The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[OffGridMAMA]

I have 3 DC... they're kinda mean lol. They are older and have considered culling but they still lay pretty regularly at 3+ years old.... except for now that nobody is laying :/

 

[farmerfogg]

Ok I need to tell you all about my rooster and ask what I can do to help him.

He is Plymouth Barred Rock. He is 8 months old now and has a harem of 5 hens. He recently became aggressive towards humans, although we have no physical contact with them. Our run is covered, but only about 4' tall with a narrow opening to crawl in if we absolutely need to. In the spring we're getting a 10x10x6 dog kennel.

My oldest daughter ran in to tell me that he is bleeding. Looks like he injured his comb where it attatches to the back of the head. The hens are leaving him alone. I wonder if the cut will clot on itself. They're all in now for the night. The hens let us touch them, but he wants NOTHING to do with us. Is there anything I can do for him??

 

[Leahs Mom]

Just recently got back from picking up my new Dark Cornish - 4 hens and one very happy roo who has never had his own harem until now - LOL! One hen is SQ and all the others are hatchery birds.

Those are some nice looking birds! I don't know much about Dark Cornish - are they considered a meat bird only?

Also...loving that new hoop coop!

 

[Mumsy]

@Bulldogma: Those Dark Cornish birds are gorgeous! I've never seen anything like them!

It's been pouring rain here all day but the husband is working on our hoop coop again. Had to wait on purchasing a roll of poultry fencing. First thing we did this morning is find a bunch of old pvc piping in the greenhouse. He screwed the pipe to the posts and then took some electrical conduit pipe and screwed those to the pvc pipe for support. We had bird netting on hand and then cut and stapled that over the top of the pipe supports. We still need a gate and electrical wire and insulators on the outside. Nearly there.


I will also need to rotate my flocks on free range this Spring and summer when I let the Silkies and smaller birds out. My property is too small to support all of them at once. This hoop coop and run will be used for growing out the turkeys. I would like another one next to it to keep the heritage RIR flock this summer.
While husband was stapling and cutting wire I spent the time in the barn cleaning the sleeping pen. The DL was so deep I could barely maneuver to fork it. Took four heaping wheel barrows out to the vegetable garden. Dumped it where my new bed for tomatoes and peppers will go. Hard to believe it all came out of that little pen!







That small sleeping pen in the left back is only 6 feet by 3 1/2 feet big. It's only big enough for five large chickens to fit on the roost. Two nest boxes are stacked in there. All the pens on the right are breeding or chick condos. One larger one on the back has two large windows and four on the right side of the barn.

I ran out of steam for cleaning the barn aisle. It's where I feed Johnny and the girls and keep some of my supplies.

 

[Bulldogma]

LM - Dark Cornish are primarily meat birds, but they are fairly decent egg layers. Nothing like a RIR, but not as prone to broodiness as other breeds. As of tonight, the 4 hatchery birds are on the roost, and the tanker-truck of a hen is nested in the hay inside a dog crate... I guess she was just too darn big to get up on the roost, so I may have to modify the roost setup tomorrow to give her an intermediate step. LOL - Big Bertha would be a fitting name... if I really wanted to name my meat birds. Of course this bunch will mainly be kept so I can hatch their eggs. The rooster is already going by "Brewster" among the kids.

Mumsy - I love your setup! You and Delisha both have really neat coops and pens! Looks like your hoop coop is coming right along. I'm sure it will be far more balanced than ours - LOL. Check Craig's List for old windows - that's how we got ours. I went and grabbed about 8 from the curb before building our first coop. I still have a couple left for future projects... dang chicken math!

 

[stonykill]

Ok I need to tell you all about my rooster and ask what I can do to help him.

He is Plymouth Barred Rock. He is 8 months old now and has a harem of 5 hens. He recently became aggressive towards humans, although we have no physical contact with them. Our run is covered, but only about 4' tall with a narrow opening to crawl in if we absolutely need to. In the spring we're getting a 10x10x6 dog kennel.

My oldest daughter ran in to tell me that he is bleeding. Looks like he injured his comb where it attatches to the back of the head. The hens are leaving him alone. I wonder if the cut will clot on itself. They're all in now for the night. The hens let us touch them, but he wants NOTHING to do with us. Is there anything I can do for him??

I would crawl in ( I have a run like that... I know what it is like) and grab him off the roost. Have gloves and eye protection on. Bring him to where you can inspect the cut. Yes it should and probably has already clotted itself. I have had dumb young roosters fight though the fence and have similar injury's. If he were my bird and the would is clotted and looks clean I would either just put some Nustock or bluecoat on it and put him back for the night. If it hasn't clotted yet you will need to obviously stop the bleeding. Then once again put him back

 

[delisha]

I cleaned and organized the coops today too. it was so nice out. The sun shinned all day. I bet it got up to 30. I put an additional bale of straw in the side I am going to put the broody after she hatches. Made it nice and deep for the chicks and mom. I closed it up to keep the busy body's out.I tried to clean out all the nests and replace with clean, but, those dang birds would not stay out. They are so nosy. Had to see what I was doing and try to help. They just love fresh hay and straw. The ducks are in heaven. They just love bedding down into deep layers. I did have a problem removing poop that was frozen, but, they are calling for 40 degrees on Tuesday and DH will be gone most of the week. I will be able to get tons done.

I am keeping the ducks locked up for the next two week, they are getting into the chickens waters and fouling it all up. So they might get a bit bent out of shape only having the duck run. I need to make sure they stay out with the new chicks coming too. That drake will try to steal them from mom.

I really like all the input everyone is doing about planting, nutrition, and giving or not giving Oregano and other herbs. It is great that so many have there own special way with chicken keeping.

 

[delisha]

LM - Dark Cornish are primarily meat birds, but they are fairly decent egg layers. Nothing like a RIR, but not as prone to broodiness as other breeds. As of tonight, the 4 hatchery birds are on the roost, and the tanker-truck of a hen is nested in the hay inside a dog crate... I guess she was just too darn big to get up on the roost, so I may have to modify the roost setup tomorrow to give her an intermediate step. LOL - Big Bertha would be a fitting name... if I really wanted to name my meat birds. Of course this bunch will mainly be kept so I can hatch their eggs. The rooster is already going by "Brewster" among the kids.

Mumsy - I love your setup! You and Delisha both have really neat coops and pens! Looks like your hoop coop is coming right along. I'm sure it will be far more balanced than ours - LOL. Check Craig's List for old windows - that's how we got ours. I went and grabbed about 8 from the curb before building our first coop. I still have a couple left for future projects... dang chicken math!

You know how I feel about cornish..one of my favorite birds..The foundation to my whole entire laying flock.

 

[delisha]

Quote: x2...

 

[delisha]

Mumsy

You have a really nice set up..I would like to have room like Aoxa, but, I do like having seperate buildings. My DH was talking about chnging the hospitol and making special silkie pens..lol..sheesh