FF yet.

From what I understand, if they have never been outside, they have not been exposed to cocci(could be wrong, still learning). But I do put shavings and dirt from my main coop in the chicks brooder box from day one, that way they are exposed and can begin building a natural resistance to it. I use UACV in water and FF. I use a small scale DLM in my brooder box. I start out with about 1" of shavings, turning twice a day, and add about an 1" every week until it is 3-4" deep. Then I clean out and start again, until they go out to the grow-out tractor.