The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

All I do is sit and play with them all day. Getting little else done but enjoying these tiny ones very much.

I have two named from day of hatch.




Clementine and Gigi. In honor of two lovely animals always in my heart.

My mother recently lost two of her best friends. Wonderful women I knew my entire life. I am waiting to know which are pullets. Shirley and Vera are names I've picked to hold in reserve. I will be using special names for special chicks.

Awww

Clementine looks like a girl. Good thing the name Gigi goes either way. We named our rooster after the youtube show "Almost American" The lead guy in it is hilarious. Well at least we find him hilarious, but we have a weird sense of humour.

 

[delisha]

My hens are starting to lay, I'm getting eggs from about half of the girls.
However today for the first time, 7 of the eggs that were laid had peck marks. Is there a reason that one of the chickens is pecking at the eggs. Three of the eggs broke and made a big mess. The other 4 eggs just had crack lines and a small peck hole that did not break the membrane.
Is there anything I can do to prevent the pecking? I have been gathering the eggs several times a day as the novelty has not quite worn off yet. I did clean the nesting boxes last night, but I thought that would make them happy.

It could be several things..pullets are very curious. Sometimes when they are going broody or they have a hormone flush they *peck* egg to check if they are good enough to make chicks. If they can break them, they do not think they are good enough. (this is an old wives tail and I have no idea if there is any scientific study or evidence to support this theory.) I have had only young pullets do this, or hens at the restart of lay after winter or a heavy molt. I have found if I put more fresh greens in at this time of year they do not do it as much. I also add extra food higher in calcium.(Flax, collard greens and Kale)

Quote: Beautiful!!!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Delisha, could you tell me again how and what to use if I want to try and treat my remaining 2 Silkies with possible lead poisoning. I know I cannot reverse any damage, but would like to prevent further damage.

 

[jockeyeba]

Question: If you use a broody to hatch chicks, how long do you let her raise them? I have 2 AG hens raising 2 W chicks each, I let them out every morning & put them up at night but one hen is takng her 2 a little farther away then I'm comfortable with

 

[Sally8]

Do you all cull chicks with splayed legs? The one chick so stuck ended up with splayed legs. I left him in the incubator for a full day. At the beginning of day 2, I noticed splayed legs with the last 2 "problem children. The one corrected itself before I could help. The one I'm talking about is heading for day 4. I had put a band aid, cut length ways on him like hobbles. He walks fine with them on but if I take them off, he splits. I've read where they can correct themselves in a day and some take a month. It's one of the super blue layers. Has anyone had experience? He/she won't be used for breeding. What are the chances it will correct? Tonight I'm replacing the band aid with vet wrap. Help! sue

Mumsy - those pictures almost make me want to have a few Silkie's. There s a breeder quite close to me called CJ Silkies that look very beautiful. Sometimes I see an ad on Craigslist.

 

[delisha]

Delisha, could you tell me again how and what to use if I want to try and treat my remaining 2 Silkies with possible lead poisoning. I know I cannot reverse any damage, but would like to prevent further damage.

Chelation therapy. In this treatment, medication binds with the lead so that it's excreted in urates

 

[Leahs Mom]

Starting a new series on fermented feed.

 

[delisha]

Question: If you use a broody to hatch chicks, how long do you let her raise them? I have 2 AG hens raising 2 W chicks each, I let them out every morning & put them up at night but one hen is takng her 2 a little farther away then I'm comfortable with

I let them do there own thing if they are good moms. I had two broody's at the same time. The chicks are a month old. One hen already left her chicks in the care of the other hen and has started to lay again. They are all different. Some of my hens I take the chicks away when they reach a week old or the poor chicks never make it to two weeks old. Some hens are not good moms. Some are ridicules. They will keep chicks for ever and never lay again. If I want a hen to lay eggs, I take the chicks early. I normally do not intervene unless the chicks are at risk or I need the eggs.

 

[delisha]

Do you all cull chicks with splayed legs? The one chick so stuck ended up with splayed legs. I left him in the incubator for a full day. At the beginning of day 2, I noticed splayed legs with the last 2 "problem children. The one corrected itself before I could help. The one I'm talking about is heading for day 4. I had put a band aid, cut length ways on him like hobbles. He walks fine with them on but if I take them off, he splits. I've read where they can correct themselves in a day and some take a month. It's one of the super blue layers. Has anyone had experience? He/she won't be used for breeding. What are the chances it will correct? Tonight I'm replacing the band aid with vet wrap. Help! sue

Mumsy - those pictures almost make me want to have a few Silkie's. There s a breeder quite close to me called CJ Silkies that look very beautiful. Sometimes I see an ad on Craigslist.

If they are not fixed in 24 hours I cull.

 

[aoxa]

Do you all cull chicks with splayed legs? The one chick so stuck ended up with splayed legs. I left him in the incubator for a full day. At the beginning of day 2, I noticed splayed legs with the last 2 "problem children. The one corrected itself before I could help. The one I'm talking about is heading for day 4. I had put a band aid, cut length ways on him like hobbles. He walks fine with them on but if I take them off, he splits. I've read where they can correct themselves in a day and some take a month. It's one of the super blue layers. Has anyone had experience? He/she won't be used for breeding. What are the chances it will correct? Tonight I'm replacing the band aid with vet wrap. Help! sue

Mumsy - those pictures almost make me want to have a few Silkie's. There s a breeder quite close to me called CJ Silkies that look very beautiful. Sometimes I see an ad on Craigslist.

Use vet wrap or splints. If it does not correct within 3 days or has trouble getting around with the splint, cull. They will suffer from starvation/dehydration if they can't get around. If you can do the splints, it SHOULD correct it.

I have been successful with splinting for splay legged with clean legged chicks, but never with silkies. I don't know what it is.. The silkies just never responded to the splints.