The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[SandBsmom]

BDM you are so brave! Maybe I'm just more selfish but I don't think I could snap one of my girls necks. I know it's the more loving thing to do but the thought of actually doing it is horrifying.

Thank you to all of you for your responses about your personal culling methods. I hope all my chickies live long healthy lives and die quietly in the corner in their sleep but chances are that I will need to face this at some point so it helps to have some knowledge.

 

[delisha]

Sally, It is not being a wimp. Having someone to do it and not minding to do it is wonderful. However you still need to know that if your bird was suffering you have confidence to end suffering. These are your chickens. Eventually you will grow confident and know you simply can end suffering.

If you confident with a hatchet ask Sonny how he does it. I am horrible with it.

 

[Arkansas81]

ok so if i am understanding right...if i want to have a slow but effective breeding business of silkies i should have more than 4? i don't want to be over run with them-we will be swimming in chickens as is already!! ok so they don't really need a ton of space while in the coop. i'm really hoping that our weather will be clearing up some by the time we get our silkies. i plan on letting them forage in the yard while being in the run. so i plan on them only being in the coop very little, but they will have to have some room when the weather is nasty and wet. that's how we lost our others...we had a really wet snap, kinda cool i think they couldn't handle it. so making better plans this time. i also read that they don't do great in heat? how do you combat that? arkansas summers can be brutal

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can someone give me a good starting reciepe of their fermented feed? i just want to be sure that i get started correctly. i want to start up right before we start hatching our babies. thanks! i just love this thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good stuff

 

[Bulldogma]

I'm on my way over to that thing before it's gone. I've learned to write down or copy anything I might need reference to.

The thing is mine and it won't be disappearing any time soon.

BDM you are so brave! Maybe I'm just more selfish but I don't think I could snap one of my girls necks. I know it's the more loving thing to do but the thought of actually doing it is horrifying.

Thank you to all of you for your responses about your personal culling methods. I hope all my chickies live long healthy lives and die quietly in the corner in their sleep but chances are that I will need to face this at some point so it helps to have some knowledge.

I didn't like doing it and I didn't want to do it, but I had to do it - the girl was in so much pain and I had to end her suffering right then. I prefer the hatchet method, but at 3:30 AM in the mudroom... it just wasn't an option. If we make the commitment to care for these birds, at some point we have to make the commitment that we will do the right thing in an emergency situation - even if we have to do it ourselves. So worth getting over the fear factor when it means ending suffering.

((HUG))

 

[delisha]

ok so if i am understanding right...if i want to have a slow but effective breeding business of silkies i should have more than 4? i don't want to be over run with them-we will be swimming in chickens as is already!! ok so they don't really need a ton of space while in the coop. i'm really hoping that our weather will be clearing up some by the time we get our silkies. i plan on letting them forage in the yard while being in the run. so i plan on them only being in the coop very little, but they will have to have some room when the weather is nasty and wet. that's how we lost our others...we had a really wet snap, kinda cool i think they couldn't handle it. so making better plans this time. i also read that they don't do great in heat? how do you combat that? arkansas summers can be brutal

.


can someone give me a good starting reciepe of their fermented feed? i just want to be sure that i get started correctly. i want to start up right before we start hatching our babies. thanks! i just love this thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good stuff

You have to have the correct environment for your animals. If you live in a hot area you need to make sure your birds have tons of shade. Grow some vines in the out side of the pen to keep the sun partially out. Find vines that the birds like and are good for them yet grow fast in hot weather. As long as the birds have fresh water, lots of shade, and an ability to dig in the dirt they usually do very well. They get that nice big hole where the dirt is cool. Make sure it is shaded.

Wet can be a problem too. Make sure you have hay and straw or sand to soak it up in part of the run. You know it is a problem, fix it. In the coop get them off the ground. Perhaps raise the floor.

FF:

feeding 10 birds

2 3 gallon buckets one bucket with holes 1/4 inch drill bit drill holes on the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides.
place the bucket with the holes inside the bucket with out. Fill 1/4 with dry feed, add 1/4 cup UPACV and cover with water.
stir and add more water to keep covered in water. Add dry feed and more water as you use it. Some use a strainer and drain it before feeding. I do not, i just feed it a bit sloppy and pour off excess liquid back into the container. I have ducks and they love the slop.

 

[Sally8]

The thing is mine and it won't be disappearing any time soon. 


I didn't like doing it and I didn't want to do it, but I had to do it - the girl was in so much pain and I had to end her suffering right then. I prefer the hatchet method, but at 3:30 AM in the mudroom... it just wasn't an option. If we make the commitment to care for these birds, at some point we have to make the commitment that we will do the right thing in an emergency situation - even if we have to do it ourselves. So worth getting over the fear factor when it means ending suffering.

((HUG))

My iPad won't let me give you a thumbs up or high five but I agree. Killing something is never easy. When I saw our dog laying in the road, I ran toward him chanting, please don't let him be alive. It was 5:30 am and I didn't want to do it but I will never let anyone of my animals suffer. It's time to be a big girl.

 

[Sally8]

   I have been thinking a lot of doing this LaLa and like you said Google is full of ideas on how to do it. All part of my "return to self sufficiency" goal. 10 years ago we were really good at living frugal...real frugal. Working back towards that previous life and beyond 

We are too, hubby's not quite on board but he's coming around. It may come to a time that we need it. Chickens can provide all kinds of nourishment, fertilize our gardens, easily reproduced. I'm not a doomsday prepper by any means but hubby was forced to retire as plant closed. Plus, the money saved. We went down to 1 vehicle over a yr ago plus gave up tv (ths was all to help send my grandson to a private school). It was quite easy! I find it challenging and very rewarding. I love to repurpose things.

 

[Ashdoes]

The thing is mine and it won't be disappearing any time soon. 


I didn't like doing it and I didn't want to do it, but I had to do it - the girl was in so much pain and I had to end her suffering right then. I prefer the hatchet method, but at 3:30 AM in the mudroom... it just wasn't an option. If we make the commitment to care for these birds, at some point we have to make the commitment that we will do the right thing in an emergency situation - even if we have to do it ourselves. So worth getting over the fear factor when it means ending suffering.

((HUG))

My iPad won't let me give you a thumbs up or high five but I agree. Killing something is never easy. When I saw our dog laying in the road, I ran toward him chanting, please don't let him be alive. It was 5:30 am and I didn't want to do it but I will never let anyone of my animals suffer. It's time to be a big girl.

Go to the bottom of the page, switch to Mobile Version, and then you can give posts a thumbs up. But, on the desktop version you can't with the iPad. Took me a while to figure that out. I still don't thumbs up much, because I really don't like the mobile version.

 

[aoxa]

Go to the bottom of the page, switch to Mobile Version, and then you can give posts a thumbs up. But, on the desktop version you can't with the iPad. Took me a while to figure that out. I still don't thumbs up much, because I really don't like the mobile version.

So if anyone gets the thumbsup from Ashdoes, it must have really impressed her

 

[Bulldogma]

So if anyone gets the thumbsup from Ashdoes, it must have really impressed her

You crack me up!