The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Quote: x2...big hugs

 

[off-grid hen]

Sorry about the chicken trouble you're having, aoxa. It's been one of those days.

 

[off-grid hen]

.double post.

 

[delisha]

Ok, let me get us back on track then. I have a deep litter question. I may have been very confused about this. Do you use DL IN the coop or in both the coop and yard? I have a 6x8 shed coop with a vinyl tile floor so deep litter doesn't work there but I also have a 16x23 half covered fenced run that the chickens are in most of the day. I have just dirt and bark out there and I rake poop up every day but I have started laying down alfalfa for them to pick through and am starting to get quite a thick floor of hay stalks. Should I leave it???? Does deep littler work outside? I do live in the Seattle area so it's wet, wet, wet. I'm afraid I would just have a rotten primordial goo but maybe not? Advise?

I would leave it, in the spring rake it in half of the run, leave one half bare. Than the chickens will toss it around. Soon you will have all kinds of bugs growing under the hay and straw.

 

[stonykill]

I'm having a terrible chicken night.. My turkeys nearly killed my cochin rooster. They ate up a lot of his comb, and he has lost a whole lot of blood. He's eating like a champ right now and I have him all cleaned up and in the basement in a big dog kennel until he can regain some composure. He is very weak from the blood loss.

Also one of my Ameraucana bantam chicks in the outside brooder was FREEZING. Brought her in as well. I think Carlton will be okay. Once I get my breeding pens built this weekend, he can have one of those to recover in. *sigh*

Oh and one of my broodies chicks died. Not sure what happened there. So she has one lonely chick. What a day...

yeah me too. Hawk attack. Killed a beautiful dark blue Sumatra pullet. Ate it's head and back before I was aware it happened. Multiple attack attempts today after that. For everyones information who thinks tree's and cover deter hawks. This dead bird is where they always are here after a hawk attack. Under a huge spruce tree which has branches all of the way to the ground. I have a few pictures of the tree up. I watched it happen once. Hawk flew in and then on foot moves in for the kill, under the tree where the chickens are hiding from it. Nothing and I mean nothing deters a hungry red tailed hawk.

Sorry for your day Aoxa.



this is the tree . Looks like this from ground level to 45 feet up.

 

[aoxa]

Carlton is doing a bit better, but the chick is acting really slow. I'll give it the night. She was preening but then went to sleep. Hoping she will be fine.

Thanks for all the warm wishes.

 

[aoxa]

yeah me too. Hawk attack. Killed a beautiful dark blue Sumatra pullet. Ate it's head and back before I was aware it happened. Multiple attack attempts today after that. For everyones information who thinks tree's and cover deter hawks. This dead bird is where they always are here after a hawk attack. Under a huge spruce tree which has branches all of the way to the ground. I have a few pictures of the tree up. I watched it happen once. Hawk flew in and then on foot moves in for the kill, under the tree where the chickens are hiding from it. Nothing and I mean nothing deters a hungry red tailed hawk.

Sorry for your day Aoxa.



this is the tree . Looks like this from ground level to 45 feet up.

You have some of the worst predator attacks I can ever imagine.. Sorry you lost a pullet Tough day all around I guess.

I was very upset about Carlton. This is why you need a backup rooster. He is my only cochin rooster. The breeder I got him from got out of Cochins. Hoping he will be okay. He is eating and drinking very heavily, so that's got to be a good sign.

My one goshawk attack happened under trees as well.

 

[countrygirl74]

Ok, let me get us back on track then. I have a deep litter question. I may have been very confused about this. Do you use DL IN the coop or in both the coop and yard? I have a 6x8 shed coop with a vinyl tile floor so deep litter doesn't work there but I also have a 16x23 half covered fenced run that the chickens are in most of the day. I have just dirt and bark out there and I rake poop up every day but I have started laying down alfalfa for them to pick through and am starting to get quite a thick floor of hay stalks. Should I leave it???? Does deep littler work outside? I do live in the Seattle area so it's wet, wet, wet. I'm afraid I would just have a rotten primordial goo but maybe not? Advise?

I had the same question!! My little chicken house is also vinyl floor but I have been keeping a deep litter in it anyway and throw on a pair of gloves and mix it around every couple days. I completely change it out when I notice it getting too wet. I also started a dl in the run (uncovered). The nice thing about having it in the run is that it keeps it from becoming a huge muddy mess when it rains. I am in Arizona and while it is normally very dry here, when it rains, you can end up with several inches of mud on the bottom of your shoe! I am using a mix of straw and pine shavings. The only thing I am having trouble with is the chickens scratching all the litter into their food, so I am looking into ways to elevate the ff dishes. I am also assuming that I will always need to provide some sort of grit since the ground is not always visible?? Another question I have is when you do deep litter in the run, do you just throw out treats and/or scratch into the deep litter or is that not good? Seems like their squash gets covered in pine shavings sometimes and I don't know how much of the silly shavings they are ingesting. Thanks for any advice on this for both me and SandBsmom!

 

[delisha]

The weather is turning. I think tonight when I closed up it felt warmer. It is going to snow tomorrow. warmed up enough to snow.

My DH is taking me out to eat tonight for a reward for applying for a job and going on an interview..he is so wonderful. He told me I could not get a job. Now he is taking me out.
My interview went well..I might get called back for a second interview.

The chickens seem happy..they did not want to go in for the night. I am getting nervous about that broody...so cold for baby chicks. Tonight when I went in to shut up she was off the nest..drats I found the extra eggs I thought the girls were not laying. Going to be a bunch of unhatched eggs.

The DH and I are going to go threw all the eggs tomorrow and I am going to chuck the empty eggs..He is also going to help me weigh them and log them.

 

[FloppyEaredFarm]

Sounds great!
Let us know how they are looking after a few doses!!

How old would you start this at? Mine are 5 weeks. Is it ok to give them in their FF?