The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Pullet Surprise]

Wow...I bet it has a double yolk. I'm with you - I don't like to see those or double-yolkers. Makes me a bit nervous!

I see you have an egg skelter...do you like it? I've considered getting one but I don't want it to take up too much room on the counter. I also looked at a ceramic egg carton which I think would take up less room but not hold as many, of course!

Here's what the ceramic carton looks like:

I was given a ceramic carton for Christmas this year and i love it. I don't keep all the eggs in it, we always have more than that on hand, but it's great and shows off the color pallet of eggs so well..eggzept that my leghorn's eggs are so big, they don't quite fit in except in the corner slots

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Yay Delisha!!

My DH is out in the 37° garage building me a Terrier proof brooding box so we can get more chicks tomorrow!

That is such good news!

 

[delisha]

Hatching these silkies is exhausting and nerve racking..I am going to bed so I quit checking..

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Hatching these silkies is exhausting and nerve racking..I am going to bed so I quit checking..

That is why i like the old fashioned way. I don't know if they hatch until they peek out or momma takes them off the nest. An incubator would drive me batty

 

[Bulldogma]

That is why i like the old fashioned way. I don't know if they hatch until they peek out or momma takes them off the nest. An incubator would drive me batty

I have a Little Giant AND a Silkiebator going right now.
Thing is, I can turn the LG on and off as needed.

Silkie?

Not so much...

 

[delisha]

Quote: I have the LG..The Leghorn with 9 and the Orpington with 3.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:
Another reason for me to not have an incubator. I could/would hatch all the time. With broodies, I can only hatch on their schedule. Although I have not been without a chick less than 16 weeks old since I started with my first group in May. That is 4 groups with the 5th under an Orp broody.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Although I may change my mind and have to go the NON-NATURAL way of hatching, depending on demand from our breeding program.

 

[lalaland]

all this incubator talk and watching and waiting is making me nervous and I am not even hatching!

must take nerves of steel.

I know delish says to cull, and I sure hate to sound like someone who asks for advice and then doesn't take it - but these hens stopped featherpicking when they got to my place last April, if I can get them thru the next 4-8 weeks, think I will be home free. Plus, if I don't figure out who the feather picker is, it will keep happening if it doesn't happen to be one of the 4 culled. They have enough room, just not unlimited room. And I think most of the picking is happening on the roost, because that is what I saw last spring when I got these poor bedraggled hens out of that guy's bedroom!

So, went to the upscale feed store an hour south of me which practically has a chicken designer boutique! oh my - the things I saw! came home with a flock block (23 pounds and every single employee there offered to carry it out to my car, lol, and if i cared to buy their feed, I'm sure they would have fainted if I picked up the sacks). they were out of something called rooster booster no pick lotion - which has aloe in it, and cayenne (which shouldn't make them stop picking) and juniper oil. hmmm juniper oil - how different could that be from pine oil/pine tar? So I might try some pine tar as a deterrent.

Not sure how thick and tarry it will be - i know my local hardware store has it, so I will go into town and grab some in the am.

Hope all you easterners are hanging in there with the blizzard.

(delish, give me a month or so and you can say you told me so

-)

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

So, went to the upscale feed store an hour south of me which practically has a chicken designer boutique! oh my - the things I saw! came home with a flock block (23 pounds and every single employee there offered to carry it out to my car, lol, and if i cared to buy their feed, I'm sure they would have fainted if I picked up the sacks). they were out of something called rooster booster no pick lotion - which has aloe in it, and cayenne (which shouldn't make them stop picking) and juniper oil. hmmm juniper oil - how different could that be from pine oil/pine tar? So I might try some pine tar as a deterrent.

Not sure how thick and tarry it will be - i know my local hardware store has it, so I will go into town and grab some in the am.

Hope all you easterners are hanging in there with the blizzard.

(delish, give me a month or so and you can say you told me so

-)

I have been using Flock Block in my coop since September, it has really helped with boredom pecking.

Try using Nustok on the pick girl. From what I have read from people, when the pecking bird gets a taste of it they don't peck anymore. Worth a try anyways.