The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

HEY!!!! YOU'RE STEPPING ON MY FOOT!!!!!

 

[FridayYet]

Thanks for the virtual hugs a few pages back. If I have time to go back and find the posts, I'll thank you by name, but for now please know your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

We were able to go up to the cabin (through 3 roadblocks) and remove the artwork and family pictures from the walls, a few things I have bought at little shops throughout the southwest, and some of my Blenko bottle collection. I just wanted to get the irreplaceable stuff. I also grabbed a few random things like the good knives from the kitchen.

Thankfully we had brought most of the big power tools down here already so I could work on the coop, so they are safe.

Currently there are over three thousand firefighters and other staff working on the fire. As I hear the tankers go overhead, I thank them for everything they are doing to keep this monster of a wildfire away from our little town.

On a happier note, my little flock is integrating well and last night the bigs (3 Legbars at 16 weeks) let the littles (OEs at 10 weeks) into the coop and actually sleep near them instead of making them hang out on the top of the ramp.

A few people on the OE thread are suspecting the littles are roosters due to coloring. If they are, what is the latest age you have had a mixed bird's comb turn red or a rooster start to crow? As of now they still have a fairly pale pink, one row pea comb, although one loves to stand up really tall a lot of the time.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Thanks for the virtual hugs a few pages back. If I have time to go back and find the posts, I'll thank you by name, but for now please know your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

We were able to go up to the cabin (through 3 roadblocks) and remove the artwork and family pictures from the walls, a few things I have bought at little shops throughout the southwest, and some of my Blenko bottle collection. I just wanted to get the irreplaceable stuff. I also grabbed a few random things like the good knives from the kitchen.

Thankfully we had brought most of the big power tools down here already so I could work on the coop, so they are safe.

Currently there are over three thousand firefighters and other staff working on the fire. As I hear the tankers go overhead, I thank them for everything they are doing to keep this monster of a wildfire away from our little town.

On a happier note, my little flock is integrating well and last night the bigs (3 Legbars at 16 weeks) let the littles (OEs at 10 weeks) into the coop and actually sleep near them instead of making them hang out on the top of the ramp.

A few people on the OE thread are suspecting the littles are roosters due to coloring. If they are, what is the latest age you have had a mixed bird's comb turn red or a rooster start to crow? As of now they still have a fairly pale pink, one row pea comb, although one loves to stand up really tall a lot of the time.

if there is already a dominate rooster, it could take them a while to crow. We had a bird that was almost a year before he would crow because the other rooster were above him in the pecking order. But once he started it was 4:30-4:45 wake up calls.

 

[camilleathome]

if there is already a dominate rooster, it could take them a while to crow. We had a bird that was almost a year before he would crow because the other rooster were above him in the pecking order. But once he started it was 4:30-4:45 wake up calls.

I think that today I heard one of my other roosters try to crow twice. First time I thought that my original rooster was gargling. Next time I thought there was a predator attacking a chicken(While I was on a call. I bolted up and brought my curtain up and the chickens were just minding their own business XD

 

[aoxa]

I think that today I heard one of my other roosters try to crow twice. First time I thought that my original rooster was gargling. Next time I thought there was a predator attacking a chicken(While I was on a call. I bolted up and brought my curtain up and the chickens were just minding their own business XD

The HRIR you gave me is crowing.. terribly.. but crowing. I swear one of the girls is trying to confuse me. She looks half girl and half boy. The comb is non-existent, but I swear I see saddle feathers... I'm taking photos tomorrow.

 

[MumsyII]

The sun is setting and the temp in the house is 68 degrees. No AC. I go barefoot on my tile floors all day.
It occurred to me today that I've never shared images of my chick/brooder house. It's cleaned out for the Silkie chicks due in another week or so. I don't sterilize it between batches. No adult birds are kept in here. Just chicks up to two months. The turkeys were in here last.


From the back. This is the path from my back step from the house. Through the gate to the potager garden and to the barn and barn yard. Due North and always cool and in the shade.

From the barn yard standing near the gate to the potager garden. Looking at the chick house and run.


The flock nibble on all the flowers that grow through the fence. They can visit with the chicks if they want. Between the old watering can and flowers is a dust bath. I throw buckets of wood ash in it once every few weeks.


The old chick/brooder house. Started out forty years ago as a tool shed. I turned it into a potting shed twenty years ago. Then I used it to raise Mourning Doves. Then it was the quarantine house. Now it is the chick house. Two pop doors barely visible.

The back side of the chick run.


Inside. I can keep thirty chicks in here.

Back side of the chick run. You can just see my barn. The chicks don't have access to the flower portion when they are first planted.

 

[camilleathome]

The HRIR you gave me is crowing.. terribly.. but crowing. I swear one of the girls is trying to confuse me. She looks half girl and half boy. The comb is non-existent, but I swear I see saddle feathers... I'm taking photos tomorrow.

LOL!! Cant wait to see

 

[armorfirelady]

*sigh* the quote button is not working for me.

Mltowen (sp?) thank you for the kind comment. My *tots* are my first young chicks. I find them very entertaining as you can tell

Mumsy- Beautiful pics. I look at your pictures of your beautiful yard & sigh......I wish someday to have gardens that look like yours. I could so easily pull up a comfy chair and just sit there for days and never get bored of the beautiful sights. It would make a great place for a hammock in there somewhere tho I would be just as happy to nap in the tree house Your chic coop is wonderful as well.

Fridayyet glad to hear you were able to safely remove your belongings

 

[Sally8]

Mumsy-I absolutely love the looks of your brooder house. It's so quaint and welcoming. I just love it! thanks for sharing. sue

 

[Sally8]

if there is already a dominate rooster, it could take them a while to crow. We had a bird that was almost a year before he would crow because the other rooster were above him in the pecking order. But once he started it was 4:30-4:45 wake up calls.

I think that today I heard one of my other roosters try to crow twice. First time I thought that my original rooster was gargling. Next time I thought there was a predator attacking a chicken(While I was on a call. I bolted up and brought my curtain up and the chickens were just minding their own business XD

I have 5 roosters. 2 adults. The dominant one crows all the time. I have another that crows occasionally. The other 3 used to until I moved them in with the adults. I think it's all about the pecking order.