The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[mrsamplias]

Here we go again.......

I always think of you when I start to write down my numbers!!

 

[Bulldogma]

I used empty soup cans and shoved them in the ends and screwed them in to plug the holes, I forgot that part. Its simple. I also made one of my 5 gallon waterers with the red bottom. I used bailing wire to make a ring around the top tightly and took rope and made 3 equal pieces to tie in balanced spots to the wire ring and an old metal plant hook I took off my house to use as my hook. Maybe i need a pic of it. My coop is recycled privacy fencing

I love your ingenuity! My main coop is made from an old doghouse and parts of the original coop that was crushed in a storm right before we moved the chicks into it. We had to come up with something fast... and free.

We had a lovely day yesterday. Temperature in the upper 50s, sunshine and little wind. I spent a good part of the morning walking around with the girls and a camera. Here's my little flock of 5.

Great photos! Thank you for sharing!

I would assume that many coops would to keep breeding pens for pure breeding. That's a whole lot of coops though!

I have one big barn. Going to be making separate breeding pens out of old pallets my brother saves from his shipping job (Sameday Courier)
Takes talent to build 9 coops with scrounged materials.

Pallets rock! How nice to have your own source.

Ok... some one said they love pictures (I do too!) so here are some of mine:

I have learned so much from these natural keeping threads. Thank you!!

Thank you for posting your pictures - and we're glad to have you here!

Here we go again.......

LOL on the thread-tracker. I don't know about your computer/browser, but on mine if I click the "Subsriptions" link and then click on the thread title, it takes me to the first unread post in that thread. The only time I have an issue is if I post something before reading all the way through... so then I write it down - LOL.

Did you guys see this vid that has gone viral? What do you think? Some people saying it's a fake, but looks pretty authentic to me, unless its a trained bird with a dummy used first, and after the camera goes shaky, they come up to a real toddler on the ground. Nothing has come up on Snopes yet. I certainly think Golden Eagles are capable of this,, as evidenced in another story that earlier in the year.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4634906.ece

Link has a photo that may upset someone, I post it only to show that hawk/eagle attacks can be quite dangerous, not just to our chickens!

Wow! That's amazing!

 

[Leahs Mom]

The Ecoglow is not to be used outside under a certain temperature. Otherwise, the chicks won't be warm enough, especially during this time of year. It might not be such a big deal later on. When I brooded in the fall, I had my chicks in a shed.

I have used the ecoglow outside, but the temps didn't dip too low. Another time, I had the ecoglow outside, the chicks were quite a bit older. I just had it there for me, probably.

Finally someone who has used the Ecoglow! I've been wanting to "pick someone's brain" about the for some time now. I contacted the co as I wanted to have a back-up brood solution sans light and was wondering if this might work. I would be brooding outdoors in an UNHEATED hen house. They told me they don't recommend using it in an area that the room temp is under 55 degrees F.

When you had your chicks in a shed in the fall, did you use it there? Was the shed heated? What was the room temp?

Thank you, it isnt pretty but it supposed to be either. It works. Next spring I am fixing the little things here or there that need adjusted or done better. Hopefully out of recycled goods.

Actually...I thought it looked quite nice!

If you're in an area that has a Habitat for Humanity ReStore you can often get lots of great items for a really good price - including paint if you ever want to change colors! My hen house is made from a backyard "yard shed" that we picked up through Habitat for $250. (These are usually about $2000 for the same shed new.) It was on a property that they were gleaning..(road widening taking out the properties). We had to move it ourselves. Hubby put in the dividing walls and built a great 3-seater nest box inside and I LOVE it. Next time I'm probably going to do a cattle panel hoop coop for additional space.

We had a lovely day yesterday. Temperature in the upper 50s, sunshine and little wind. I spent a good part of the morning walking around with the girls and a camera. Here's my little flock of 5.




Blue, who just started laying. She's giving us an olive egg every other day.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.... I'm a "sucker" for blues! I WANT THAT CHICKEN. AND I WANT OLIVE EGGS!!! And all your birds are very pretty! Did you get them from hatchery? What are the breeds - did I miss that??

Here we go again.......

I have a question for all you experienced owners of egg layers.

Some of my girls are getting very close I think,, large very red combs, Duke doing the chicken nasty, couple of girls going up and down the ramp to the coop,, ( they never go back in the coop until bedtime) during the morning last two mornings. I have been leaving them in the run until early afternoon, then give in and let them out to range around. Do first timers, and girls just laying lay in the morning? I'm afraid to miss any eggs, especially the prized FIRST egg, out to the dense brush and many evergreens they hang out in. I have heard no egg songs that are decernable. Do girls lay eggs at 4 in the afternoon?

I know, I know,, I sound clueless,,, but guess what.... I am!

thanks guys..xo
MB

When mine started they were in the morning but - as was already addressed - they can lay anytime. I remember discussion from a long ways back where I noted that some of the folks that kept chickens for years were advising keeping the new pullets that were just about to lay locked inside till about 11 in the morning until they established where they were going to lay. The idea is that usually the new girls that are just starting will more than likely lay in the morning when they're first getting started. Following that advice, I did that with my new girls that didn't have an adult to show them. I also put fake eggs in the nesting boxes - 2 in each - and left them there from week 16 on until I got a real egg. Gives them a visual clue as to what those boxes are about. After I was sure they all had the idea of where I wanted them to lay, I removed the fake eggs. I imagine the older girls will now teach the younger ones from here out but I had to be the chicken mamma for the first ones.

tried to multi quote...failed

Pics? I think I have some. I'll look later.

I'm my grandfathers grandson in many ways. He taught me well on how to live frugal. And if you can't fix it yourself, it probably doesn't need fixing

God bless your grandpa!

 

[Melabella]

I always think of you when I start to write down my numbers!!

Glad I'm not the only one!

 

[mrsamplias]

I have a question for all you experienced owners of egg layers.

Some of my girls are getting very close I think,, large very red combs, Duke doing the chicken nasty, couple of girls going up and down the ramp to the coop,, ( they never go back in the coop until bedtime) during the morning last two mornings. I have been leaving them in the run until early afternoon, then give in and let them out to range around. Do first timers, and girls just laying lay in the morning? I'm afraid to miss any eggs, especially the prized FIRST egg, out to the dense brush and many evergreens they hang out in. I have heard no egg songs that are decernable. Do girls lay eggs at 4 in the afternoon?

I know, I know,, I sound clueless,,, but guess what.... I am!

thanks guys..xo
MB

I'm certainly not an experienced owner...just a newbie, but I had the same fear. I was always walking around their favorite spots to see if I would find that elusive first egg. I knew they were ready, and I hoped they would lay in the nesting box and not around the yard. I've heard so many stories... We were happily surprised one morning to find an egg just sitting there in the nesting box. We had been home all morning, and we didn't notice any unusual activity or noises. The next day, we paid a little more attention, and knew when one was missing from the group, she could be found in the nesting box. Ours have been laying all throughout the day. My daughter likes to collect the eggs. Throughout the day, she checks....

 

[7961]

I have a question, WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU FIND THE AVATAR THAT MAKES ME THINK I HAVE FLEAS WHENEVER I SEE IT??? lol

I know it was addressed earlier, but I had a leak in my coop, so my windows are fogged up this morning. I have been putting vinegar in their water right along. I'm going out to help them fluff up the bedding and leave the door and windows open. The sun looks like it's trying to come out but the temps are only going to be in the high 30's/low 40's. Anything else you'd recommend? Thanks. Sue

(I don't want to become a moderator, I was just addressing 7961.)

It has been so long ago, I am not sure where I found the bug. I either borrowed it from somewhere or maybe looking at some animated gif's. You can probably type in "animated bug gif" into a search engine and it would come up.

 

[Melabella]

I'm certainly not an experienced owner...just a newbie, but I had the same fear. I was always walking around their favorite spots to see if I would find that elusive first egg. I knew they were ready, and I hoped they would lay in the nest box and not around the yard. I've heard so many stories... We were happily surprised one morning to find an egg just sitting there. We had been home all morning, and we didn't notice any unusual activity or noises. The next day, we paid a little more attention, and knew when one was missing from the group, she could be found in the nest box. Ours have been laying all throughout the day. My daughter likes to collect the eggs. Throughout the day, she checks....

I hope I am as lucky as you! Lot's of places to hide eggs, and some days, I am guilty of being quite cavalier, letting them free range from 7am until they roost. I think that them reaching POL this time of year may be a help? When there is snow on the ground, I doubt they will be traveling all over my 6 acres like they have been.

Thanks for the responses guys,,, anyone else?

MB

 

[aoxa]

And I am still working on aoxas drive through feed store.

You guys don't have that?

Here we go again.......

I have a question for all you experienced owners of egg layers.

Some of my girls are getting very close I think,, large very red combs, Duke doing the chicken nasty, couple of girls going up and down the ramp to the coop,, ( they never go back in the coop until bedtime) during the morning last two mornings. I have been leaving them in the run until early afternoon, then give in and let them out to range around. Do first timers, and girls just laying lay in the morning? I'm afraid to miss any eggs, especially the prized FIRST egg, out to the dense brush and many evergreens they hang out in. I have heard no egg songs that are decernable. Do girls lay eggs at 4 in the afternoon?

I know, I know,, I sound clueless,,, but guess what.... I am!

thanks guys..xo
MB

I hope I am as lucky as you! Lot's of places to hide eggs, and some days, I am guilty of being quite cavalier, letting them free range from 7am until they roost. I think that them reaching POL this time of year may be a help? When there is snow on the ground, I doubt they will be traveling all over my 6 acres like they have been.

Thanks for the responses guys,,, anyone else?

MB

Melabella,

It's a crapshoot. They can lay any time. Most do in the morning, but I have seen them go right up to late afternoon. Never had a roost egg. I'm sure they'd eat it before I noticed.

I know my girls are ready to lay when their combs are getting bigger, they seem uneasy (and whiny - like most teenage girls), and they are squatting whenever they are startled. My roosters tell me.. a week or two before they start laying, the good roosters know it's time to get down to business. I rely on Jagger and Steve for this only. The rest are just too young to know when they are ready. Young boys start raping them young. This is why I need a serious bachelor pad!!

Jagger's sons have been the only roosters who have not started mating. They are 17 weeks old. No crowing or mating.
Time to get ready for processing.

I'm terrified. I'll be honest. Mostly to do it wrong. I've been watching videos and soaking up a lot of info.

 

[stonykill]

Yikes, I have wondered that as well! Off the roost! That will be my luck,, finally get an egg, and find it on the ground broken in two! Stony, just see that you are in NY,, I'm in Dutchess, not too far away.

Cheers!

MB

it happens. 9 out of 10 times it won't break in my deep litter. I'm in Columbia County...1 county north of you.

 

[aoxa]

it happens. 9 out of 10 times it won't break in my deep litter. I'm in Columbia County...1 county north of you.

That's some nice fluffy DL!

So we're up to 30+ CM of snow so far today. Roads are the worst I've seen them in a very long time. They need to get their act together. Anyway.. Birds were not impressed. I left the door wide open anyway. They are Canadian Chickens. Time to get used to the 4-5 months of snow.