The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Sue I find it amusing we are only 3 hours apart and u got snow today

sun was shining all day today. My friend is in Watkins Glen for the day and he said it was snowing there to lol

Love all the baby pics.

BDM- prayers for ur family...hope ur daughter feels better soon & u as well.

Spent most of the day cleaning out flower beds & decided to let the girls back in the garden area since with all the rain we had I knew it was worm infested. They happily scratched through the compost getting their fill of worms & bugs. My mom called them my chicken rototillers

I was just happy they laid 4 eggs.....tho of course they were in 3 different boxes. I think they read our discussion on here and wanted to prove they can lay in different boxes lol

I made new feeders for them with dry wall pans.......they are a lot larger than the bowls I used all winter and I only fill them half way if that. Well I either need to put less FF in them or they are getting more food in their giant run because their FF is lasting 3+ days without me needing to fill it up again. Tonight I dumped what was left in the grass after they were roosting. Of course they got down and went outside to eat it. Maybe it tastes better on grass lol. I think they were just taking a siesta since they are back in the fenced area again. Thank goodness since its still day light out & I couldn't figure out why they were roosting so early. I think all the new space tires them out.

Here's a sill question: how do u tell if a crop is full? I've tried to palpate their neck to feel for it & can't tell. And I really don't see anything bulging. I'm not worried they are hungry because they spend all day picking up worms, bugs, grass, clover, etc in their fenced area & they do eat their FF.

When I feed them in the morning, what ever did not get eaten the day before gets thrown on the ground, and I will cut back on amount of feed for the day until it is all gone the next morning. Some days they get 6 cups(for 7 hens and 2 6 wo chicks) and sometimes 9. depends on if they get to free range or not.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Those are so cute the look like stuffed animals!

I know you said you have a market for the silkies but I don't remember where you said you sell them.

 

[Kassaundra]

I bet ur DH is happy.
Beautiful. Whst are the purple flowers?

They look like henbit here are some close ups from my yard of what I believe is the same flower

 

[Leahs Mom]

We have those in our area too - just haven't seen any yet! A bit too early for here.

 

[loanwizard]

Their crop isn't at their neck, it's just above their breast. Feel around there.

LW is going to say something about that, I can just feel it

With a lead in like that, I must....

When feeling for the crop A: You must butcher a chicken so that it is unmistakeable or
B: Feel them in the morning, later after lunch then later as they go to roost. Pet them, head to back, then stroke them under chin to belly.

Feel anything different? If you feel the crop, which is indeed unmistakeable, you can actually feel the gritty grains.

 

[Ashdoes]

Each time one of my girls laid they pulled a couple fake eggs under them, but once they were done they just got up and left. I can wait, as long as when the time comes I can find the Legbar eggs somewhere. While I liked my chickens from MyPetChichen I don't know that they'd have great stock for the Legbars. I guess I could email and ask them.

 

[aoxa]

The basement babies are so big now but still no crowing from the 3 boys. There is a lot of chest bumping lately between them.

Notice anything different in the picture? We have a visitor

 

[NanaLynn]

LOL LynnEBC, My DH says the same thing about our eggs too! He keeps telling his friends he's just waiting for the call from Egglands Best!

Some of his co-workers told him that their wives went thru the chicken phase and he'd end up taking care of the chickens...that's what happened to them. He said you don't know my wife or me very well if you think that's gonna happen. However, he buys them treats and likes to watch them as much as I do. He even had them out free ranging when I got home from work the other day. My coop is 8 x 12 and live on just an acre as well so I'm envious of all the hatchers too! We do live along a power line so I have "borrowed" some land...I'm sure the power company won't mind.

We only told a few relatives and friends we were getting chickens just because we knew we would probably get the same comments. I think some of our family and friends still don't know. My husband had ours free ranging this morning when I woke up, he is always sneaking them treats too. He'd probably deny to everyone how attached he has become.

PigeonGuy: I have my run secured with hardware cloth, so the chicks can have more roaming area when I am not home which is not too often. Most of the day they get to free range in a large area which includes my garden. I have a pop door in the back for them to use to free range which I close every night and I have another pop door to the run that I never close. So if I happen to leave for a few days, as long as they have food and water in the run and coop they'll be fine.

BD: I hope everything goes well with your daughter, it is such a worry when your children get sick, especially when their young. I hope you get well soon too. Great you have your chickens for the nice distraction.

Well back to earlier posts to try to catch up....almost there, I think

 

[delisha]

Quote: we must have had the same today..I woke up to an inch of snow and by noon it was gone. It is suposed to be in the 40-50's all week..but I heard that before. II put my Amaracuana's out today, and tomorrow I am moving the BLRW.

I've got eight fake eggs in one of the chickens nesting areas....we'll see if I can't convince one of my Cochins to go broody. Would be ice, I REALLY want some cream legbar eggs for hatching, but would prefer not to buy an incubator just yet.

Sounds like a great plan

Sue I find it amusing we are only 3 hours apart and u got snow today

sun was shining all day today. My friend is in Watkins Glen for the day and he said it was snowing there to lol

Love all the baby pics.

BDM- prayers for ur family...hope ur daughter feels better soon & u as well.

Spent most of the day cleaning out flower beds & decided to let the girls back in the garden area since with all the rain we had I knew it was worm infested. They happily scratched through the compost getting their fill of worms & bugs. My mom called them my chicken rototillers

I was just happy they laid 4 eggs.....tho of course they were in 3 different boxes. I think they read our discussion on here and wanted to prove they can lay in different boxes lol

I made new feeders for them with dry wall pans.......they are a lot larger than the bowls I used all winter and I only fill them half way if that. Well I either need to put less FF in them or they are getting more food in their giant run because their FF is lasting 3+ days without me needing to fill it up again. Tonight I dumped what was left in the grass after they were roosting. Of course they got down and went outside to eat it. Maybe it tastes better on grass lol. I think they were just taking a siesta since they are back in the fenced area again. Thank goodness since its still day light out & I couldn't figure out why they were roosting so early. I think all the new space tires them out.

Here's a sill question: how do u tell if a crop is full? I've tried to palpate their neck to feel for it & can't tell. And I really don't see anything bulging. I'm not worried they are hungry because they spend all day picking up worms, bugs, grass, clover, etc in their fenced area & they do eat their FF.

This is where the crop is...I doubt you will ever see a crop like this on one of your chickens..unless they are cornish

Those are so cute the look like stuffed animals!

I know you said you have a market for the silkies but I don't remember where you said you sell them.
Quote: I really have not had that many. I had 10 I gave 5 to a young man who just started 4H. He also has my HRIR. His mom is also on BYC.

Each time one of my girls laid they pulled a couple fake eggs under them, but once they were done they just got up and left. I can wait, as long as when the time comes I can find the Legbar eggs somewhere. While I liked my chickens from MyPetChichen I don't know that they'd have great stock for the Legbars. I guess I could email and ask them.

You can also go to a legbar thread too

 

[delisha]

The basement babies are so big now but still no crowing from the 3 boys. There is a lot of chest bumping lately between them.

Notice anything different in the picture? We have a visitor

lol..that duck is going to get him some chicken