The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[jockeyeba]

Thanks! Glad I found you guys. I posted in the pest and disease forum about not treating for coccidiosis and boy did I get an earful! I prefer to go the natural route if possible. All my chicks are doing well and have recovered with no issues with only probiotics for which i'm very thankful.

You'll fit in very well here! So glad to have you!

X2

X3

 

[Bulldogma]

I also have a LG and as soon as they start to hatch, the humidity goes up. Every time I incubate, my humidity hovers around 16%. Hatch day is tomorrow and I have been trying to raise it a little. I put a straw in one of the vent holes and put very little very warm water in one of the wells. I don't want the humidity to raise much. One time I had several drown from too much humidity. That's why I dry hatch. The woman that encouraged me to dry hatch told me to throw out the hygrometer and do not ever add water, I just can't. From now until Monday night, I'll be a wreck. My 5 yr old grandson spent the night last night and adjusted the temp. This morning it was 90F.

I put 2 wet sponges in just now - seems to be working WAY better than the water in the wells! So both our hatch days is tomorrow! How cool is that?

Okay...what are the clues that make you come to those conclusions? I need to learn how to see this...

With most SFHs you can tell by the comb pretty early on. The only difference is the crested boys - the boys with smaller crests tend to have smaller combs that can even have an "S" shape to them... which makes them look smaller than they are. Also the combs will be wider and the points will look more meaty in the young boys than in the pullets. Pullet combs tend to be very small and thin at this age. That's what I'm seeing from your pictures. Of course leave room for error, but I'll bet I get at least 50%! LOL - I'm actually pretty sure about the orange and black ones being cockerels. The Yellow girl and Blue really look like pullets to me - but the crest on the blue could be hiding a cockerel... I don't think so, though. Can't wait to see them grow up!

 

[Sally8]

Now that "hatch day" is nearly here, I need some advice. Since I have 4 hens setting, 2 routinely would get off a couple days and then back on, SHOULD I SACRIFICE 2 BABY CHICKS AND PLACE THEM UNDER EACH HEN? I'd like the hens to get back to normal living giving me eggs. Has anyone done this and did it work? I need your advice. Tonight I put some FF in front of each setting hen and they gobbled it right down. Thanks, Sue

Stony, I bought the traps and set them where I feel the rats are coming from. I fixed the door, no holes or cracks now.

BDM, I am excited. It's been way too cold. I didn't want to raise the chicks in the house for even a minute but I don't see any way out of it.

 

[delisha]

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

awww..mine have never been mean.I am sure glad of that. I did have a roo that was a bully and slammed into the back of my legs...once. About knocked me down, but, never happened again.

 

[stonykill]

Now that "hatch day" is nearly here, I need some advice. Since I have 4 hens setting, 2 routinely would get off a couple days and then back on, SHOULD I SACRIFICE 2 BABY CHICKS AND PLACE THEM UNDER EACH HEN? I'd like the hens to get back to normal living giving me eggs. Has anyone done this and did it work? I need your advice. Tonight I put some FF in front of each setting hen and they gobbled it right down. Thanks, Sue

Stony, I bought the traps and set them where I feel the rats are coming from. I fixed the door, no holes or cracks now.

BDM, I am excited. It's been way too cold. I didn't want to raise the chicks in the house for even a minute but I don't see any way out of it.

on the traps and the door.

If the hens are pretty close to their hatch day sure you can give them chicks. But supervise as some hens kill chicks they didn't hatch themselves.

But I'm not sure from your explanation if they are truly broody or just sitting on the nest now and then. If it is the later, I would not recomend giving them chicks

 

[Sally8]

on the traps and the door.

If the hens are pretty close to their hatch day sure you can give them chicks. But supervise as some hens kill chicks they didn't hatch themselves.

But I'm not sure from your explanation if they are truly broody or just sitting on the nest now and then. If it is the later, I would not recomend giving them chicks

No, they are truly broody. The EE and the Delaware I've only caught off once or twice in 2 - 3 weeks, the 2 Marans must get tired of it. The first one started setting just a few weeks after she started laying for the first time. I tried to change her mind and could for a while but earlier this week she got off her eggs and they froze. I could see black feathers through the frozen crack. Made me sick, she's a great layer but no more brooding after this. 2 of the nests I had put wooden eggs in, so the 2 that are serious have the those eggs under (sigh) After this, no more setting for a while. I'll close off the nests each night if I have to. They may be stubborn, but so can I be. That's why I thought putting a couple of chicks under each might help. Its been about 3 weeks for all of them too. If they are going to kill the chicks, will it be within a few hours? If I stay and monitor for a short while, will it be enough?

 

[delisha]

Sally,

No one can tell you for sure. Usually if you place them under a hen at night and make sure you are in the coop before break of day, you will be able to tell if the hen is going to accept them. Or you wake up to dead chicks and she has killed them in the middle of the night.

It is pretty cold too. I would have a hard time giving a hen chicks with this weather. It is crazy. If your weather is not too bad you might want to try it. Maybe give one the first night and a few more the next night.The decision is yours and please let us know what you decide. Take pictures please!!.

Don't give up on the hen that got off the nest..they know more than we do. Perhaps she was too weak and the cold was making her deteriorate to fast and she knew she did not have the resources to take care of chicks. It is simplly to hard to guess. When they are young some just need a few tries. It is bettter sometimes that they do not set for the first year. Some do very well as pullets and setting. Most need more time to be successful.

 

[delisha]

Question for those who incubate and hatch a lot -
As I've mentioned before, I have a cheap-o Little Giant styrofoam (sp?) incubator. I did a dry incubation and now my eggs are in lockdown... but ironically I can't keep the humidity up. I have an open bowl of water sitting in there, and the humidity only stays around 30% - except for the time some of the water spilled onto the paper towels the eggs are on... and then it went up to around 50%... but only until the paper towel dried.

Thoughts and suggestions on this? I mean, with an open bowl of water in there, you'd think the humidity would be higher. I even loosely covered one of the 2 vents to try to keep the humidity up.

Ok this is what I do..I also have a little giant

I have shot glasses filled with warm water at each hole. I have damp paper towel under the shot glasses and a wadded piece of paper towel in each shot glass. I use a straw through the holes if I need to add hot water.

 

[stonykill]

Sally,

No one can tell you for sure. Usually if you place them under a hen at night and make sure you are in the coop before break of day, you will be able to tell if the hen is going to accept them. Or you wake up to dead chicks and she has killed them in the middle of the night.

It is pretty cold too. I would have a hard time giving a hen chicks with this weather. It is crazy. If your weather is not too bad you might want to try it. Maybe give one the first night and a few more the next night.The decision is yours and please let us know what you decide. Take pictures please!!.

Don't give up on the hen that got off the nest..they know more than we do. Perhaps she was too weak and the cold was making her deteriorate to fast and she knew she did not have the resources to take care of chicks. It is simplly to hard to guess. When they are young some just need a few tries. It is bettter sometimes that they do not set for the first year. Some do very well as pullets and setting. Most need more time to be successful.

x2

 

[delisha]

Thanks! Glad I found you guys. I posted in the pest and disease forum about not treating for coccidiosis and boy did I get an earful! I prefer to go the natural route if possible. All my chicks are doing well and have recovered with no issues with only probiotics for which i'm very thankful.

Welcome to the thread!!