The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

it waas -18F this morning, and windchill is -30 or something, so didn't shoo the hens out this am. Gave them warm wet mash, warm water with acv, turned on a light because it seemed dark in the coop. They are not very active, ate and then huddled down on the litter. all very fluffed up, most had frost crystals on their backs from breathing with their heads under their wings all night. - it was about -10 in the coop.

Think later this morning I'll dump out a bag of leaves and see if that gives them something to do. I did scatter boss, usually I would hang a cabbage or something but think it would freeze solid too quickly.

Needless to say, egg production has come to a halt for the last week.

 

[SandBsmom]

Ok, I think my little broody, Lucy, definitely has an issue. Her crop was still really full last night so I brought her inside for some warm water and oatmeal drowning in seasme seed oil. (I was out of olive oil). She did have a couple small poops. She ate a bit but kept trying to nest in my lap so I took her back out to the coop to sleep. This morning her crop is still full. It's much softer than it was last night and she did have a good broody poop this morning but she won't eat. she drank some warm water but obviously she's still not right. I need some guidance from all of you experienced "chickeners" (was that the name someone came up with?) I looked for some advice on other threads and there was everything from giving your chicken monostat to performing crop surgery and cutting her open! Yikes! What would you guys suggest?

 

[lalaland]

roughly a month ago I lost a hen to a great horned owl. Another of my 8 month old hens, who had just started laying a few months earlier, lost a patch of feathers on her back from the owl during the attack. No broken skin. She went into a moult a few weeks after the attack - as did a hen who had already completed her moult in October and who went missing for a day after the attack (flew the fence or was dropped by the owl, don't know, but she was holed up in a pallet wall of a shed) I'm wondering if the owl attack was traumatic enough to send them into premature moult? the whole flock was definitey traumatized as they refused to leave the coop for several days. THe moults are very very slow -

I don't think it is poor nutritition. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Sally8]

It's kind of unusual out in my coop. When we opened their door, no one came out. It wasn't snowing and it was 20 degrees, everyone is in. The snow is really coming down now but not expecting much, they say. This was taken yesterday.

 

[stonykill]

roughly a month ago I lost a hen to a great horned owl. Another of my 8 month old hens, who had just started laying a few months earlier, lost a patch of feathers on her back from the owl during the attack. No broken skin. She went into a moult a few weeks after the attack - as did a hen who had already completed her moult in October and who went missing for a day after the attack (flew the fence or was dropped by the owl, don't know, but she was holed up in a pallet wall of a shed) I'm wondering if the owl attack was traumatic enough to send them into premature moult? the whole flock was definitey traumatized as they refused to leave the coop for several days. THe moults are very very slow -

I don't think it is poor nutritition. Anyone have any thoughts?

normal. As an example my pekins who you may remember the 3 girls survived a Mink attack which killed their drake. They finished their molt in September and were laying until the day of the attack. While they are doing extremely well they are in another molt. I attribute it to the trauma of the attack and the fact that it took them 5 days to really even start eating again.

 

[loanwizard]

I guess I don't think about the cold too much. I feed as normal. By the time I get home of an evening it is too late for a second feeding, so if there is none left by nightfall, I will give them more the next day. Luckily they have a 75 foot barn to themselves and the hogs so they always have room to play. I DID break down and put a heat lamp in the laying area after losing 6 dozen eggs to freezing.

 

[stonykill]

I guess I don't think about the cold too much. I feed as normal. By the time I get home of an evening it is too late for a second feeding, so if there is none left by nightfall, I will give them more the next day. Luckily they have a 75 foot barn to themselves and the hogs so they always have room to play. I DID break down and put a heat lamp in the laying area after losing 6 dozen eggs to freezing.

frozen eggs are still good. Maybe not salable but not garbage. We eat all the eggs that freeze ourselves

 

[aoxa]

So yesterday morning I watched the three five week old Silkie boys going bonkers in the chick house. Out of no where the biggest alpha boy jumps straight up and does a body slam on the smallest little female Miss Peggy! That's enough of that! I took the three male Silkie chicks and moved them into the barn into the bachelor condo. Funny how quickly that subdued them! Hah!

Very interesting to observe the behavior of the three bantam RIR chicks I still think are female. They fretted and chirped quite upset. Looking for those boys! After a few hours I took a glance through the window and they were following the little female Silkie around like it was their momma. Snuggling and cuddling. Those little red chicks are becoming more and more dear to my heart.

So back to Silkies...I would like to add more to my flock but I don't want to order shipped eggs or chicks. Then I remember delisha talking about her Catdance Silkie eggs and the good feedback about this breeder in general. I did a little research for the first time and what do you know? Catdance farm is with in a few hours drive of where I live!

Sent an email for an appointment so I can visit her farm and maybe pick up some eggs or chicks next month. I had no idea Washington State was so rich with awesome poultry breeders until I started researching on BYC!

You must take pictures! Her farm is amazing!

Wish I could go with you

 

[Sally8]

We eat almost any egg ourselves. Cracked, dirty, frozen. Since we collect them at least once a day, I know they aren't "old" and risk bacteria. It it's 100 degrees outside and I haven't collected for a full day, I might not for a variety of reasons. But normally, chow down. (They're great for homemade ice cream)

Stony, I loved your article. Very informative. I have 4 broodies right now in nests about 18-24 in off the coop floor and now I'll leave them. When the pullets first started laying some dropped the egg down to the floor from the roost. With so much bedding (litter) it must have bounced because it didn't break. Can you help again with ways to break a broody hen? Mama hatches 4 times a year? That thought causes me to break out in hives. I shouldn't have hatched so many and let nature take place. I'll be standing out in the road saying, "Congratulations, you're the 10th person to drive by since 5pm. Here, have a chick, 25th person, here have a chick." lol Eggs I collected last week. I got one smaller than a marble. So cute! Even turkey eggs look pretty.

 

[loanwizard]

frozen eggs are still good. Maybe not salable but not garbage. We eat all the eggs that freeze ourselves

I suppose I wasn't clear lol!, No egg is EVER wasted, I just lost them to sell. They go to the hogs chickens or us.