The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[kian]

I literally laughed out loud when I read this!

 

[kian]

Congratz on the eggs. I can't wait to get some hens and have them laying! That's a good looking egg. Was it all clean or did you have to wash it off?

Thank you! It was very clean as was the one today. I was happily surprised.

 

[kian]

Congrats on the first egg!! it is always so exciting.
I guessed the first pullet, not sure it was her or not


Knock on wood I have never had leg mites..mites yes and they are a bugger to get rid of

I thought you chose the other just to be contrary

Thank you It is exciting!

 

[lalaland]

I love this!

I loved it too! how cool is that! thank you

 

[kian]

Thank you lalaland! I'm happy to know I'm not alone in chicken dorkdom!

 

[Melabella]

MB
LOL I completely did not recognize you with your new avatar. I was about to welcome you.

HA...

 

[Melabella]

Melabella,

I don't know - looks like the probiotics you could get from your own yogurt, possibly the ff too.
never have seen a need for disinfecting water - as Stony has pointed out, the hens will drink the nastiest water on the ground/puddles, etc anyway
and I haven't had worm problems ever (knock on wood).

are you going to try it?

I didn't buy the three pack, but did buy the small bottle of the wormer thinking it would be good to have on hand if ever...In my small time with chickens, I haven't seen any evidence of infestation in their manure. I was happy to see a natural organic approach to addressing health issues instead of medicines.

I too have witnessed my chickens drinking THE most disgusting pool of manure water run off after rain storms. Try as I may to get rid of it, there is always a pool of it outside of where I have my horse manure pit. Just because they drink it,, not necessarily good for em!

 

[delisha]

ok, here's another issue I could use some help with: spurs.

I have some hens with large spurs that are beginning to grow downward and starting to touch the toes on the foot. I figure this can't keep on going this way. any ideas? they are all the hens that were kept by that guy in his bedroom for the first year of their life. They look so much better now, but will always be undersized (smallest black orps I have ever seen)

spur removal..
all you need is pliers
gently grip the spur close to the leg with the pliers and slowly twist back and forth. Make sure you hold the leg gently but firmly. Slow and easy. You will hear a pop and just lift off the spir. There might be a little blood, just blot it or use a stiptic pencil.

 

[aoxa]

spur removal..
all you need is pliers
gently grip the spur close to the leg with the pliers and slowly twist back and forth. Make sure you hold the leg gently but firmly. Slow and easy. You will hear a pop and just lift off the spir. There might be a little blood, just blot it or use a stiptic pencil.

A video to show exactly what Delisha means.

What is the inner part of the spur? Is it sensitive? What does it feel like?

I've never removed spurs. None of my birds have any this large.

 

[stonykill]

Lionwizard my coops DL consists of leaves, pine needles, wood shavings from my planer (never ending supply) and a month ago I started tossing ash in there before I top off the wood chips. They really toss the litter around a lot with the ash in it, so that is good. My thoughts were like yours, but I came to it in a different way. I wanted my cooped Sumatra's to go broody. Most of my free range girls try to build their nests in the earth. So I created a forest floor in their coop. Here are 2 of the broody's from that coop in pine needles,dried grass and dirt only at this point. Yeah, dirt ....