The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[countrygirl74]

totally normal. It can get really loud around here sometimes between the hens and the egg song, the roosters joining in, and sometimes it gets the ducks carrying on

Can't wait to experience all that! All chickens and ducks are only about 3 months old...

 

[Kacey's Krazee's]

Well, I guess the little boogers go hungry enough. I went in to check on them after working on my mealworm boxes and they were eating!

They are going after it pretty well. I had taken the top off their feeder to see if that would encourage them to try it. I have one of the round feeders with the lid that has the holes in it. It is an older metal one but Tractor Supply didn't have the plastic ones so I'm going to have to order some online, I guess. I put the lid back on about 30 minutes ago and they are continuing to eat. Good idea about the coffee lid! I had not even considered the pecking sound they get when they peck at dry feed.

So, now everyone inside is switched to FF. The bigger project will be switching all the outside birds to it. I'm still working on figuring that one out.... I'm going to have to do the 2, 5 gallon buckets with holes in the bottom of the top one. I think I will keep it at the back door so I can carry it out in the mornings and put their feed out. Not sure what on earth I am going to feed them in. Right now, they have a hanging feeder that keeps feed available for them 24/7. I will have have 3 of whatever I feed them from - one for the guineas (15), one for the roosters (6) and one for the hens (21). Speaking of guineas, can they eat the FF as well???

I'm interested to hear what types of feeding containers you all use......

Angela

Hi Angela,
I am using the pan that goes under a water heater. I have a few more hens than you, and it's about 32-34 inches around. I then put other piles on the ground so all of the others can eat, and no one gets chased too far away from chow. I have a guinea that is being housed with the hens, his choice, and he scarfs up the FF right along with the girls.

 

[delisha]

Melabella..

Glad you are OK and it was only a poop can!!

 

[Mumsy]

I witnessed that first hand the other day. My rooster was courting my BR hen and she wasn't squatting for him. So a few minutes later he called them over for a treat he found, and used that to grab her and force the deed. After she got up and shook off, she goes a squats and I heard and saw her expel it. I verbally said, "rejected".

I've seen this between Johnny and Phoebe too but I have a different take on it. Johnny is inexperienced even though he is two years old. He prefers Phoebe and mates with her often. He also will not get off her until sometimes he has had four and five goes at a time! She does the squat and spit but all of her eggs are still fertile. I think it is a reflex on the hens part. Not a thought process. Chickens are birds of instinct and reflexes. I don't believe they think like people.

 

[atmaclean]

Feeder types..
FF can't be fed in metal
If there is grass, I dump mine on the grass for the chickens. I also have several flat stones I use.
For the ducks, I use a wood feeder.
Yes, FF is great for Guineas, dogs, cats, goats, pigs, horses, and humans!!

Great! Thank you so much for these pics. That helps a lot. Someone also mentioned dog bowls. I have some flat round feeders that we use for feeding the horses sometimes so they would probably work. I'm glad you mentioned putting out more than one feeding station. I've got a couple bossy hens who try to run the show and will boss the younger hens around. They would definitely hog the food so I will make sure to put extra feeders out.

Again, thanks so much for the info!

Angela

 

[atmaclean]

Hens can expel the seed from the cockerel. I do not know if you have ever watched some of the hens. I have several that squat and *spit* the seed out after copulation during different seasons or if they simply do not want that particular male.
Your hen might be spitting it out, because you reciently took her off her broody cycle. That is why I asked if you checked other eggs. If they are not fertile, he might not be mature enough. Some cockerels take a long time to sexually mature. (I just learned of this myself because I have an English Import cockerel who is not fertilizing eggs and I was panicking. He is about 7 months old.)

Oh my goodness! I had no idea such things could occur. Thanks for this info! OK. I will check some of the other hen's eggs, for sure. Hopefully, having them all on the FF feed will improve the health of all the birds and maybe the fertility in the males. I have not had any health issues with the chickens, thank goodness. They have nice, shiny feathers and look to be in good weight. I just really like the idea of less poop and less smelly poop with the babies!

Angela

 

[delisha]

Quote: Well, please report any finding about a relationship you might find with FF and fertility.
Aoxa has improvement on Female to male percentages, and I have also. It seems we now get more female chicks from hens that are on FF. It is early yet, only a year. We need mre information from others who hatch when hens are on FF.

 

[aoxa]

My day is packed full of bookkeeping for last year's chicken expenses/income. I should have kept track of it all along.

 

[delisha]

My day is packed full of bookkeeping for last year's chicken expenses/income. I should have kept track of it all along.

That is hard to do when you do it for others for a living. I looked at your website..very nicely done. You are pretty creative in every thing you do.

 

[Bulldogma]

I witnessed that first hand the other day. My rooster was courting my BR hen and she wasn't squatting for him. So a few minutes later he called them over for a treat he found, and used that to grab her and force the deed. After she got up and shook off, she goes a squats and I heard and saw her expel it. I verbally said, "rejected".

I've seen this between Johnny and Phoebe too but I have a different take on it. Johnny is inexperienced even though he is two years old. He prefers Phoebe and mates with her often. He also will not get off her until sometimes he has had four and five goes at a time! She does the squat and spit but all of her eggs are still fertile. I think it is a reflex on the hens part. Not a thought process. Chickens are birds of instinct and reflexes. I don't believe they think like people.

LOL - I had no idea hens could do such a thing!