The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[bluebirdnanny]

Just got home from building supply store after ordering the wood for my better coop! Less than I thought would be.

450 for the frame, flooring, sides all except finish and secure pen! Delivery included! Before letting my chickens out I First I stripped down and put clothes in washer, took a shower and changed shoes put others in bleach water.... Why? I saw chickens on the way home and stopped to talk.... no one was home but thank goodness only one chicken was free ranging there..... I went near the fenced pen and was going to talk about getting eggs etc.... but NO WAY!!!

Out of the coop piled about 30 some chickens!!!! Already was a decent looking rooster in the pen but ALL the ladies were bare bottoms, neck backs, thick leg resembling scale mites and I got the most awful smell to my nostrils!!!!

Only one of my chickens is ragged looking but these were terrible!!! I came home and cried in the shower for those poor things. Then decided I wasn't doing too bad for my girls.

 

[Bill Matthews]

To loveour birds: Hardin County Kentucky...Travel TN and IN..Was in Baileyton, TN for years before retirement..Thanks

 

[loveourbirds]

TO Loveourbirds: This is going to sound VERY POLITICALLY INCORRECT AND CRUEL...Long ago in the country we really needed our chickens to survive, so foxes were the enemy...Every spring a bunch of the men would go out at night with dynamite sticks and blow up the dens...Really cut down on the fox population...Probably illegal now both to own the dynamite and blow the dens......Foxes didn't like it but, BY Gosh, IT WAS FUN TO A TEN YEAR OLD....To balance the ledger, since the foxes didn't like it very much Grandma didn't like the foxes eating her Barred Rock hens...One could say that the foxes were just doing their natural thing and since Grandma was an intelligent animal with a conscience she should have deferred to the foxes...Not always true if my memory of Grandma is correct, at least the conscience part.. The dogs are a great idea..Good Luck with the No Kill ideas, though..

im with you, when I see something attacking my flock; I get the 12 ga. out. but some people live in areas where they cant shoot, that's what the other methods are for.

before I offend someone, I don't shoot at anything that isn't attacking my flock; unless I plan on eating it. if its a neighbor's dog, I will tie the dog up and take it to them on a convenient hour, let them know what happened and that I don't give a second warning. I don't want to kill anyone's pet, but at the same time I have several rare breeds, and am working on importing a nearly irreplaceable breed (brussbars less than 20 currently known birds). I have to protect what I have.

 

[loveourbirds]

bill. do you have relation in southern ohio? grandma was Georgia Mathews.

 

[Bill Matthews]

To Loveyourbirds: No Southern Ohio kinfolks....A brother in Dayton/Fairborn area.....My dad was David Matthews, Mom Lillian Overton, Grandma Sara, Grandpa Thad from Glen Dean, KY area....

 

[aoxa]

Im so sad right now. I gave the ducks a kiddy pool to swim in and today I found two of my Mottled houdans drowned it it

Oh no

I have only had one chick ever drown in the duck pool, and the ducks had pulled them in. This is so unfortunate.

 

[Alibabe]

Im so sad right now. I gave the ducks a kiddy pool to swim in and today I found two of my Mottled houdans drowned it it

so sorry for your loss

 

[Mumsy]

so sorry for your loss

X2
Drowning chickens is double awful because it is sudden and unexpected and gives a bad feeling of guilt. It has happened to me too when I used to raise Call ducks. Somebody would always seem to fall in and not get out. I put a couple planks in the pool for escapes after that.

 

[Bulldogma]

Mumsy, and everyone else, here are the MB Silkies that have survived and now thriving. They are 7mo.

General Tso, Dark Blue

Marsala, F1 Porcelain/Buff

They're lookin' good, Trav!! So glad you were able to draw the heavy metals out and bring them back to health!

Yes - a number of us here would be interested to hear what you know about Blommehöns - known as Swedish Flower Hens here in the US. I have a growing flock of these wonderful birds that were imported here in 2010.

Im so sad right now. I gave the ducks a kiddy pool to swim in and today I found two of my Mottled houdans drowned it it

Oh, Camille - I'm so sorry for your loss!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:
Here is a pic of my SFH pullet at 3mo.