The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Toast n Jelly]

Reading Loanwizard's post on his roos jumping off roosts to welcome the new "ladies: and I heard in Joey's (from Friends) voice in my head: "How YOU doin'?"

 

[loanwizard]

Sorry... BLASPHEMY! It was NOT PG.... (I corrected it in my prior post

)

What I mean by "easier" is that if I have 30 birds and lose 10 of them to preditors I still have 20 left.

If I have 6 birds and lose 2 of them I only have 4 left.

My egg supply goes down and I lose all the time that I've fed them and then all the time it takes to get new birds to point of lay.

So...it's easier from the point of view of replacement.

Now this is my experience only, but again it is also why mine free range..... Not counting my dogs.... predation in a closed run coop, 3 nights, 1/2 my 25 or so flock. Yes, it hurt! Free ranged.... other than dogs, I may lose some, but normally I don't notice them....in other words, one at a time.

In the discussion of hawks.... I usually know when there is one around... how? For some strange reason I will look around in broad daylight and not see any birds. I ALWAYS see birds.

Now, the birds I got last night. It was sweet, sad, happy all mixed up. Those birds were unloaded out of the trailer and put into the stall where the roosts were last evening. Apparently they had never had freedom, range of any type, or anything. I watched, fed.... something I rarely do in the evening.... They had a blast when they discovered the seeping spring as a water source, but basically wandered around. As darkness fell, they crowded into corners much like chicks do and migrated to the side of the barn where I have an old kennel panel and some old rabbit cages. I have a feeling they were trying to put themselves back in their cages, what they were used to. So at 9pm last night I carried 50 birds by 2's to the roost to introduce them to the new way to sleep. I expect I will do the same this evening if not for the weekend.
The reason I am mentioning this is, these girls are easy prey for hawks. My other birds, not so much. They can disappear right in the open very quickly.
I know we think we are Godlike, but God gave them some tools, even though they are low on the food chain.... or high..... sometimes I get confused. But.... my new girls will learn. And, once I get production up, I will hatch another hundred chicks and cull some more this fall for my chicken and noodles, pot pies, etc....

 

[loanwizard]

Oh...have you really not had a hawk go after chickens? I had one in the dog pen run last weekend trying to help himself.

I don't know that I have or not. I have not seen one, but I work during the week. That said, until Ol Buck came around, my numbers were holding pretty steady.

Like I said, my girls and boys are used to being out and disappear pretty readily, plus they have the barn for safety too.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Was just wondering. I know Greenfire imported them but their originals are VERY EXPENSIVE!!! I have a lady that's about 1.5 hours south of me that has stock from Greenfire. She has a "hatching partner" that will hatch some for me. I love the blue eggs and I love that you can tell sex at hatch and I love how they look and I love that they can forage.......

 

[Bulldogma]

When
When you are ready to have it printed, PM me. I have an account at a pro lab and can get it printed and drop shipped to you at cost.

What a great offer! Thank you!!

well done Margaret..well done.
She sure is a happy little thing
Justine..this brought joy to my heart..thank you

X's 2!!

OK next question. When broodies hatch the eggs are on there side not up and down like in egg turners for the bater. So if I broke from tradition and build a turner that was like those hot dog cookers where the hot dogs lay on the rollers and turn to cook rubber padding of course with a time delay to turn every 6 hours.. Do you think it would work?
Just sounds more natural to me.

Sounds reasonable to me. Chances are they make the turners so eggs are up and down just because you can fit more eggs that way.

Ok, I have a question regarding something that was said way back in the Road thread. We were told that if a hen loses back feathers from mating she was a cull, thoughts? I have a Cochin with little bare spots, I've got her in the house resting with meds on the spots, and I'm going out now to either pen up the boys or kill one. I just don't think it's her fault she has these bald spots, so why would I cull her? She lays an egg almost everyday, even through winter. So, do I take Bees advice or am I right in thinking this is my fault, and once I get rid of the problem she'll be fine?

Personally I wouldn't cull. I just think it means the rooster / hen ratio is off or that the hen is a favorite. IMO - not reasons to cull the hen! I liked the suggested solution of 10 more hens! LOL! Works for me!

 

[Bulldogma]

I just wanted to share how the skin is looking:



Since we don't have a wood barn to nail it up to, I used hangers with clips - they seem to be working well. I made a mistake with the tail (it is a separate piece because I cut the wrong place) but I plan to reattach it once everything is dry - perhaps I'll sew it on - LOL. She was a very pretty bird.

 

[Reina Rana]

O.M.G.! Thank you for posting this tonight. I was missing my kids and Grandkids. These images are truly precious and remind me why I do what I do. I'm a mom. Moms teach stuff. The good and successful things and the not so good and not so successful things. My kids are all really enjoying their mom and dad having chickens on the old place once again. And I'm still gardening. Till the day I die.  

Thanks, for this reply as well. I don't know about anyone else, but as a mom, I sometimes forget how important the little, everyday things are. My kids love our birds, and like being able to be involved. Its the first time, in a long time, that we have something that we all do together since everyone has crazy schedules.

Edited because smartphone is stupid...

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Hey Del, I am starting the chelation(sp) treatment tomorrow. it helps

I'm not sure where my head was, but did your chickens get into lead also?

Can anyone tell me what a debeaked chick is? Please don't tell me that it is what it sounds like!

Also, I was so excited to take my teen aged chicks out of the house last night but as I was readying everything around, it started snowing like crazy, I checked the temp and it was 20 and it got even colder over night. So, you can guess, i didn't move them. Tomorrow is the big move day. REGARDLESS!

The Silkies I have are from the same breeder that Mumsy just lost one to suspected lead. I have lost 4 of six since Nov. so I am treating just in case it is lead poison

 

[rowerjen]

That's MY quote, thank you very much......

Easier how? Takes the same amount of effort to lower the fence regardless of how many birds..... Just kidding, I understand.

We have 12,500 acres behind us and during the fall migration, we have 20-30 hawks per day it seems. I have yet to lose a chicken to them, I believe. The worst predators I have are my own pups and my "stray".....

It will hurt, if you have 10 birds, that you've named, give treats to, hold, brush, dress..... you get the idea, and you lose 1, or all 10.

Chickens are replaceable and I like them at all ages. Way I look at it is why I am proud of the little girl. In my opinion only, it is selfish to keep chickens penned in a vegetationless run/coop.

Let them do what they were designed to do, even if it is to become a foxes supper.

x2

I'm just about a year into this chicken thing and I let my flock free range. Lost my one cockerel early last fall. He was dumber than a box of rocks so no real surprise or loss there. To me the real test will be early spring when all the critters that live in the woods around my house start looking to feed their babies. We have fox, fishers, coyotes and so forth. My dogs are indoors when I'm not home but they're loud and vigilant, and they mark everything in range when I let them out. I'd hate to lose any of my birds but they're happiest when they're free to roam about my land, doing their chicken thing.

 

[loanwizard]

I am feeling kind of strange....

I went out and looked at the new girls..... egg production was up a bit.... even with the stress of a new place.....

Looked a little closer.... They are all beaked!

I don't know whether to be angry about helping to perpetuate the cycle, or be happy that the rest of their lives will be free range....

Skinny little things too...