The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

On the rubber subject. The only rubber my chickens have access to are horse foot soak tubs, I use them for their dust bath tubs. Heavy duty and durable for summer and winter here. They seem to have no issues with it as it is where they prefer to bathe.

to all the new peeps.

 

[Toast n Jelly]

I visited my doeling today again. Oh my gosh.. I am so in love with her.. She is the sweetest thing.



Here she is with Susan. I have a video uploading too.



It was dark in the barn, so pictures aren't that great.. but she is so cute it makes up for it.

Lovely doeling and Susan has beautiful teeth!!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Someone just mentioned another source of lead that we didn't mention earlier. It is regular garden hoses. If you use garden hoses, they have lead unless they are CLEARLY MARKED LEAD FREE.

I began replacing all my old hoses last summer but totally forgot about that.

After reading about the lead in hoses, I changed mine to the white camper hoses which are lead free.

 

[redbudchix]

Hey all. I just wanted to introduce myself to this thread. I just stumbled on it last week, and I can't stop reading! I keep going between this thread and the Natural Chicken blog - so sorry
to see Bee gone. But, this looks like the place for me! I have always wanted chickens, and now I can finally have them. I am frantically trying to finish my coop..8x8 converted shed. I will pick up my chicks this Friday!!! I can hardly wait. I just wanted to say thank you for all the contributors here. The amount of knowledge for us newbies is priceless. Thanks for sharing and letting us live vicariously thru you. I know I'm gonna have lots of questions !

 

[Eggcessive]

And what is PDZ board

They are poop boards placed under the roost and covered with Sweet PDZ. a horse stall freshener. You can use sand or pine shavings too. The PDZ is initially kind of expensive, but you don't have to change it--just keep adding to it when it becomes thin. I spread it about 1 inch thick. It is white, granular (they also make it in powder which I don't like) and works great with a kitty litter scoop. I scoop it into a dustpan, then into a 5 gallon bucket, then to the compost bin, then to the garden.

 

[redbudchix]

I was wondering...about putting soil or sod in with new chicks? What's the consensus? My soil has never had any chickens on it....

 

[Mumsy]

I was wondering...about putting soil or sod in with new chicks? What's the consensus? My soil has never had any chickens on it....

It's a wonderful idea. They will learn to forage on these sod pieces. Natural grit, minerals, greens, bugs, and worms. The earlier they learn, the better all around. Eventually use sod from areas frequented by adult chickens, the chicks will be naturally exposed to bacteria from this sod that will help build their immunities. This is the short version. Others on this thread can give much more detailed information on the benifits of giving sod to chicks.

 

[TheH Klan of 10]

In another thred folks told me to use horse pellets for bedding and they say it works kinda the same as u have explained but its not white or powdery it is pellets have u used this?

 

[delisha]

Thanks, but my coop is needing a cleaning this spring. We save our plastic feedbags from Purina and staple them to the walls in late fall to keep things warmer in winter, since my walls have large spaces between boards. It's amazing how dirty those walls look in early spring, but it works. My mailbox nest is quite popular for the laying hens. I love your chick Thor Sally8--so sorry your others didn't hatch. Congratulations Delisha on your new chicks.

Kim

Kim..beautiful coop and area for your birds!!
Thanks..I now am up to 7.

Hey all. I just wanted to introduce myself to this thread. I just stumbled on it last week, and I can't stop reading! I keep going between this thread and the Natural Chicken blog - so sorry
to see Bee gone. But, this looks like the place for me! I have always wanted chickens, and now I can finally have them. I am frantically trying to finish my coop..8x8 converted shed. I will pick up my chicks this Friday!!! I can hardly wait. I just wanted to say thank you for all the contributors here. The amount of knowledge for us newbies is priceless. Thanks for sharing and letting us live vicariously thru you. I know I'm gonna have lots of questions !

Welcome to the group! Make sure you take pictures and let us know how things are progressing

I was wondering...about putting soil or sod in with new chicks? What's the consensus? My soil has never had any chickens on it....

Most definatly for many reasons! it is great practice. They will get many nutrients, vitamins, little bugs, scratching and digging practice, they will love it and the entertainment value is priceless.

Quote: ohh what she said too!!

Mumsy..I have 7 silkies out..two more eggs doing nada..

 

[hotrodflash]

In another thred folks told me to use horse pellets for bedding and they say it works kinda the same as u have explained but its not white or powdery it is pellets have u used this?

I use the pellets in my brooder and I love them. Easy to put in the brooder, less mess, easier to clean, easy to dump out of the brooder and they don't sling them all over the place like the shavings. Only issue is if they get wet they turn from pellets to sawdust.