The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[jlynnet]

Justine the pictures are beautiful!! I just love goats. The barn looks amazing.

Stoney, love love love the baby duck pictures. They are growing so fast. All of the baby chicks are cute too. You've got babies everywhere!!!

I need to get some time to take pictures of all of my babies. They are growing so fast.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I just set 216 eggs in the incubator. This is the first time using anything other that a styrofoam job. Thinking ahead to what a job candling is going to be and knowing I better or there is gonna be a problem, and that would stink.
I have had it on for 3 days and seems to be holding steady even in the garage.
216,,,, at 3-4 dozen a day, that pushed my 10 day viability belief... I wonder what my percentage will be as I didn't set them all fat side up.... Does anyone get eggs where there is no fat side?
I kept the really dirty ones out but with setting that many I didn't give much thought to genetically perfect eggs.... Too late to have this batch ready for the moult, but I guess that it is better than hatching in November. Still exciting to see what the percentage will be with zero care taken before they were unceremoniously placed in the bator. Never marked the date for my broody, but haven't seen any action from anything but her pecker.... beak, that is.

My GSL lays an almost round egg, sometimes it is round. My EE does the long point at both ends sometimes. I agree, candle to find the air cell

 

[aoxa]

My GSL lays an almost round egg, sometimes it is round. My EE does the long point at both ends sometimes. I agree, candle to find the air cell

Must be a common occurrence in red sex links. I always got a lot like that as well.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:
I know hers have never been like a normal egg, and hers are darker than my Production Red's eggs.

 

[pebcrb]

I have 5 chicks and 4 of them leave the newest addition (have had a week) out and its always alone and the 4 are out and about, what should I do? Get another chick for it to bond with it wait it out?

 

[Eggcessive]

I was wondering about using white vinegar along the electric fence line that surrounds the run - to make my life easier, lol. Do you dilute it? And, any long term affects on the soil ? meaning, will eventually other stuff grow there or not.

Wonder if I could use it on poison ivy.

chicken related! cause it is about the run

I have said before that my fermented feed made crop circles in my yard where it spilled, so I suppose it was the acidity of the vinegar that killed the grass. It has been several weeks and still hasn't grown back!

 

[Eggcessive]

Got a closer look at his birds today.... they have IB

I decided to treat them while he's gone since it's such a contagious disease, Hopefully I'll have some extra medicine, just in case my birds get it, will be giving inject able Tylan 50, for five days, hope that clears it up. Any other advice? Probably wouldn't be treating if it wasn't for the fact that we are so close together, and I don't want it spreading.

How are you certain that it is Infectious Bronchitis? Reading about respiratory diseases in chickens, this one seems the mildest, but I wouldn't think you could know for sure unless he has been tested. If you have chicks I would be worried about them catching it since they are more susceptible.

 

[delisha]

Quote: Not me ..that was Bee. I have been very fortunate and have never had problems with breathing or allergy's. I do use lavender on occasion in the nest boxes. I clean and scrub them down a few times a year. I place fresh grass clippings, oregano, lemon peeling and orange peelings, rose petals, garlic hulls, and wood chips, hay and straw in my nest boxes. In the hot summer I use dirt for cooling in the base.

I went to a bird get together two weeks ago, and came home with stress cocci. I am not a happy camper. Some of the birds that I sold also have cocci now. There are several others who have birds with upper respiratory issues. I noticed my birds acting off about 10 days of being home. I took in a poop sample and they had cocci. Now I am afraid to go to the next bird show. It is not the usual cocci. There was no blood in stools, no smell, the birds ate well and for the most part acted normal. The only thing I noticed is closed eyes more often. Like they had dust in them and they were irritated. I was thinking I brought home worms. Nope...cocci

.

I have 5 chicks and 4 of them leave the newest addition (have had a week) out and its always alone and the 4 are out and about, what should I do? Get another chick for it to bond with it wait it out?

How many birds do you want? Do not let your birds dictate how many. If this is the amount of birds you can care for, that other chick will be fine. Eventually it will buddy up. If you are planning on adding to your flock, by all means get the chick a buddy. Do not be surprised if the new chick decides they like the other birds better than the lone chick. You might still end up with a lone chick.

 

[delisha]

Quote: If I asked someone to come take care of my birds and they gave them drugs..with out approval, I would be talking to a lawyer. Just a thought....

 

[pebcrb]

Not me ..that was Bee. I have been very fortunate and have never had problems with breathing or allergy's. I do use lavender on occasion in the nest boxes. I clean and scrub them down a few times a year. I place fresh grass clippings, oregano, lemon peeling and orange peelings, rose petals, garlic hulls, and wood chips, hay and straw in my nest boxes. In the hot summer I use dirt for cooling in the base.

I went to a bird get together two weeks ago, and came home with stress cocci. I am not a happy camper. Some of the birds that I sold also have cocci now. There are several others who have birds with upper respiratory issues. I noticed my birds acting off about 10 days of being home. I took in a poop sample and they had cocci. Now I am afraid to go to the next bird show. It is not the usual cocci. There was no blood in stools, no smell, the birds ate well and for the most part acted normal. The only thing I noticed is closed eyes more often. Like they had dust in them and they were irritated. I was thinking I brought home worms. Nope...cocci
How many birds do you want? Do not let your birds dictate how many. If this is the amount of birds you can care for, that other chick will be fine. Eventually it will buddy up. If you are planning on adding to your flock, by all means get the chick a buddy. Do not be surprised if the new chick decides they like the other birds better than the lone chick. You might still end up with a lone chick.

Thanks! I think I will wait it out, I feel bad cause she came with another chick that turned out to be a cockerel so she got left alone when we got rid of him. They won't let her eat either and I just saw a fight between them over her trying to sneak some food.