The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I like when you are bored Aoxa since that means MORE PICTURES

Any ways I clicked on your link & got this:

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Is it because you are still editing it?

I fixed it. Not sure what was going on but it works now

 

[aoxa]

My new Years hatch was my very first shipped hatch. I was sent 12 eggs, 3 were duds, 2 quit around day 7. 7 went into lock down. I have 5 healthy chicks. 1 was underdeveloped, and one was dropped on its head to many times during shipping I think. I culled the one, the other never made an exterior pip.

How far did they ship from that go around? How far away are the silkies coming from?

 

[Sally8]

SandBsmom

Your birds are going to be cold until they adjust. They are not going to turn into popcycles.

This is a true story I am going to tell..
A friend of mine loves loves her chickens..
She had a coop special build to match her house. It is beautiful. It has lights, heat, air.Of course since it is a duplicate of her house it does not have ventalation.It is insulated against all drafts.
I told her ..her coop is beautiful, but, it is for dolls and not chickens. She had ordered 25 chicks and they were so cute. They did quite well, and she did loose a few to this or that and wintered 11 pullets her first winter. This winter she has 3.
I have tried to explain to her that she will be rotating chickens very quickly in her beautiful chicken house, and they will get sicker and sicker as the problems grow inside.

Try to think abbout how your body feels when you are out side in the cold working. Than you come in the house. You are so hot. Your body almost goes into shock and than after a while you get cold and chilled.

Chickens have a coat on for winter, you add heat and you are taking off there coat. You add heat and you also add condensation from bodys.No air flow to get rid of all the moisture from the poo and body moisture.Moisture and heat make what? Add poo and what else do you make? A petri dish filled with all kinds of bacteria and potential for diseases and upper respratory infections.

Get your coop dry..if you need to add the heat lamp.use a smaller bulb...than a smaller one..but keep the air flow going

This story is very sad. We all do what we feel is best for our birds. (Kind of like when I'm cold and put on a sweater, I put one on the grandkids too) It is even hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that they can keep warm in below 0 temps but reach under a hen for an egg and it is toasty warm.

 

[delisha]

Quote: The silkies are a little farther..two more sstates. They should have been here yesterday..the tracker said they were in Milwaukee. That is 1/2 hour away. They are still in Milwaukee. I called last night, they said, no..butt heads. I will have them today. The DH is stressing. The heater is out today. I hope they stay inside till the truck is ready to go. Poor lil eggies.

The other eggs will be here Sat i hope. We are at least having good weather the next few days. in the 30's. A bit cold for eggs, but, not freezing.

 

[armorfirelady]

Thanks Aoxa......I need to work on my breed acronyms


I have a question for those who use electric fencing. I am looking to get some in March to put around the new coop I am building. I would like it to be solar powered since its not convient or cheap to have to plug one in.

I have ample space so thinking of buying 3 so the hens have a large area to roam in. I cant free range because of living on a busy street and my 2 dogs & my neighbors dogs. I do try to let them roam when I am home to keep an eye on them tho & sometimes they feel the need for a field trip when I am at work

But anyways does anyone have any suggestions on what kind of fence I should get? how may amps? a good solar charger?

I assume with the heavy snows we get it wont be efficent during the winter which is ok cuz the coop will be moved back closer to the house & I have the fencing I have used this year.

Oh I forgot does anyone add netting to go over the top of the run? I am thinking if I added netting over the top it would either melt the plastec netting or electrify it

Thanks in advance!!
Jenn

 

[JeffOeuf]

Oh I forgot does anyone add netting to go over the top of the run? I am thinking if I added netting over the top it would either melt the plastec netting or electrify it

Thanks in advance!!
Jenn

It would do neither. plastic is non-conductive. The wire isn't "hot", so it won't melt the plastic and the plastic won't conduct electricity.

 

[Ashdoes]

I also only feed once a day. I fill their feed trough once, and that's it. If they're still hungry they need to go out and find something to eat. Once spring is here and there's more to forage, I'll feed once in the late afternoon. I had stopped throwing scratch out, thinking they were getting too much, but ive been thinking I'd like them to have a little extra while it's so cold.

I had mentioned a while back that our Cochin girls are super lazy and mostly hang out in the barn. Hubby said we'll try shutting them out of the barn in the Spring and see if that changes their behavior. If not, even though they're beautiful, I'll have to find a new breed. I really wanted birds that wandered more, and the benefit of free ranging makes me want that even more.

So, what breed does well in the cold and free ranges really well? Our barred rock, and sex links are pretty great, but I'd like maybe one or two more breeds. Wondering if hatching some Cochin barred rock mixes would help with the Cochin laziness? Or if being broody raised, by a good forager, would help?

Ashdoes,

Don't feed them near the barn. They will have to leave.

I fed them out in the run till the FF started freezing. Smetimes when I throw stuff out for them, those little brats will come out of the barn long enough to see what I threw, then turn right around and go back in the barn.

 

[aoxa]

I fed them out in the run till the FF started freezing. Smetimes when I throw stuff out for them, those little brats will come out of the barn long enough to see what I threw, then turn right around and go back in the barn.

It's winter so it's normal... But if they do that next summer, put the food at the other end of yard. They'll have to figure it out.

 

[aoxa]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/acronym-list-for-byc
I added breed acronyms now.

 

[Noncentzter]

i'ld be interested in knowing how many of you free feed, and how many of you limit the feed to once or twice a day - still working this one out.

I let mine out to free range, then feed them FF once in the afternoon. Usually not all of it is gone by the time I lock them up at night.

I just started adding Rye Grass pellets to my mix. They don't eat it as well, but it is all eaten!