The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I let the meat group and Catdance chicks run in the tractor for an hour today. At first they were freaked about the grass, but soon figured out it is food. I put them back in the brooder when I started noticing them huddling and were getting louder.

 

[Kacey's Krazee's]

Mumsy,
A few pages back you had stated that you were getting rid of everything, and concentrating on HRIR, and the Silkies. You are raising the last batch of Johnny chicks, but I haven't read what your plans are for Johnny. Do you have a home in mind for him?

 

[moomoodiddy]

anyone know if poppy seeds are okay to put in fermented feed? I am going to put sesame seeds in but no one is sure about the poppys. Thought I might be able to get a better response here.

dont poppy seeds have something in them thats almost like a drug or something?

 

[PaintedFeathers]

dont poppy seeds have something in them thats almost like a drug or something?

they are used to make opiates but it's a process, the seeds can cause people to have a false positive in a drug test.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My "guess" on "all the eggs in one basket"...

I agree w/those that said it is an instinctual thing to gather together a clutch for hatching. Add to that the "familiar" and the "follow the leader" effect.

I tried an experiment just yesterday (so interesting you are posting this today).

I have 6 ceramic eggs that look like the real thing. I had originally put 2 of these into each nest box when I had my first batch of chicks as they had no example to follow and I wanted them to know where to lay. It seemed to do the trick right from the start. I haven't use them since they all started laying back in the fall.

I decided to put 2 of them in one of the boxes yesterday. (My plan is to see if I leave some eggs left around all day if it may encourage one of them to go broody as I want to get about 4 more chicks in June or whenever I may have a mamma available.

So...today...EVERY HEN LAID AN EGG.....IN THE BOX WITH THE 2 FAKES.

There are 3 nest boxes but they all laid with the 2 fakes.

 

[delisha]

anyone know if poppy seeds are okay to put in fermented feed? I am going to put sesame seeds in but no one is sure about the poppys. Thought I might be able to get a better response here.

I wish I knew the answer. I tried to do some reading about it. My chickens do eat my poppies, but not many. I think they do not eat them for a reason. Right now I have a hen who nested in a large pot of poppies so I am thinking they are not poison to them. She is a pretty smart bird and a good mother. I doubt she would toxify her young.

Wow it's hard to keep up with the thread when I don't have the time to sit and read three times a day!
Do a lot of you mix your own feeds? I just grab the bags of flock raiser and ferment that. I tried adding stuff to it, and figured out I was lowering the protein too much. I got a 20% flock raiser that I'm pretty happy with right now. I wasn't able to find the waterfowl starter in a feed store anywhere near me, so we got chick starter, and I'll just be sure to give them meat or eggs every couple of days, and keep an eye on their legs.
On a happy side note, my husband got home Sunday, which is why I've had no time to read. We went out yesterday to "look" at trucks, which was his deployment gift, and of course left with one. I'm excited he's home, but this also means the busy season is starting. We're getting the barn wired, the ducks are coming next week and trees and fruit bushes are being delivered starting today and for the next month, as well as building a deck. I need the sun back, today was windy and freezing again, had a snow day a day after school started back.
I do have a chicken issue going on though. One of my sex-link girls has always laid very well, but twice in the last week her shells have been very thing and cracking when she lays them. What's up with that? I've just taken them from the nest box, and cracked right into the FF trough. Any tips, or will she fix this on her own? I, of course, have oyster shells out for them.

I need more information...fragile shells are a sign of something wrong. You are feeding right, they have fresh air, fresh water, and a place to get out. So that leaves hereditary female issues or disease. Unless you have other ill birds..that leaves....hereditary female issues. Has she layed for a full year?

Quote: I don't think that works the same for birds..

 

[delisha]

My "guess" on "all the eggs in one basket"...

I agree w/those that said it is an instinctual thing to gather together a clutch for hatching. Add to that the "familiar" and the "follow the leader" effect.

I tried an experiment just yesterday (so interesting you are posting this today).

I have 6 ceramic eggs that look like the real thing. I had originally put 2 of these into each nest box when I had my first batch of chicks as they had no example to follow and I wanted them to know where to lay. It seemed to do the trick right from the start. I haven't use them since they all started laying back in the fall.

I decided to put 2 of them in one of the boxes yesterday. (My plan is to see if I leave some eggs left around all day if it may encourage one of them to go broody as I want to get about 4 more chicks in June or whenever I may have a mamma available.

So...today...EVERY HEN LAID AN EGG.....IN THE BOX WITH THE 2 FAKES.

There are 3 nest boxes but they all laid with the 2 fakes.

Brilliant

Now..try a new experiment...put about 7 fake eggs in one box and leave at least 7 eggs in at all times..tell me how long it takes for a hen to go broody.(I say under 30 days)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well... will 6 do? I only have 6 fakes

But I guess it wouldn't be bad to leave a real one in there overnight and remove it in the morning...all 6 of them are probably going to keep laying in that same box too...that will be a HUGE CLUTCH OF EGGS! (Of course the 6 will be removed every day.

I'll try it! That will hopefully ensure someone will raise my chicks if she'll take the babies.

 

[delisha]

Well... will 6 do? I only have 6 fakes

But I guess it wouldn't be bad to leave a real one in there overnight and remove it in the morning...all 6 of them are probably going to keep laying in that same box too...that will be a HUGE CLUTCH OF EGGS! (Of course the 6 will be removed every day.

I'll try it! That will hopefully ensure someone will raise my chicks if she'll take the babies.

For some reason for me the number has to be more than 6..I do not know why. Try 6 and see if that works. I use golf balls.

 

[Ashdoes]

I need more information...fragile shells are a sign of something wrong. You are feeding right, they have fresh air, fresh water, and a place to get out. So that leaves hereditary female issues or disease. Unless you have other ill birds..that leaves....hereditary female issues. Has she layed for a full year?

She's about 9 or 10 months, and has always laid great big, thick shelled eggs. She's the only one with this problem right now. The two "sisters" are identical, so I'm not for sure which girl is doing it, but I know it's the same one because of the color of the egg. The shell is just so thin, I think she lays it and then it either gets crushed by the next girl or the layer is cracking it before she leaves the nest. It's happened about every other day, with the middle egg being perfectly shelled and no issues.