The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

Justine: I'm so sorry you lost the rabbit. The heat you are experiencing sounds just brutal. Losing animals because of it is horrible.

I've had a few flys get into my ff bucket too but they are going down into the liquid in the bottom of the holding bucket and drowning there. Nothing has been getting in the mash yet. Yesterday I hung a lot of fly papers in and around the barn. Caught quite a few on them in just a few hours. I have really long hair and managed to catch myself in them once too. Took a cup of conditioner to get that glue out! Hah!

Today I'm switching up the way I usually feed my flock. Feeding them all together was easy for me and them but the fat layers were just getting fatter. It's going to take me longer in the morning but it will be for the best health results for them all. The tom Blue Slate turkey has started to gobble! So hilarious. I thought cockerels sounded funny when their voices changed. Nothing is more funny to me than a boy turkey getting his gobble on!

Love turkey gobbles!!

Thank you for the condolences. I tried everything I could to revive her. Guess it was too late.

Oh the fly tapes.. haha. Yes. We have them everywhere!! They catch the flies better than anything else I've tried (we have tried water bag traps where they can get in but can't escape and drown or starve.) The tapes catch the most, but they need to be watched out for. I have gotten stuck to them more times than I would care to admit.

 

[Mumsy]

I don't have enough property to let fifty birds out all at once and expect them to find enough to eat until 8pm when I shut them up for the night. Most of their foraging is green grass and the compost pile right now until I open the potager garden up to them in the Fall and the orchard starts dropping fruit. When I have whittled my flock down to just two groups of a dozen each next year, it may be doable that way. Fifty birds? No way to do that now. My barnyard and barn is set up with nine separate runs and cooping areas. Turkeys, layers, replacement layers, Silkies, and HRIR all sleep in different pens. They all return to their own places on their own and I go out at dusk and close the gates or pop doors. Eventually I will get this down to just three pens. Chick grow out coop is separate from the barnyard.

It takes longer to feed them in their separate runs before turning them out but I did it that way through the winter so will go back to doing it that way again. This way I can feed the layers and replacement layers a less caloric feed and less of it. They will act like their starving for a while but will adjust. They are my oldest birds and the best at free ranging.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Good point. It's all related to the amount of land and number of birds.

Can someone comment on... about how much in measurement (cups or weight...either one) would you expect to put out in the winter when no other food sources are available per bird?

This will help me calculate how much to cut back when I take into account the other items available to them at this time of the year.


ETA: I'm thinking in terms of WET FEED (such as ff or soaked).

(And this has probably been stated before but I have always left feed out "free feed" and haven't paid attention very well

)

 

[Shan30]

My husband is dropping off the birds in Vancouver for Necropsy today.

As we didn't want to damage the bodies too much we decide to break the necks. This is way easier than I thought. Actually maybe a little too easy... as they say, you can accidentally pull the head right off. Not the nicest thing I have ever seen. Made filling out the "Meathod of cull" section a little awkward Glad DH was doing this.

Hope the results don't take too long. I need to move birds around from brooder to grow out etc. and can't until I now what is going on.

Sorry about your bunny Justine. Ours are looking pretty warm and its not that hot here yet. I will be freezing some water bottles tonight.

BTW turns out chickens love the frozen wet food treats we make for the dogs

 

[aoxa]

Good point. It's all related to the amount of land and number of birds.

Can someone comment on... about how much in measurement (cups or weight...either one) would you expect to put out in the winter when no other food sources are available per bird?

This will help me calculate how much to cut back when I take into account the other items available to them at this time of the year.


ETA: I'm thinking in terms of WET FEED (such as ff or soaked).

(And this has probably been stated before but I have always left feed out "free feed" and haven't paid attention very well

)

I wrote out a long post about this, but it made no sense. I am going to tell you what WE fed for 175 birds last winter. Each day 27 pounds of feed a day fermented. That's .15428 lbs a day per bird average. That's 1.08 lbs of feed a week per bird fermented.

 

[armorfirelady]

 

I really have had my fair share of bizarre and weird things happen to birds over the last four months. My husband puts it in perspective by telling me most people just bury their dead and dying birds and forget about it. I am such a conscientious flock master, I want to do the best I can and learn in the process. So the loss of each and every bird no matter what the cause weighs heavy on me.  Every loss has taught me a great deal.

The layers are not going to like being put on diet rations before they are allowed to free range each morning.

I also need to cut back on feed... can you tell us how you're going to feed to accomplish that?  I only have 10 birds so I'll have to figure out how that works for that many, but I just want to be sure I'm not cutting back too much.  Mine also get the compost too.

ETA:  Will you cut back gradually to get them used to less or will you just cut the ration all at once?

Mumsy this made think about my own birds as well. My big hens run for me in the morning. I was only feeding at bedtime for them but when I moved the younger pullets in I was feeding in the morning and at night. Probably to much. The big girls have heft to them. So yesterday I started only a couple spoonfuls in the morning for 8 birds. The youngest are 11 weeks and since I don't fill their feeder anymore in a place they could only access I see them out foraging more. That's what I want them to do. So only 2 spoonfuls in the morning and when I am off one midday if its empty and 2 or so in the evening. I know the younger hens need more food or did but the big girls certainly don't esp since everyone is on grower now for ease of feeding. I see the younger ones in there eating the ff more than the big hens. Even the newest was in there today eating the ff. but she forages to so her I am not so worried about.

How long to do you guys keep the younger pullets on grower for?

I am hoping by fall to have them on straight grains with oyster shell and meat on the side, and if the trench diverts water like I want that means I can move their electric netting easier as well. I would love to be able to move it to my tree line next year. That was their favorite spot this spring when I let them roam the yard

 

[Leahs Mom]

I wrote out a long post about this, but it made no sense. I am going to tell you what WE fed for 175 birds last winter. Each day 27 pounds of feed a day fermented. That's .15428 lbs a day per bird average. That's 1.08 lbs of feed a week per bird fermented.

Okay. That's helpful... and was that in the WINTER when they weren't foraging or in the summer while they ARE foraging?

 

[Bulldogma]

I finally read (skimmed) through and caught up - so busy these days that it's hard to keep up with this thread! BUT, I had to get on here tonight and share!!!

I let my silkie Cloud sit on 4 of her own eggs. At the time, the only roo available was the blue silkie as our cochin started mounting the girls after she started sitting. So, these are pure silkies, though they are only hatchery quality.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have 2 more babies to show!!

Congrats!! Beautiful photos!

My rabbit did not make it through the night I thought for sure she would. Even dreamt that she was recovered.

So sorry!

I'm going to sound like a broken record (do you young folks know what that means?

) But... If you do the ferment as for lacto-fermenting with the layer of water over the top, you won't that that kind of issue.

I had a record player... in college. LOL!! I've been having an issue with my FF getting super nasty - a film on top and an alcohol smell... after only 1 day! I think it's a combination of the spores present in my trailer coop and the heat?? Not too sure. I may have to bring it back into the house. I didn't have any problem when it was in the house - - just now I have upward of 30 birds and I don't have the room in the house for all the feed. LOL!

Edited by staff

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
I had a record player... in college. LOL!! I've been having an issue with my FF getting super nasty - a film on top and an alcohol smell... after only 1 day! I think it's a combination of the spores present in my trailer coop and the heat?? Not too sure. I may have to bring it back into the house. I didn't have any problem when it was in the house - - just now I have upward of 30 birds and I don't have the room in the house for all the feed. LOL!

In this case, you can try skimming it off the top and add in some ACV (for an initial acidification) and more water. Sometimes I'm able to remedeate a batch and get it acidic enough to keep the yeast in check until the LABs can grow.

Edited by staff

 

[camilleathome]

I shares most in the photography thread but thought id share a few here as well. My horses are finally all intergrated with the boarders/rescues . Their not natural chickens but they ARE Natural horses