The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[brandislee]

What didn't you like about the barred rock? I haven't had one ever that wasn't the picture of chicken health, and the queens of the layers. They held their own against hybrids.. their eggs were a tad smaller, but they laid just as frequently.

I don't really know, to be honest. Sometimes it's just a gut thing. They're less adventurous than the EE's, but not as responsive to the rooster's warnings (although moreso than the Gold Stars). They laid well. But I don't know. It's weird because they were one of the breeds I was most excited to get, but my least favorites. I just can't quantify why. Perhaps my experience would have been better with BRs from a breeder. I know mine weren't perfectly healthy- one died in the nest box last summer, with the only previous symptom being a pale comb a few days before. BUT I don't love the hatchery they came from (Hoovers in IA). I've had good chicks from them, but I've also had disastrous batches of chicks from them.

 

[stonykill]

You keep a warm house!

I usually take my chicks off of heat at 3 weeks in the basement, four at the latest. It's pretty chilly down there, but it's all I have to work with right now.

By the way Camille, your first little call duck has just hatched. 3 days early.

same here. They are fine at 3 weeks old without heat.

 

[Bulldogma]

Stony - good to see you here!

My hatch completed today!!!! 30 eggs went in the bator, 28 made it to lockdown, 26 hatched, I think I will loose one maybe two of the new hatchlings.

These were the first of the hatch so the driest and strongest for pics.

Congrats on a good hatch and for getting such cute chicks! Love the feather dusters!

I wonder about those ceramic??? "lamps" that they use at my acupuncture. They get really hot but I am not sure how safe they are as far as being a fire hazard....

I got one of the ceramic ones. No go.
It is only warm directly under it and barely raised the temperature inside the heated house except right under it and it had to be very close to the ground. The one I tried was the largest - 250 watts. The "heat circle" under it was only directly under the ceramic and didn't heat the "area". (I didn't even try it in the hen house...experimented w/it inside first and that was the result in a 70 degrees house).
AND... the ceramic itself is BLAZING HOT. If a chick touched it, it would likely be quite burned. Very frustrating.
eta: I had to put that lamp almost touching the floor to get 80 degrees in a 70 degree house. Too close to where the chicks would be for sure.

I use the ceramic, but only in heat-controlled settings. I love them and have had great luck with them. Only issue I have had was that my now 11-week-old chicks somehow managed to knock off the wire cover I had over one that was in the coop (I don't generally put heat in the wood coop, but had to when the temps dropped way down a number of weeks ago). A few of the birds apparently fell asleep in contact with the element and burned some feathers off... one pretty badly. All are growing their feathers back just fine now.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have:

5 Buckeyes (one is "the" rooster)
4 Salmon Faverolles
9 Gold Stars (...never again, but they do lay well)
7 EE's (getting an EE rooster soon from a friend who had a spare she doesn't want to feed anymore)
1 white silkie

I also have 25 broiler chicks and 8 broad breasted bronze turkeys in the brooder. Speaking of wish lists, if anyone knows anyone who keeps Faverolles in MN or western WI, I'm in the market for a rooster.

I am done with layer hybrids after this year- the Gold Stars will get processed this fall. I think in a free range production setting they would be great- I've never worked out their feed efficiency because they've always been in my mixed flock, but I do know they would rather be out free ranging than hanging around the feeder, BUT they have no sense- when my other chickens are staying close to covered areas or hiding when a hawk flies over, they are completely oblivious. Plus they just have no personality. After that I'm going to just stick with the Favs, the Buckeyes (maybe... I don't like solid colored chickens though, they don't blend well with my mostly wooded area), and the EE's. And I might add some Speckled Sussex, but probably won't think about that until next Spring.

The only breeds that I can think of that MAY have problems would only be if you kept roosters of the breed- breeds like Jungle Fowl, where the roosters are more aggressive. There are other considerations that can help you make decisions on breeds, though, but none are really forbidden from being kept together. Like Faverolles are known for being super mellow and easy going, so keeping them with a breed of hen that is a lot more aggressive can cause problems. BUT most hens who grow up together, regardless of breed, learn to coexist pretty darn well.

I hatched out 3 cockerels out of 5 salmon faverolles eggs this spring. I'm way down in southern Ohio next to West Virginia and Kentucky, so way too far to give you a rooster. Be careful introducing a faverolles cockerel since you have another rooster--my fairly mild-mannered blue wheaten ameraucana tried to kill my faverolles guy when I brought him in at 5 months, even when I slowly introduced them. My boys have to be in separate coops since my faverolles won't fight back.

 

[midnightroo]

Wonderful pictures tonight.

We have three EE's two pullets and one cockerel, two GLW and two BR. The GLW and BR are both about 5 wks. The GLW have been foraging while the BR's are snuggling with my daughter.

The cockerel does do the wing dance. He started with a leg shake in the fall or winter and slowly progressed to the wing dance. I am not so sure how good it is, I haven't seen another rooster do a wing dance. He doesn't wait for an invite necessarily, but doesn't mate if they turn on them and don't seem receptive to him, especially my brown EE. So far even with two hens he hasn't caused any damage to the girls and they have been together all along.

I have been allowing the " bigs" and " littles" together for short periods of time and everyone gets along. The cockerel doesn't harm them and even sounds the alarm when overhead birds are seen.

 

[pigeonguy]

My I ask why they are not allowed by your main flock?

One BCMs Roo has greenish legs. One BCMs Roo is way way to mossy. The other 2 are EEs and I don't let anything but BCMs Roos run with the girls. Some of the people around me would like to get some BCMs and I told them I would Give them My darkest eggs threw the year. I do not do breeding pens. I want the BCMS to be pure and not some kind of mutt. Even though I am giving the eggs away I don't want people saying those are not BCMs. I am not breeding for show but would like to be somewhere around the SOP and get dark eggs.
That is also why when I get the HRIR there will be no Roos. I am not breeding HRIR just BCMS and I will be able to tell there eggs by color.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

My flock

Layers:
2 Production Reds
2 Buff Orps
1 Barred Rock
1 EE
1 GSL
1 SplashLR Wyandotte Bantam cockerel
1 Blue Orp/PRed mix
2 BCM chicks(one cockerel, one pullet)
1 OE chick
1 SFH chick

Silkies:
1 MB Blue cockerel
1 MB Porcelain F1 pullet
1 Catdance Porcelain cockerel(Special needs)
1 Jen Vidmar Blue (10 week)
2 Blue 10 week (Florida Breeder)
1 Black Catdance chick
1 Light Blue Catdance chick

Meat Group:
5 Cornish X's (5 weeks)

 

[jlynnet]

My flock consists of
2yr old BR, Isa browns, EEs, New Hampshire
1yr old black sex links, EE

Under 2 months old
2 leghorns
3EE
UK White orpingtons
Jubilee orpingtons
Partridge orpingtons
SFHs, some starting to crest
Partridge Barthuhners
Augsburgers


We are in the process of building breeding pens, but the continuous rain is slowing us down.

BCM eggs incubating too. Yep I have a problem! I need chickens anonymous!

Oops! Forgot I have 1 RIR.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have 49 adult chickens, 11 juveniles, and 19 chicks. Hopefully i can remember them:

9 wheaten/blue wheaten ameraucanas hens, 1 rooster
3 lavender and 1 split (black) ameraucana hens
2 salmon faverolles hens, 1 rooster
1 partridge rock hen
1 barred rock hen
2 New Hampshire hens
2 buff orp hens
1 silkie
1 mille fleur hen and 1 rooster
2 polish hens
4 black australorp hens
2 BC marans hens
1 barnevelder hen
5 speckled sussex hens
2 OEG hens
1 ancona hen
1 golden campine hen
3 EE's hens
2 salmon faverolles pullets, 3 cockerels juveniles
6 ISA browns juveniles
3 BCM chicks
8 Fogle HRIR chicks
8 German New Hampshire chicks

 

[zinia8]

I have a small group of chickens
4 two year old tetra tint hens
6 8wks old speckled sussex 4 girls 2 boys
1 8wks old light brown leghorn girl