The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lazy gardener]

Darn fruit flies are driving me crazy. How do they get through covered feed is beyond me... I am soaking, not fermenting. The maximum amount of time I leave feed sitting is 24 hours. It does start to ferment a little, but not a whole lot. It's usually bubbling, and we have way too many fruitflies to handle.. I think they are fruit flies.. anyway.. GAH!

What kind of container are you fermenting in? I'm using 1 qt yogurt containers, and was having the same problem. Recently, I've started putting the container in a plastic bag, allowing room for the resulting gas from the fermentation process. I tried using paper towels, but the feed often expanded to get the paper towels wet, then it wicked out all over my counter. (Yucky mess). The plastic works well. If you're using a bucket, perhaps a big plastic bag would do the trick, you just need to remember to burp it occasionally. For what it's worth, the larvae would just be a little more protein.

 

[delisha]

Darn fruit flies are driving me crazy. How do they get through covered feed is beyond me... I am soaking, not fermenting. The maximum amount of time I leave feed sitting is 24 hours. It does start to ferment a little, but not a whole lot. It's usually bubbling, and we have way too many fruitflies to handle.. I think they are fruit flies.. anyway.. GAH!

fruit flies are good for chicks. I hang ripe fruit like an old banana in a mesh bag in the brooder so the chicks have to jump to catch them..free protein.

Does anybody have any ideas for a corner coop in a barn.

I would need pictures of your corner. Measurements, and your chicken plans as in how many, what type, roosters or just layers, are you going to brood chicks, are you going to hatch etc..etc

Quote: lol..the balls in in the attic of my coops and in crotch of trees.

Quote: My coops are in a small area behind a 6 foot fence that fence is closed at night. The tennis balls are in the crotch of tree on the outside of the fenced in area and in the coops attics. The fenced in area is 200 sq feet. I purchased 4 rolls of 200 feet of fencing.
I have trees all around the fenced in area. I put the balls on those trees.

Quote: x2. they don't eat much.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Just a note on ammonia balls in the attic...

If I'm not mistaken, Delisha's hen houses are HUGE FULL SIZED HOUSES. (Am I remembering correctly?) In that case, ammonia in the attic is okay.

But if you have a smallish shed-size hen house like mine, I couldn't put the ammonia balls in the attic part unless I had way better ventilation than I do as it would cause respiratory problems with the chickens.

Am I getting that right, Del?

 

[Eggcessive]

The two times I had bugs in my feed, there was also moldy powder on it, so I would return it to the store.

Edited to say this was scratch grains..I guess I haven't had feed with bugs in it. I usually make sure I get fresh dated feed. We don't have many choices here for feed since my brand is only sold at two stores.

 

[beccasev]

I can't wait till I switch them to all grains to see if it continues. At what age does everyone switch their chicks/pullets to all grains? The BR is 14 weeks old

ETA I let them all in the veggie garden today.they left the tomatoes alone but apparently green pumpkins taste good :/

Mine started whole grains before they left the brooder. I ferment my grains. Sometimes I add nutribalancer, sometimes I don't. If they aren't point much to free range, I toss them a can of mackeral. Their run is basically my compost pile. Almost all scraps go there. They eat some and leave some. They free range most of the day. Until they get grounded for being in the flower beds. I would love to add fish meal to my grains but haven't been able to get it yet, and they seem happy and healthy. No messy bottoms. My first started laying last week. 8 eggs in 8 days, nice hard shells. And lots more "squatters". Looking forward to more than 1 egg a day.

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

So my chickens are still trying to roost on top of their coop and my porch railing.... Added more roosts, didn't help. Can't figure out why they are doing it, they dont really ever fight, a small peck here and there, so I'm not sure thats it's a pecking order thing. It started with only a few but went put tonight and all but one were on the roof/porch railing...arg. Ive had to pick them all up and put them on a roost in the coop for about 2 weeks now and more of them are doimg it as.time goes on.
Anyone have an idea why they would be doing it, and/or a solution?

 

[Sally8]

So I have a question.....do hens eggs size grow larger even after they are a year old? I went to collect eggs & see if red was still broody and this is what I found


I'm thinking Lucy started laying. She has red combs & wattles and eating oyster shell. Sally8 & I decided she is a BCM/EE cross. Her pea comb def isn't from a RIR or leghorn. Tho I thought I would get an olive egg from her with the cross.

What do you guys think?

I found out who Lucy's mother is. It's a black EE hen that looks remarkably like the BCM but without the feathers down the legs and she has a rose comb as well. I've never separated them to see what her egg color is for sure but I'm thinking it was brown. So, with a BCM roo, Lucy's egg's should be brown.
I have new egg's everywhere.

 

[hotrodflash]

So my chickens are still trying to roost on top of their coop and my porch railing.... Added more roosts, didn't help. Can't figure out why they are doing it, they dont really ever fight, a small peck here and there, so I'm not sure thats it's a pecking order thing. It started with only a few but went put tonight and all but one were on the roof/porch railing...arg. Ive had to pick them all up and put them on a roost in the coop for about 2 weeks now and more of them are doimg it as.time goes on.
Anyone have an idea why they would be doing it, and/or a solution?

I use a pole to guide mine into the coop before dark. most are already roosted but some are straggling around. I have use the guide stick since they left the brooder for the coop, so they are very used to going in to the run. There is no running and squawking from them, I occasionally have to tap one of the 14 week old boys but it is rare now. It also gives me a chance to count them to make sure that they are all in the coop.

 

[MumsyII]

So my chickens are still trying to roost on top of their coop and my porch railing.... Added more roosts, didn't help. Can't figure out why they are doing it, they dont really ever fight, a small peck here and there, so I'm not sure thats it's a pecking order thing. It started with only a few but went put tonight and all but one were on the roof/porch railing...arg. Ive had to pick them all up and put them on a roost in the coop for about 2 weeks now and more of them are doimg it as.time goes on.
Anyone have an idea why they would be doing it, and/or a solution?

They are roosting there because they want to. When I move birds to new pens, sometimes I have to lock them in for a few days until they become accustomed to roosting in the new place. Chickens are beasts of habit. And they follow the leader. Locking them in is the only thing I can think of.
This may not work in your situation but it's how I deal with breaking a roosting habit in my flock that doesn't work for me.

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

I guess I.can try it, its just out of the norm for them. They have always been wonderful at putting themselves to bed like clockwork. I was kinda thinking that they may be looking for me, there is a window right next to the coop. my 2 boys would come up to the window when they wanted me to come out but it was before bedtime. Maybe its an attention thing? And follow the leader snowballed into all but one getting up there( shes never liked me)