The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

My DH is the most wonderful man on the planet.
I told him about the discussion today and how we can't DL because of the wood floors and rotting wood..know what that man said? Hunny don't worry. If the floors rot from all of that deep goodness and beneficial junk for the birds, we will just replace the floors. The coop is so much warmer since you started DL that we are keeping it.

Your hubby really sounds like a winner. Sounds like he is into the chickens just as much as you are. That is hard to find! I rarely hear people say their spouse is into the birds as much as they are. I know my fiance isn't into it like I am, but she certainly listens to my rambling.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:
Since I got my DW the Silkies, she is becoming more and more involved, especially with the handling and helping me with the upkeep. Hehehe, she swears she won't get on here though. Just gonna have to wait and see on that one.

 

[linzmichaels]

woohoo....years of chickens and still lots of questions...dang. So glad for you guys!

 

[delisha]

I cull chicks hard. I do not spend time trying to save them. So I am probably not the ideal person to give an opinion about how to cull chicks. I don't like it, but, I like it less when I have put time and money into a bird and it is not strong. Some chicks simply do not thrive. I breed birds for food. They have to be able to survive outside in bitter cold and against predators. The weak draw predators. They are tiny little things and in nature they probably would not make it out of the egg. With the invention of the incubator and ideal conditions we can have a pretty high hatch rate. Higher than a hen can have in nature. I do not like to see a bird suffer. This last hatch, I set 21 eggs. 14 eggs went into lock down. 13 hatched. I have 10 left. I culled 3 chicks. One I really disliked culling because it was a heritage breed. It did not eat or drink not matter what I tried. I culled it. The other two were acting strange. Not sure what was up. Running and screaming like they were on fire. They acted like they were in pain. They were from pullet eggs. I am not going to be hatching out anymore from her.

I place the chicks body in a bag and grasp the head and pull and twist at the same time. I do not have to watch and it is already in a bag. And yes, sometimes the head does come off but you just drop it in the bag with out looking. Killing anything is difficult. Ending suffering and putting it out of its misery is a little easier. I have also used poultry sheers in the past. They are both very quick.

 

[Melabella]

 

[delisha]

Hello linzmichaels

Glad to have a new poster!

 

[Kacey's Krazee's]

Howdy All,
I haven't been ignoring you all. I have been lurking and reading and keeping up! The keeping up part is the hardest!
I received a call today from Ideal Poultry. My chicks I preordered for this spring will be available on Wed. January 30 ! I ordered 6 Mottled Java, pullets, and 12 White Rocks, straight run.
I have to confess, I haven't ever killed one of my chickens, and have never eaten one either. I confess that if one of them is found dead, I feed the 'yotes, or 'coons with their carcasses. Just run them down the road, and pitch them in the gully.... everything has to eat.....otherwise I sweet talk my DH to do the job, which he hates doing. I have even taken one bad roo to a neighbor, and he did the deed. Well, with the 12 chicks that hatched on Christmas Eve day, those 'roo chicks, and the 'roos of the White Rocks, I am going to learn how to process them. I am scared to pieces, but think I can do it. I have read so much here, and hopefully learned enough to get past the squeamish part. Huh,maybe I am kind of excited about doing it.... imagine that!

We are driving over to Ideal and picking them up on day of hatch. We live less than an hour from there. I feel pretty lucky about that. We did the same the last time I ordered from them. I like them, the chicks have always been very healthy.

There was talk afew pages ago about the guineas. My neighbor had 10 of them last summer, and only has 1 left. He had been hanging around my chicken coop, and I would throw him some scratch and pellets every day. He would fly up on the run roof, and just hang out. He would leave at dusk at go roost somewhere else. Then, during the beginning of December, he started roosting in trees near the coop, and when I let the girls out of their covered run, into the open air run, he would fly up and over and hang out with them. Everyone got along well. I have a couple of crabby Barred Rocks, that wanted to give him a little trouble, but it passed. Then he actually went into the coop one evening and started roosting with them. That was the Dec.26, and he is there every day and night. He begins to freak out if I put the girls up and he is outside. I call him, and he comes through the gate and heads straight to the roost! I thinks it hugely funny!
Thanks for letting me ramble a bit.

 

[delisha]

Howdy All,
I haven't been ignoring you all. I have been lurking and reading and keeping up! The keeping up part is the hardest!
I received a call today from Ideal Poultry. My chicks I preordered for this spring will be available on Wed. January 30 ! I ordered 6 Mottled Java, pullets, and 12 White Rocks, straight run.
I have to confess, I haven't ever killed one of my chickens, and have never eaten one either. I confess that if one of them is found dead, I feed the 'yotes, or 'coons with their carcasses. Just run them down the road, and pitch them in the gully.... everything has to eat.....otherwise I sweet talk my DH to do the job, which he hates doing. I have even taken one bad roo to a neighbor, and he did the deed. Well, with the 12 chicks that hatched on Christmas Eve day, those 'roo chicks, and the 'roos of the White Rocks, I am going to learn how to process them. I am scared to pieces, but think I can do it. I have read so much here, and hopefully learned enough to get past the squeamish part. Huh,maybe I am kind of excited about doing it.... imagine that!

We are driving over to Ideal and picking them up on day of hatch. We live less than an hour from there. I feel pretty lucky about that. We did the same the last time I ordered from them. I like them, the chicks have always been very healthy.

There was talk afew pages ago about the guineas. My neighbor had 10 of them last summer, and only has 1 left. He had been hanging around my chicken coop, and I would throw him some scratch and pellets every day. He would fly up on the run roof, and just hang out. He would leave at dusk at go roost somewhere else. Then, during the beginning of December, he started roosting in trees near the coop, and when I let the girls out of their covered run, into the open air run, he would fly up and over and hang out with them. Everyone got along well. I have a couple of crabby Barred Rocks, that wanted to give him a little trouble, but it passed. Then he actually went into the coop one evening and started roosting with them. That was the Dec.26, and he is there every day and night. He begins to freak out if I put the girls up and he is outside. I call him, and he comes through the gate and heads straight to the roost! I thinks it hugely funny!
Thanks for letting me ramble a bit.

That is so cute.
Keep up informed when you get your chicks..we need pictures!

 

[OffGridMAMA]

Really enjoying all the knowledge you're the best! My chickens are loving the
ff, gave them more chopped pumpkin from our Halloween stash today working on adding manure to the run...added extra hay to coop floor for added warmth (has been FREEZING in my area...25-35! We are nit used

 

[delisha]

Really enjoying all the knowledge

you're the best! My chickens are loving the
ff, gave them more chopped pumpkin from our Halloween stash today

working on adding manure to the run...added extra hay to coop floor for added warmth (has been FREEZING in my area...25-35! We are nit used

Those cold temps must be pretty ruff on you..the chickens probably don't mind as much. Keep us updated on how they are looking on the FF too.