The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[kian]

I'd love to add some ducks, but know they can be loud. I wouldn't mind but the neighbors might Are Muscovys really "quackless" or are they just quiet in comparison to other breeds?

The ones I really fall for are Runners, but I don't think they'd work here

 

[Arkansas81]

my daughter wants ducks like crazy...how do you keep them? can they stay with chickens? i know they need water to paddle around in. we don't have a pond but i can make/get them something to that effect. i know they are flyers, but i have seen these white ducks with really long fluffy white feathers that do not fly at all..



what are ducks needs as far as housing, food, general everything you need to have them and take care of them?

 

[darkmatter]

the inner tubes are a great idea.
with the goldfish, do you have to feed them? I use rainbarrels with screening tied over them, but still worry about mosquitos. Think the goldfish idea is really interesting - does the water get too yucky for them?

I really loved the tilling pic with all the hens following you looking for goodies.

No, never fed the goldfish in the stock tank, they eat the mosquitoes and algae, I had some of the common 29 cent Wally World goldfish live several years and get to 6" long.

Here's another couple of pics of Chickens in my garden in the off season:

 

[aoxa]

I'd love to add some ducks, but know they can be loud. I wouldn't mind but the neighbors might Are Muscovys really "quackless" or are they just quiet in comparison to other breeds?

The ones I really fall for are Runners, but I don't think they'd work here

My muscovy is the quietest thing I own on the farm.

 

[delisha]

My Muscovy's are so quiet. Only time they make noise is when a hen is going to set/lay a nest soon. And that is still quiet. It is a cute noise too. Makes the chickens sound loud.

 

[Melabella]

Hi all,, does anyone have any experience with this line of products? I stumbled upon their products on a back shelf at a local feed store, and asked about it. Owner of the shot said a rep came during the summer and he agreed to see if he could move it, Took a picture with my phone, and came home and looked up info on the company, and it seems quite impressive. Degrees in agriculture from Penn State University, and an all natural approach to it's products. Couldn't copy a link to the website, but copy and pasted the page of a Backyard Chicken Health Pack. Look at the ingredient on the wormer. Go to the website, there are lots of links on the left with poultry information. They make lots of neat supplement, heck, one to even supplement egg color! All you Black Copper Maran people will love that!

An All Natural Wellness Kit for Poultry Health and Productivity

Raising backyard chickens, or other poultry, can be a rewarding family experience, but it requires daily attention to keep you chickens healthy - and to protect your family. In fact, chicken mortality can be as high as 50% without simple measures to help fight the common causes of disease. That's why we created the all natural, easy to use Backyard Chicken

Health Pack.

Building on the years of experience DBC Ag Products has in helping to improve the health and productivity of poultry in commercial hatcheries and layer operations, including organic and natural producers, we decided to develop a simple three step program utilizing proven technologies for the rapidly growing backyard chicken market that has a large number of families raising poultry for the first time.

Backyard Chicken Health Pack contains three key products to deliver the most comprehensive poultry health approach in one attractive, innovative package that conveniently delivers enough of each product to treat 90 gallons of water. Here are the three individual products that address critical areas that can affect poultry health and survivability.

1. HealthyFlock
   
   Tabs – Targets harmful pathogens, helps improve intestinal health and balance while helping to get more out of every pound of feed
2. Oxy E-100 – Sanitizes drinking water to help reduce exposure to pathogens that can cause disease
3. Zyfend
   
   A – Aids in improving performance in the presence of intestinal parasites (worms) and helps offset worm-related issues

The Backyard Chicken Health Pack is designed to effectively improve intestinal health, provide safe drinking water, and help protect chicks and poultry of all ages from worm related issues in just three easy steps. Each product in the pack will treat 90 gallons of water, which is enough for 25 chickens for approximately 50 days.

The Backyard Chicken Health Pack gives you a safe and easy way to help protect your chicks and poultry of all ages from naturally occurring disease-causing organisms and internal parasites. This comprehensive solution will help increase chick survivability, support overall well-being and increase the chicks' ability to handle stress.

• Targets harmful pathogens
• Improves intestinal health
• Contains beneficial bacteria
• All natural formula
• One bottle treats 90 gallons of water

• Use during worm infestations
• All natural with no synthetic chemicals
• Helps offset worm-related issues
• One bottle treats 90 gallons of water

• Safe and easy to use
• Reduces exposure to pathogens
• One bottle treats 90 gallons of water

Bolster the Health of Your Poultry in 3 Easy Steps

Step 1: Starting on day 1, add 6 drops of Oxy E-100 to each gallon of fresh drinking water. Wait 15 minutes.
Step 2: Starting on day 1, add 1 HealthyFlock Tab in each gallon of fresh drinking water 15 minutes after the addition of Oxy E-100.
Step 3: Starting on day 21, also add 6 drops of Zyfend A in each gallon of fresh drinking water for 7 days. Repeat the Zyfend A dosing every 21 days.

View Backyard Chicken Health Pack Brochure • View Product Labels • View Product Insert
View HealthyFlock Tabs MSDS • View Oxy E-100 MSDS • View Zyfend A MSDS​

 

[delisha]

If you have a soggy mess with chickens, you probably should not add ducks. They will add to the sogginess. All that additional wetness will cause even more health problems.

Ids there something else you can try to dry up your coop? Sometimes adding a flake of straw every other day really helps. I know some people add cedar chips to DL and nest boxes, but, I heard it was not a good thing.

I have used it in temporary show cages at shows years ago, but, they even stopped that a long time ago, and recommended we did not do it anymore.

 

[Melabella]

Nutri-Core

for Poultry Our Nutri-Core poultry line is being used successfully to improve the health and performance of several million layers in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the country. In addition, Nutri-Core products are all-natural and are being used by satisfied customers in their free-range, natural and organic production systems. Contact us directly to find out more information on how Nutri-Core products can fit into your organic production program. The Nutri-Core line of poultry products are a direct result of a strategic partnership with Heritage Poultry Management Services, Annville, PA, with the continuing goal of researching and developing innovative approaches to solving poultry productions major challenges.

Advantage Lacto-50 Nutri-Core Advantage Lacto-50 is an all-natural, water-soluble blend of micro-encapsulated direct fed microbials and targeted egg proteins designed to fortify the digestive tract and improve intestinal health. The innovative formula contains host specific, pH stable, bile salt tolerant bacteria that are compatible with antibiotics and are micro-encapsulated to protect them from stomach acid and bile. Combined with targeted egg proteins, Advantage Lacto-50 is an excellent choice for high stress periods such as periods of high heat, at vaccination time and during de-beaking. Advantage Lacto-50 can be administered in the water or metered through proportioners. This product may also be used for direct spraying of chicks at the hatchery to aid in boosting chick health.

Egg Formula One 2X Nutri-Core Egg Formula One 2X was designed by an international group of scientists, veterinarians, poultry nutritionists and microbiologists as an aid to improve overall layer performance by optimizing intestinal health, get more nutrients out of every pound of feed fed. All-natural Egg Formula One-2X contains a broad-based targeted enzyme package, micro‑encapsulated beneficial bacteria and micro-silica specifically formulated to help meet the needs of high-producing laying hens.

Health Tract-P with Encrypt

Health Tract-P contains Encrypt, our exclusive trademarked carbon source, and is recommended for use in layers and pullets during times of stress. Encrypt is a unique combination of a wood vinegar extract and soft carbon powder that aids in inhibiting growth of pathogens and absorbing toxins. Use Health Tract-P with Encrypt to help avoid profit-robbing digestive upset caused by opportunistic pathogens during stressful situations, including newly housed birds.

Lacto Mix 2X Specially blended combination of direct fed microbials tailored to accelerate colonization of the intestinal tract with beneficial lactic-acid producing bacteria. The micro-encapsulated bacteria in Lacto Mix (2X) aid in optimizing intestinal health and help minimize the impacts of pathogenic organisms that can cause disease. Use Lacto Mix (2X) feed supplement in poultry feeds to help improve overall bird performance and offset environmental stressors that can rob profitability.


Shell Color Aid Brown egg producing breeds are being used more frequently in the production of free range, natural or organic eggs. Shell Color Aid is an all-natural, novel approach to supplementing laying hen diets to aid in improving brown egg coloration in pullets and laying hens. Typically brown egg coloration may decrease due to flock age, stressors such as high stocking density, handling or loud noise as well as certain diseases and their treatments. Use Shell Color Aid to help offset brown egg shell color reduction and help maximize return on brown egg profitability.


Super Pro 2X All-natural Nutri-Core Super Pro 2X feed supplement is a proprietary blend of targeted egg proteins and micro-encapsulated lactic-acid producing bacteria for use in poultry diets as an aid in improving intestinal health and to help avoid the impacts of digestive pathogens. Use Super Pro-2X in all poultry feeds to better enable birds to fight the pathogens that can rob profits due to increased morbidity and mortality.


Feather Fresh ES Feather Fresh ES is an all-natural feed supplement designed to provide a ready source of Yucca Shidigera for use in poultry diets to minimize the harmful effects of ammonia on birds, buildings and equipment. University studies have shown yucca shidigera, when added to poultry diets and coupled with sound manure management can significantly reduce the amount of ammonia in poultry barns. As little as a 10 ppm increase in ammonia can reduce egg production by 1.5 eggs/hen/year and decrease overall performance. Use highly concentrated Feather Fresh ES to aid in avoiding the impacts high ammonia levels can have in your operation. *Nutri-Core is a registered trademark of Daniel Baum Co Inc, dba DBC Ag Products Free / Kostenlose Joomla 1.5 Template by Webgau

 

[stonykill]

I'd love to add some ducks, but know they can be loud. I wouldn't mind but the neighbors might Are Muscovys really "quackless" or are they just quiet in comparison to other breeds?

The ones I really fall for are Runners, but I don't think they'd work here

if you don't mind me asking.... how will ducks work....but not Runner ducks? I don't get it

 

[Mumsy]

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.

This is my favoritess post in the last four days.