The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Quote: They would have been fine..just that you filled to much feed in it. Dry feed should be 1/2. It will swell to the top after you put in your liquid.

 

[camilleathome]

I think the problem is that the two containers are sized so that the top one fits all the way down in the bottom one and doesn't give you any space for a "well" below the top one and the holes might be a bit big...the feed will swell up a good deal so you might want to give a wee bit more swell room....your video is GREAT!!! And I am anxious for your little ones to come home with you! It's like waiting in a maternity room!!!

Thanks. I was thinking the same thing as I put it away. Then after when I saw the photo of the smaller batch of FF fermenting. Like I said it was the only thing I had at the time so Ill head to dollarama tomorrow and pick something better up . Then post an update video. I cant wait to get my chicks also! Im getting my baby playpen from a friend tomorrow and getting everything set up for the chicks

 

[armorfirelady]

Ba

Congrats !!  If they all hatch are you going to be selling any?  I will be looking for a few pullets this spring......no rooster here so no fertilized eggs for me. Id like to get a few more rocks.

I know that I'll be getting rid some. If you are looking for Barred Rocks, my uncle has 6 hens and a roo. I'll be incubating some of them in Feb. if you'd like eggs, I could get you some of them too. His roo is so very beautiful and huge. The ones I'm incubating right now will be crosses. My hens are EE's, BCM's, Silver Spangled Hamburgs and 1 Frizzle. My roo's are EE and BCM. As soon as I get rid of my turkeys, I'll be separating them so I can get full BCM. Just let me know when you are ready and we'll see what we have.

Tempted with an EE just for a colored egg layer but barred is what I would like. I need to get new coop built so hoping to start soon if weather stays nice. I don't know if I could do eggs. Hens won't be a year old till May so no one has gone broody yet. Never had chicks before either so ........but once new coop is built I can use old one for new chicks

I will def let you know thanks so much

 

[Sally8]

I think the problem is that the two containers are sized so that the top one fits all the way down in the bottom one and doesn't give you any space for a "well" below the top one and the holes might be a bit big...the feed will swell up a good deal so you might want to give a wee bit more swell room....your video is GREAT!!! And I am anxious for your little ones to come home with you! It's like waiting in a maternity room!!!

I use a couple different things to ferment in but the 2 buckets that slide down in each other, I use one of my punch bowl cups to hold the one bucket up a couple of inches. I like using smaller containers to ferment in. I probably aren't truly fermenting, but the smell is awful to me after 2 - 3 days. If my hens were any larger, they'd knock me over when I carry the bucket in!

Tonight my hubby and I ate out and a small boy (maybe 4 or 5) choked on chicken there. Thankfully, the Dad was very calm and flipped him up and slapped him on the back. Out popped the chicken! Whew!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Aoxa, I don't remember what page it was on, but you have a bachelor pad. Can the boys see the hens or do you keep them out of sight? I know I will have excess boys in my own breeding and want to keep the good ones and am thinking about a boys coop/run. But they will be in the same huge yard as everyone else. Give me a suggestion.

 

[Sally8]

Just wanted to thank all of you for sharing your info on your colds. I feel awful but I clean local funeral homes after caring for my twin granddaughters. I cleaned all afternoon, came home to read 100+ posts on BYC and now off to another funeral home. Everyone's dying. Even 40 eggs in the incubator and 3 broody hens don't mean anything right now. Supposed to get freezing rain tomorrow. Good night all.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

I use a couple different things to ferment in but the 2 buckets that slide down in each other, I use one of my punch bowl cups to hold the one bucket up a couple of inches. I like using smaller containers to ferment in. I probably aren't truly fermenting, but the smell is awful to me after 2 - 3 days. If my hens were any larger, they'd knock me over when I carry the bucket in!

Tonight my hubby and I ate out and a small boy (maybe 4 or 5) choked on chicken there. Thankfully, the Dad was very calm and flipped him up and slapped him on the back. Out popped the chicken! Whew!

Somehow I have a vision of a child with a dissheveled pullet sqwaking and flapping out of the child's mouth..LOL...My kitty litter buckets have ridges and rims that hold them up well...the idea of the punch cup is great!!! I take the feed out to mine BEFORE I let them out of the coops into the common run where they are fed because they WOULD knock me over! That way I can open the doors and stand back from the stampede!

 

[Arkansas81]

Hmmm fermenting seems like it is very easy to do. I will defently look into it. I might have to wait awhile tho the weather here goes up and down. I dnt have anywhere to put it inside the house. I wish it wasn't so soggy here, what a mess!!! Wet and nasty

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa, I don't remember what page it was on, but you have a bachelor pad. Can the boys see the hens or do you keep them out of sight? I know I will have excess boys in my own breeding and want to keep the good ones and am thinking about a boys coop/run. But they will be in the same huge yard as everyone else. Give me a suggestion.

No I don't have a bachelor pad, but I need one for sure. It's on my to do list. We have 3 boys in with the turkeys and 5 standard boys + 3 cockerels + 5 bantams in with the hens.. So 13 boys in with 90 girls (roughly). The cockerels are not yet mating, and the bantams aren't really mating with them much... Anyway... I do need a bachelor pad. Especially for 3 of them in particular. Two of my barred rocks and the NN rooster.. They are so Randy...

Jagger was like that too at that age. Can't wait until they settle down a bit and are more choosy in who they mount.

 

[aoxa]

Thanks. I was thinking the same thing as I put it away. Then after when I saw the photo of the smaller batch of FF fermenting. Like I said it was the only thing I had at the time so Ill head to dollarama tomorrow and pick something better up . Then post an update video. I cant wait to get my chicks also! Im getting my baby playpen from a friend tomorrow and getting everything set up for the chicks

Use something smaller as the bottom bucket, so that there is a good inch or so gap between the two. Does that make sense? Yeah too much dry feed, not enough water. Your container size looks big for what they would eat. I think it would take them a good 3 days full grown to eat that amount.

I should try garlic in mine... Does it make it smell garlicy?