The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[chickiemomy]

Chickiemommy: while I do love these temps, they wreaking havoc with my garden of cool weather crops! High desert weather is so unpredictable!

We humans can't ever be happy! - if you have curly hair you want straight --

I miss vine-ripened tomatoes - get a really good crop only once every 3 or 4 years. The rest of the time I lose the plants to late blight - JUST as the tomatoes are coming on. so sad. But we can do broccoli & peas well! o & zucchini - you want zucchini - try the pacific Northwest - even the foodbanks get tired of seeing zucchini donations. really!

& I miss Meyer lemons on the bushes in the front yard. I have managed to keep 4 very large bird of paradise clumps alive for over 30 years - they are now in monster garbage cans as planters - take up the whole greenhouse 'til after last frost - flower spring & fall. makes it interesting to squeeze in room for my garden starts.

I get it tho - just jealous. really jealous.

 

[Sally8]

I am so jealous! I've never seen citrus grow on a tree let alone in my front yard. Just before it got really cold again I was starting to see that faint green in the mud out back. We are expecting snow again. I'd like to try a couple raised beds here this summer. Buying dirt is just so expensive.

I wasn't going to taint Cecilia's, the sizzle's name but she is so cute running across the yard and ever so often she stops to make 2 sm loops and then continues on. This is repeated until gets where she wants to go. A missing gene in the family some where for sure.

 

[Ashdoes]

So, for those of you with Silkies, are you not free ranging because you're going to show them?
I know mine prefer, and do, spend a lot of their day in the barn together, but they're also very eager to get out of the run in the mornings with everyone else. Sometimes I look out a window and they'll be the only two out of the barn, which I wish they wouldn't do that, but they seem to enjoy being out alone. That's a big reason why I think we need a few more Silkies, safety in numbers and all.
While I'm not going to change what works for me, I am interested in how everyone treats different breeds of birds. I know the lady I got the Cochins and Silkies from keeps each breed in pretty small pens all the time, and they seemed happy enough. I just can't imagine looking out my window and not seeing birds wandering around, happy and scratching and pecking and digging holes all over the place.

 

[countrygirl74]

So, for those of you with Silkies, are you not free ranging because you're going to show them?
I know mine prefer, and do, spend a lot of their day in the barn together, but they're also very eager to get out of the run in the mornings with everyone else. Sometimes I look out a window and they'll be the only two out of the barn, which I wish they wouldn't do that, but they seem to enjoy being out alone. That's a big reason why I think we need a few more Silkies, safety in numbers and all.
While I'm not going to change what works for me, I am interested in how everyone treats different breeds of birds. I know the lady I got the Cochins and Silkies from keeps each breed in pretty small pens all the time, and they seemed happy enough. I just can't imagine looking out my window and not seeing birds wandering around, happy and scratching and pecking and digging holes all over the place.

I would be interested to hear this as well...

I also let my silkies out with my others. I have 2 silkie roos and 1 silkie hen. However, I only do "supervised" free-ranging where I live. So, they get out for about 1-2 hours a day while I am out there with them doing work in the yard, etc. They have a big run so that if they don't get out, it's no big deal. One of my silkie roos is the best "watch roo". He sends out the warning call for EVERYTHING. My little silkie hen prefers to stay close to things to hide under or with the group, but still loves to be out. She never wanders off by herself or anything.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I only have a pair left, they get to free range when I can be out to supervise for predators. They love it, they stay together and stay out of the way of the bigger birds. But they are not being targeted either, which is good.

 

[delisha]

So, for those of you with Silkies, are you not free ranging because you're going to show them?
I know mine prefer, and do, spend a lot of their day in the barn together, but they're also very eager to get out of the run in the mornings with everyone else. Sometimes I look out a window and they'll be the only two out of the barn, which I wish they wouldn't do that, but they seem to enjoy being out alone. That's a big reason why I think we need a few more Silkies, safety in numbers and all.
While I'm not going to change what works for me, I am interested in how everyone treats different breeds of birds. I know the lady I got the Cochins and Silkies from keeps each breed in pretty small pens all the time, and they seemed happy enough. I just can't imagine looking out my window and not seeing birds wandering around, happy and scratching and pecking and digging holes all over the place.

as you can see, there is a small fenced in area. It is not pred proof but good enough to let out silkies for now.
This is my double decker coop..I am going to do this for the silkies(below)

I have the extensions on the right..actually they are long extensions from an old carport. I do not have it on the left. My DH's has his old antique cars parked over there. Someday he is going to work on them (been saying that for ever)

 

[Ashdoes]

My husband loves his little Silkies (funny coming from a big macho Marine) and he was talking about fencing a little area and building them a special coop against the side of the house. If he had his way, I think he'd have twenty of the little things. I do think giving them a smaller, safer area is a good idea...Sprite gets pecked a bit when the big Roos want him to move.
My FIL was restoring an old Model T, and after six years and only the body and chassis done my MIL couldn't stand looking at it anymore. I do love when they have projects they mostly like looking at. My husband wants and old F150, just doesn't have the time for it though.

 

[Sally8]

as you can see, there is a small fenced in area. It is not pred proof but good enough to let out silkies for now. This is my double decker coop..I am going to do this for the silkies(below) I have the extensions on the right..actually they are long extensions from an old carport. I do not have it on the left. My DH's has his old antique cars parked over there. Someday he is going to work on them (been saying that for ever)

This double decker coop is breathtaking. How beautiful! First the citrus in the front yard and now this. I'm going to hold my head and go to bed. sue

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: I free range my Silkies (no plans on showing, they are mostly pet quality anyway), but it's only when I am outside doing animal chores or out working in the garden and can check on them frequently. They are sometimes out 4 hours, sometimes 8, depends on what I have going on but I try to get them out every day weather permitting. They huddle together and move in a Silkie mob all over the pasture I let them loose in.

I also let some of my Guineas and Turkeys free range with them. Had some sort of dark brown hawk flying around today, so I had to put the Silkies away because I did not want to sit right there baby sitting... I left the Guineas and Turkeys to fend for themselves tho, lol (no losses, the hawk moved on, guess he didn't like all the noise, lol).

I like seeing my birds free ranging and happy too... and eating bugs, weeds, seeds etc. If I had to keep them only in a pen or inside, I wouldn't have them.

 

[Ashdoes]

Oh my gosh Peeps! A herd of Silkies! How cute.