The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[NanaLynn]

We brought our almost 2 week old chicks out to the chicken run yesterday so both of our sets of chicks could see each other and get used to the environment they would all be in soon. The older hens are almost 13 weeks old, they were very curious.


Our blue cochin was the most interested and she did not try to hurt them. One of our BR hens kept pecking their heads.



they had to take a peek...




Here is our brooder we made, it has a lid and we'll be moving it into the coop next week. They're ready to get outside. I'm going to add a small door to it so they'll still be able to get in, but the bigger hens won't be able to. I'll keep their starter feed and small water container in there too, so they won't have to fight for the big feeder and waterer until they're a little bigger. I know some of you just integrate them right in with the big chicks, I worry too much for that, so this is probably more for my piece of mind then for their safety.




Somebody on here mentioned putting their dog on a runner leash. Our dog Maxie and our two previous dogs have been on runners. It works out great, she gets lots of exercise and can get to most of our backyard this way.



Her runner line starts at the edge of our property attached to one of our tall old trees and it goes all the way down the backyard to another tall tree that is right near the chicken coop and garden. Her leash that is attached is a 20 footer too, so she can cover a lot of area and still come into the garage at night to sleep. She is a full time outside dog and is very happy and healthy.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oops! Fingers and thumbs got confused..... I have fed moldy things too.... Oh for shame!!!!

Yep...mine get access to the whole compost pile. Probably very scary what they find in there.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Lynn - enjoyed your photos! And your dog set-up too

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Mine will have access to the new compost pile I made out of pallets in the fall. I finally smartened up and put it next to the newly enlarged veggie garden. No more hauling it from one end of the yard to the other

Cost me a $1.50 to build Its 4ft wide and 24ft long

 

[OohLaLa]

Oh I so had some rooster on duck action shots you could have used
I really wanted a Komondor too, but they are extremely hard to locate. Very pretty dogs...

It all depends on your needs. How much space do you have? What do you want them to guard? Etc.. I find Maremmas stick closer, but are more wary of newcomers (people) - though they get over it once reassured. Great Pyrs wander more, and are very aloof.

Both of those dogs wander a lot.. Which is why I chose a BMD this time around. I need something to ward off daytime predators only. Our barn is going to be insanely predator proof. No need for night time protection.



Big boy in training. 16 weeks tomorrow. SO much easier to train than Clementine was.

He actually is more bonded to them than she was as well.

Great photos thanks for sharing

 

[OohLaLa]

We brought our almost 2 week old chicks out to the chicken run yesterday so both of our sets of chicks could see each other and get used to the environment they would all be in soon. The older hens are almost 13 weeks old, they were very curious.


Our blue cochin was the most interested and she did not try to hurt them. One of our BR hens kept pecking their heads.



they had to take a peek...




Here is our brooder we made, it has a lid and we'll be moving it into the coop next week. They're ready to get outside. I'm going to add a small door to it so they'll still be able to get in, but the bigger hens won't be able to. I'll keep their starter feed and small water container in there too, so they won't have to fight for the big feeder and waterer until they're a little bigger. I know some of you just integrate them right in with the big chicks, I worry too much for that, so this is probably more for my piece of mind then for their safety.




Somebody on here mentioned putting their dog on a runner leash. Our dog Maxie and our two previous dogs have been on runners. It works out great, she gets lots of exercise and can get to most of our backyard this way.



Her runner line starts at the edge of our property attached to one of our tall old trees and it goes all the way down the backyard to another tall tree that is right near the chicken coop and garden. Her leash that is attached is a 20 footer too, so she can cover a lot of area and still come into the garage at night to sleep. She is a full time outside dog and is very happy and healthy.

Thanks for sharing. I have a pair of almost 8 week old Ameraucana's in my coop with 8 assorted chicks arriving this week. My big concern is merging the two sets of birds without bloodshed.

 

[NanaLynn]

Thanks for sharing. I have a pair of almost 8 week old Ameraucana's in my coop with 8 assorted chicks arriving this week. My big concern is merging the two sets of birds without bloodshed.

Agree with you there.

About the compost pile, my chickens have full access too. I just bury everything deep when I put it out there, if it is something I am not sure they should not eat, I bury it even deeper. They enjoy climbing in it and digging. I also put lots of leaves into the bin and they enjoy lying on top of the whole pile. They can just lay there and eat the occasional bug the compost attracts.

 

[dcba flock]

Look what came in the mail today!!! Cream legbar eggs! The photo does NOT do the beautiful color justice at all. I ordered six, but he included two extras, plus they were double boxed and individually wrapped. A really nice shipping job. I have them sitting fat end up in a carton with the bottoms cut out for 24 hours, then I'll candle and put in the incubator. hoping the superlative packing job will have helped not to have detached air cells. I'm hoping to get at least 4 out of this group to hatch. I'm also putting in some eggs from my orpington pair at the same time. Crossing my fingers for a good hatch, this is the first time I've incubated.

These look great can I ask where they are from Cream Legbars are next on the list as soon as the incubator frees up maybe by the end of June! Haha! Thanks!

 

[Quailsong]

Hey all!

I've been slowly catching up on this thread and pretty much up to date, so thought I'd finally say hi before a dozen posts popped up and I'm stuck reading again. Hehe.

----

I wanted to make a word of caution for anyone growing BloodWorms (midge fly larvae) for feed. Not BSF (afaik). They can cause or amplify allergic reactions in people. I speak from personal experience, having been around the larvae years ago when feeding aquarium frogs. They were kept near a rabbit pen (very clean, but close to the hay) and I became irritated by the hay dust (which I'm not normally allergic to).

When I found out they were the culprit, I got rid of them immediately & cleaned everything I could but it took me months before the tank was fully cycled and I could stop choking, coughing, & sneezing. I'm very lucky I didn't become allergic to the hay.

Now I'm thinking of keeping mealworms (I used to, before I tried BW larvae) and I am told there's an allergy connection to them and BW. That if you become allergic to the BW, you may become allergic to the mealworms. The mealworms themselves have their own issues (it's said many folks who keep them enmasse in improper containers can become allergic to them faster).

Got a small batch of mealworms today & trying to see if I can tolerate them. Put them gently in a tub w/ as little dust as I can manage, closed the lid & walked away. One hour later and it's iffy. My throat & chest is tight, so thanks to the BWs I may never be able to raise mealworms again.

So just a word of warning for you all. Take extra precautions, wash your hands & avoid BloodWorms if you've allergy or immune issues.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Hello!
Interesting on the mealworms and allergies. My husband was having an allergic reaction to something and we couldn't figure out what it was. At the time I had some mealworms in the house in a small container and now that you say that, I wonder if that was it.

What are the symptoms you were having with the bloodworms?