The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Smithyard Farm]

HUGE score at TSC - went to get 6 cornish rock x; they wanted to get rid of them,, so they sold them to me for a dollar... all 15 of them... yes, thats right 15...!! what in the world was I thinking......

Time to put the big girl boots on and figure ot how to do this.....

Thanks everyone for your input

I

 

[jlynnet]

HUGE score at TSC - went to get 6 cornish rock x; they wanted to get rid of them,, so they sold them to me for a dollar... all 15 of them... yes, thats right 15...!!      what in the world was I thinking......

Time to put the big girl boots on and figure ot how to do this.....

Thanks everyone for your input

I got a deal like that last year!

 

[jlynnet]

Delisha, I'm picking up another dozen BCM eggs to incubate. Any advice for a better outcome? Assuming I have better fertility this time too.

 

[aaggjg]

Hi everyone,

After reading this WHOLE THREAD over the past few weeks and reading numerous other threads over the past 6 months, I'm finally going to get some chickens!  e   Made my very first trip to the feed store today (I live in inland Southern California - not too many close by). Came home with some organic feed, a waterer and a bale of shavings.  It makes it so real to at least have something chicken related while wait.  Have a huge shopping list to buy before they get here.

Even though it will be a small group of layer hens here in the suburbs, I'm going to get some nice started pullets shipped to me - probably next week! I'm ordering an assortment of birds to get some pretty eggs, but I love to support breeders and want to be able to know what I have - so I'm not going the hatchery route and am buying some nice stock.

I'm sure I'll have a million questions before and after they get here.  Thanks so much to everyone who contributes such great advice to the thread.

Welcome to the thread I'm in So Cal too! Where are you getting your pullets? Dare 2 dream farm in Lompoc delivers down to LA and they have a variety of chicks & sometimes pullets. What kind of hens did you decide on!?? You'll want more once you start

Keep us posted on your progress!!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Delisha, I'm picking up another dozen BCM eggs to incubate. Any advice for a better outcome? Assuming I have better fertility this time too.

I would love to see the advice again too. I'm still learning the ins and outs of incubating. I'm thinking once I learn out to do it better, using my current still air incubator, I will be able to convince myself to splurge on a genesis. Does anyone know if the turner in my little giant still air incubator will fit and work in the genesis? Or would I have to get a new turner for the genesis incubator?

 

[aoxa]

Happy Birthday Leah'sMom! (and anyone else I missed!)

BDM I am praying for you and your little one!

So sorry to hear about lost animals

I miss a lot not being online on the weekends!


I moved the babies in with the big girls Friday night. Everything's been going pretty well, today is actually the first day everyone's been grumpy with them. More pecking (though no feather pulling or chasing. Just a peck to the head or back and then it's done) by the big ones. A bit more chasing off from the food but I have two feed dishes out and if they're chased from one, they go to the other. Right now they're out and the big girls are inside so they're macking out on the FF. They do not get chased out of the coop. My son said the reason everyone is grumpy today is because it's Monday and no one likes Mondays.


The four babies with one of the Cuckoo Marans. They were drinking together with no issues

I love the expression on the CM's face hehehe

I would love to see the advice again too. I'm still learning the ins and outs of incubating. I'm thinking once I learn out to do it better, using my current still air incubator, I will be able to convince myself to splurge on a genesis. Does anyone know if the turner in my little giant still air incubator will fit and work in the genesis? Or would I have to get a new turner for the genesis incubator?

Any turner will work in the genesis. The turner itself is the same as most table tops that are the same size

 

[camilleathome]

Update for the chicks they all still seem to be doing well. I placed newspaper on top of the shavings as I had shavings in there at first. They seem to be eating the food I gave them but only a few like eating it from the feeder with holes. I oppenned it up first for them to know food was in it and they ate it and walked in it after a bit I shooed them away closed it and a few ate from it. Im not sure yet if they all are eating from it closed.

Justine I did find the red feeder you sent me. It was left on top of Mr.Bennets(Blue tongue skink) Cage.It gives me two of them so i can alternate them every day for cleaning

 

[Sally8]

If you are talking to me..I have never entered my coop in 35 years and found a dead bird...I hope I never ever do.

No, this wasn't directed at you, just anyone. I think I'll try to go back some to see if I can find where I've read it. My concern was that we would be processing and eating something we really shouldn't. DEC had told my ex and I that properly cooked, you can actually eat a rabid animal. BUT WHO WOULD WANT TO????? (We processed deer every year) I wish I could say that I never saw a dead chicken in the coop. Both happened early on in my chicken years. The first was due to the heat and lack of ventilation in the coop (10degrees f) and I believe the 2nd was due to mites. Both make me want to cry as both were my fault and I always seem to have to learn the hard way.

I haven't checked my failed eggs from incubation yet. I have no problems checking other animals out but I think maybe it has something to do with them being babies. I didn't realize that you raised BCM. I love them. Very sweet tempered. I don't seem to have any troubles incubating the eggs and the chicks always pop right out within a few hours. Wrinkles is the man and must be doing his job.

I wouldn't take my dead chickens out and throw them just anywhere. (I've only had 2) but the woods starts 250 feet behind our house and goes straight up for a long ways. There are a lot of logging trails so we can take the 4 wheeler. My concern is not getting them far enough away and bringing the predator back to my house. We hear the coyotes howling and running along the edge of the woods so my guess is that they already know the chickens are there.

 

[Sally8]

Delisha, I'm picking up another dozen BCM eggs to incubate. Any advice for a better outcome? Assuming I have better fertility this time too.

I would love to see the advice again too. I'm still learning the ins and outs of incubating. I'm thinking once I learn out to do it better, using my current still air incubator, I will be able to convince myself to splurge on a genesis. Does anyone know if the turner in my little giant still air incubator will fit and work in the genesis? Or would I have to get a new turner for the genesis incubator?

I know this wasn't directed to me but I do have a small piece of advice. I've recently learned that when candling the eggs to be oh, so very gentle. The eggs I've lost during incubation seem to be at the times that I candled. At the end of the month I'm going to hatch my very last and final eggs of the year and I'm not candling any of them. I'll see if it makes any difference. I noticed that when I did have some die during hatching that there would be 3 or 4 at the same stage, right around the time I candled. Sorry Delisha, didn't mean to jump in. sue

 

[motherochickens]

We just hooked up our rain water barrel to a hose to chicken coop and attached a faucet. Now watering the chicky-poos with rain water.