The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

Also had to tell you guys here:

I officially had my EARLIEST CROW! A whopping TEN DAYS OLD.

That is so not normal. It is hilarious, and I'm proud of him. I called him as a boy at day one! I just knew..

Now to catch it on video. At first I thought a chick was dying.. I ran to the brooder.. Pickles stood there as tall as can be and stretched his neck up and crowed.
Did I break a record? What's my prize?

For those of you who've been doing this a long time, what is your very earliest crower?

LOL! Now that's something I'd love to hear! I imagine it would sound like a mouse trying to sing a heavy metal song...

 

[aoxa]

Very funny. I can see them running around, those others not having a clue where the treats came from.

Thanks Aoxa, I have seen the photos of the chicks before, but not the side by side of the male and female adults.

I have been meaning to ask a question. I know many of you do not keep you water in your coop to keep down dampness. But what do you do at night? I am asking because I a lot of what I read said that it was very important for chickens at have access to water at all times. Mine usually have access to water by 8:30 til they put themselves to bed at night.

If you think of it this way, chickens do not drink or eat while they sleep. There is no point to have food/water inside the coop when they are sleeping.

It's only important to have water available when they are awake.

 

[RedRidge]

Very funny. I can see them running around, those others not having a clue where the treats came from.


Thanks Aoxa, I have seen the photos of the chicks before, but not the side by side of the male and female adults.


I have been meaning to ask a question. I know many of you do not keep you water in your coop to keep down dampness. But what do you do at night? I am asking because I a lot of what I read said that it was very important for chickens at have access to water at all times. Mine usually have access to water by 8:30 til they put themselves to bed at night.

If you think of it this way, chickens do not drink or eat while they sleep. There is no point to have food/water inside the coop when they are sleeping. 

It's only important to have water available when they are awake. 

I use 2 gallon buckets with lids for chicken water with poultry nipples in the bottom. No leaking, no messy water, doesn't affect humidity level, easy to fill.

Not sure why anyone wouldn't offer water in their coop.

 

[aoxa]

I use 2 gallon buckets with lids for chicken water with poultry nipples in the bottom. No leaking, no messy water, doesn't affect humidity level, easy to fill.

Not sure why anyone wouldn't offer water in their coop.

Because water can easily spill and create really smelly issues. I have experienced my fair share of them. Especially with ducks around.

 

[stonykill]

Not sure why anyone wouldn't offer water in their coop.

Because water can easily spill and create really smelly issues. I have experienced my fair share of them. Especially with ducks around.

chickens only are in their coops to sleep and lay eggs. Otherwise they should be outside. No need for water in the coop.

 

[RedRidge]

Mine would not stay any cleaner or make any less mess outside buy more importantly I couldn't run a bucket heater in each one in the winter. I guess I just never thought about it being necessary so never move my buckets. They come back to coop to lay, drink and roost. Also, the coop provides shade which is cooler water as opposed to outside buckets.

So in really thinking about the question I guess it depends on each person's setup

 

[brandislee]

I thought those were just in scarey stories you tell children didn't know there was an actual bug. Guess I'll have to google that.

MY OH MY!!!!!!!! How did I miss those all these years???????????? That looks like the result of a mating of a roach and a scorpion, after the Borg got finished w/ it!!!!!!!! The article said they were all over the America's so we must have them, but I've never seen one.

We had earwigs in Ca. They didn't really bother me. BUT it is a myth about them laying eggs in your ear

I've never let sitting water stay on top. Mainly because I hate draining it. I find it ferments just fine. It has maybe a mm of moisture on top, but nothing that will make it not able to serve right away. When you stir, you get liquid coming up from the bottom, but that's how I thought it was supposed to be.

I am only using one bucket right now. I didn't have a drill at the time I bought the buckets and couldn't wait. I will be doing it like that once I have a big amount to feed - because I find it so much better, but it's working for now. Smells good

I think I'm one week in on this one at least. Last one was making me nervous with how much yoghurt I put in it, so I finished it up and started fresh again.

I don't let much liquid sit in mine either. Last year I did, and used a strainer to drain it, but this year I'm just mixing it until thick. All my buckets smell like they should- pleasantly sour. The layer buckets are especially dry, and I like it. And it smells awesome, like fresh sourdough. I love not having to strain it.

Quote:

Broody is the only way I hatch. I have a broody now that will be getting Blue Marans eggs next week so I can start a project color of Blue Wheaten Marans. My broody got done raising 2 chicks for 10 weeks, laid for 2 weeks then went broody again, and she is not a Silkie. She is a hatchery BO.

OMG me too, but yeah, I wish we could just turn a broody on when we're ready to hatch. I was starting to think I wasn't going to have any hens go broody this year- I had one Fav try to sit on eggs, then move nests after 5 days (grrr....). So I made her wait for my eggs to be fertilzed by the new rooster then was going to move her to a pen by herself. Only when I moved her she wouldn't sit. For 24 hours. So i put her back into the coop and she went straight back to the nest boxes.

I happen to have a front that fits over a single nest box (it was on one of the pigeon nests in the barn when we bought the place) so I shut her in. She has food and water in the box, and I let her out to poop. I know, I'm a meanie Then two days later one of the chicks my broody hatched last summer decided to go broody, but switched nests like 5 times. She's been on the same nest for the past 36 hours, so here's hoping she stays... Broodies! But hopefully between the two I'll get 10 or so chicks. And I'm still hoping last year's broody hen decides to sit, at least I know she's a good mom!

Oh, quick broody Q: I'm leaving both mama's in the nest boxes. They're low, I'll just let them jump down when the chicks are hatched. They should hatch about five days apart (more or less...). Between now and then I plan to move pretty much all of the other chickens to the summer pen, so they'll have the coop and run more or less to themselves (plus the silkie, she nests and sleeps on the ground and the summer pen isn't really set up for that). Will they be okay together? They won't try to like steal each others' chicks or anything will they?

I use 2 gallon buckets with lids for chicken water with poultry nipples in the bottom. No leaking, no messy water, doesn't affect humidity level, easy to fill.

Not sure why anyone wouldn't offer water in their coop.

Ditto to what the others say- it's messy and makes the coop smelly. And nipples aren't always leak free. I water outside in the summer (in multiple places when they free range) and in the past I've moved the water into the coop for the winter, but next winter I'm going to figure something else out. I just use a metal 5 gallon waterer on a warmer, but it leaks or gets spilled and makes a holy mess in the shavings that then freezes. Right outside the coop is a 10x10 covered A frame I built to extend the amount of space my chickens have in the winter (we have snow for like a solid 5+ months in the winter) and to give them shade in the summer, I would like to move the water out there. Don't know how I'll do it yet, though. BUT I don't always shut my chickens in the coop, and when I do I have an automatic door, so they're never without water when they're awake.

 

[stonykill]

Mine would not stay any cleaner or make any less mess outside buy more importantly I couldn't run a bucket heater in each one in the winter. I guess I just never thought about it being necessary so never move my buckets. They come back to coop to lay, drink and roost. Also, the coop provides shade which is cooler water as opposed to outside buckets.

So in really thinking about the question I guess it depends on each person's setup

my setup is about the great outdoors

 

[armorfirelady]

Aoxa- the darker of the 2 chickens is the hen then?

I am suppose to get a BR next week with my new chicks from a fellow BYCer & if its that easy I can def get a hen then

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa- the darker of the 2 chickens is the hen then?

I am suppose to get a BR next week with my new chicks from a fellow BYCer & if its that easy I can def get a hen then

Yes the darker one is the hen