The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

If you want to try something..it usually works but not always

You need duck and chicken liver/gizzards boiled

The horse question is about the sound..the whistle

For recall, this works only if you have a special whistle or noise..it cant be used for anything other than recall

be close to her, whistle..give her a treat..leave do not talk to her or call her name..you are using the whistle for her to imprint the noise to reward.

do it 10 times the first day, different situations, but close enough she sees you.. if she does not respond to the whistle, leave with out the treat given

second day

Try it when you see her way off in the distance, when she is sleeping, eating etc make sure she can see you when you whistle.

Only one treat on your person at a time and always a whistle before the treat .. always leave after the treat

repeat the first day and drop to treat once in a while

do this for two weeks..be consistent

drop to two treats for two more weeks but make sure you are whistling for recall several more times with out treats

go back once in a while to whistle 10 times a day with treats until she is responding every single time with enthusiasm

Third week add words of praise

some days whistle 20 times with out treats

You will know if it is working by the second week

In 6 weeks recall should be set and no treats needed

 

[stonykill]

​

The math was about right. I think people think because chickens are small and stay in a coop/outside that they can scatter a little food and water and they are good to go. My DH tells me when I ask if he has fed or watered the dogs that he just did it yesterday. Not funny.

I'm not sure how many chickens the math was based on. I have not counted my chickens in a long time. Yet I know if someone is missing. So I guess I don't need to count.

But.... the number is around 75 chickens and 11 ducks. I spend $28 a week on feed. Many are pullets just coming into lay. Even still on these short dark days I can collect a minimum of 7 dozen eggs to sell. We keep 18 pullet eggs to eat and I keep my parents in at least 1 dozen pullet eggs a week. This week I had so many pullet eggs I gave my parents 2 dozen.I get $3 for chicken eggs and $4 a dozen for duck eggs.So even in the dog days of winter I'm only a few dollars behind a week. I more than make up for it either in the longer days when egg production is way up or by selling a few chicks. At the end of the year I at least break even on my birds. Good enough for me. Free enjoyment.

 

[jlynnet]

Yes so much cheaper than therapy! I sold enough eggs today to pay for one bag of feed.
I do miss the GB thread, I sure do enjoy this one. The darn Hal keeps stalking us! I have one extremely vocal hen when she sees the hawk. She can be heard from far away! The sat in front of the coop a few days ago.

 

[littlemissstang]

I finally got caught up with you all! lol! This is such a wonderful thread and I have learned so much from it just by lurking and reading up on the posts. Thank you all so much for the wonderful information. We are trying to go as natural as we can and this is helping a LOT! Please keep it coming!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

We have several visitors and lurkers. I hope they make comments soon...welcome to the group

Hi back!

I'm just never caught up enough to respond lol! Lots of subjects and lots of projects but I'll be here lurking and will jump in if the need arises.

 

[Sally8]

  I'm not sure how many chickens the math was based on. I have not counted my chickens in a long time. Yet I know if someone is missing. So I guess I don't need to count.  But.... the number is around 75 chickens  and 11 ducks. I spend $28 a week on feed. Many are pullets just coming into lay. Even still on these short dark days I can collect a minimum of 7 dozen eggs to sell. We keep 18 pullet eggs to eat and I keep my parents in at least 1 dozen pullet eggs a week. This week I had so many pullet eggs I gave my parents 2 dozen.I get $3 for chicken eggs and $4 a dozen for duck eggs.So even in the dog days of winter I'm only a few dollars behind a week. I more than make up for it either in the longer days when egg production is way up or by selling a few chicks. At the end of the year I at least break even on my birds. Good enough for me. Free enjoyment. 

I only have 18 hens, 2 roosters and 2 turkeys. My husband place of work has decided to close it's doors for good after 75 years. He won't be 65 until May. In November I stocked up on food, shavings, I bought heated water bowls, so it added up quickly. We get over a dozen eggs every day but I give them to family. If I decide there is a market maybe I'll change a couple things. Eggs in the grocery are a little over $1.50 a doz. it's more of a hobby for me and he has taken an interest, he needs to stay busy. We both love chicken tv.

 

[delisha]

Quote:

I finally got caught up with you all! lol! This is such a wonderful thread and I have learned so much from it just by lurking and reading up on the posts. Thank you all so much for the wonderful information. We are trying to go as natural as we can and this is helping a LOT! Please keep it coming!

So glad you stopped in and added to the group..

 

[joesmania]

Quote:
The eggs in the store for $1.50 are the caged mass produced forced eggs. Your local farm fresh cage free eggs are more than that, the free range organic were almost $5.00 last I looked sometime during the summer. I sell mine for $3.00 like stonykill and I have to turn people away because they sell so fast. It took a while .... the first year customers were sporadic, but once word got out that was it! People are all about their fresh eggs ......

 

[Sally8]

The eggs in the store for $1.50 are the caged mass produced forced eggs. Your local farm fresh cage free eggs are more than that, the free range organic were almost $5.00 last I looked sometime during the summer. I sell mine for $3.00 like stonykill and I have to turn people away because they sell so fast. It took a while .... the first year customers were sporadic, but once word got out that was it! People are all about their fresh eggs ......

 

[jockeyeba]

Does anyone have a suggestion how to get chickens to pick another tree to roost in? Their pooping on chairs in his "Cibolo Creek Social Club"

Move the chairs. 

That ain't gonna happen

My husband wanted everyone to know he won the battle He took a bamboo pole & knocked them out of the tree as they were trying to roost 4 of the 5 moved to another tree. Tonight the 1 that he couldn't get last night started for the usual place but he ran her off & she went down with the other 4 Hopefully it's going to last