The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Justine,
Loved the video

 

[armorfirelady]

Sally- keeping your mom & your family in our though and prayers

Aoxa- the new chickens look much better than the kids 4-h ones but boy after following the heritage forum here their color looks so poor.......but still nice to see different birds and no meaties. There were ducks that look like they are drizzled but the cage tag didn't say they were. They were really cute. The variety of birds wasn't much. No PR, BR or Marans at all. And no eggs on display either. Guess its only a 4-H thing.

Aoxa and Leah are u thinking of using that feeder as a heated waterer? I'm still trying to figure out what to use since I will need both heated dog bowls for feeding

 

[aoxa]

I'll get one like this:


Even though I had it before and wasn't really a huge fan. Sometimes the base is hard to attach, and with ducks/ geese it's a pain.. but I will get the geese a heated bucket and keep them in with the goats in the winter so they won't dribble all the chicken water out. That will be my best bet.

The heated pet bowls hardly kept my FF unfrozen last winter. I wasn't too impressed with them.

 

[armorfirelady]

We I am surprised about the heated dog bowls, they kept the water and FF unfrozen all winter here and we def have below freezing temps for most of winter. I did occasionally put some water in the bowls when FF got in them so maybe the heated water helped keep the FF from freezing?

 

[aoxa]

We I am surprised about the heated dog bowls, they kept the water and FF unfrozen all winter here and we def have below freezing temps for most of winter. I did occasionally put some water in the bowls when FF got in them so maybe the heated water helped keep the FF from freezing?

Mine would freeze up at the top where the heated elements weren't touching. If I kept it topped off it would freeze. If I just filled it a little it wouldn't

 

[lalaland]

thats strange, i never had a problem either with mash freezing in the heated dog bowls, I used the big plastic jobbies. Maybe yours were a lower voltage, cause i know it can't be any colder there.

I am having the best fun reading vintage poultry books. I read a really interesting chapter on broodies - they were advising that you should make a broody crate/house - just big enough for the broody, and to set it where there was fresh air and sun . the broody house should have an earthen floor, and that you press the earth into a flattish bowl shape, not so deep that the eggs roll on top of each other...and then a layer of ash and then a layer of "chaff" which I think is straw only small bits, not really long stems.

Also said don't let a new mom take her chicks where there is deep litter for the first couple of days of the chicks life because the mom will get into digging and scratching in the litter and may accidentally injure the chicks.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I've been

about the winter waterer for this year.

Have been thinking since the end of last winter of ideas that work better than the cups in the winter. I do have some ideas right now that I want to test out before it gets cold.

I'll share as soon as I have something workable. My criteria:

-DON'T WANT ONE THAT YOU FILL AND TURN UPSIDE DOWN. This was my greatest criteria last year. I'd like to be able to fill it from the top. This may be one of those things that I'll never be able to do away with but I have to say I'm valiantly working on it.

-Can't be so open that it fills with shavings or that they are able to step in it and get their feet wet leading to frostbite.


I already know how I'll heat it. I've even drawn a few prototypes and had to abandon some of my ideas.

I have it narrowed down to a couple ideas that I will likely test out.

Then...who knows...I may end up getting one that I have to turn upside down and forgetting it if I can't make any of my ideas work.

 

[aoxa]

thats strange, i never had a problem either with mash freezing in the heated dog bowls, I used the big plastic jobbies. Maybe yours were a lower voltage, cause i know it can't be any colder there. I am having the best fun reading vintage poultry books. I read a really interesting chapter on broodies - they were advising that you should make a broody crate/house - just big enough for the broody, and to set it where there was fresh air and sun . the broody house should have an earthen floor, and that you press the earth into a flattish bowl shape, not so deep that the eggs roll on top of each other...and then a layer of ash and then a layer of "chaff" which I think is straw only small bits, not really long stems. Also said don't let a new mom take her chicks where there is deep litter for the first couple of days of the chicks life because the mom will get into digging and scratching in the litter and may accidentally injure the chicks.

I had three of them, they all froze. They were the standard dog bowls..

I had to use a big stick to break out the frozen stuff, stick it in a bucket and bring it back up to above freezing, and refeed.

I'd sooner feed dry this winter than deal with that again.

 

[countrygirl74]

My opinion is that you DON'T always have to use surgery. I try other things first and have had good luck with others of my birds without the surgery.

There was a thread here on BYC where there was a vet recommendation for an antibiotic that is used for fish that folks use to soak the feet in. Problem with that is you have to do it over a several week period...most folks that are working and/or have a large flock don't have the time for that. But the stuff does seem to work!

Besides that, there are other things that can be used as well...NuStock/Drawing Salve, etc.

Sometimes they work; sometimes not. My MO is to always try the least invasive ways first.

I hope to never have to do surgery - my job does allow me to do a daily soak most of the time, but yes, it can be a pain. I also have the koi meds on hand in case I need it. While I was waiting for it to come in, I just applied Nustock and saw improvement and so just decided to go with that for a while and it eventually cleared up - along with adding in extra niacin to their diets. I've never had a chicken with bumblefoot, just the ducks so far.

Leah's mom what other non surgical ways have you used that worked for bumble foot? Green still has black scabs even after 2 weeks of almost daily surgery. I haven't done anything in a few weeks except spray blue kote on her feet. I really need to do something before it gets worse.

Country girl how long did you leave your ducks feet wrapped with Nustock before the bumble foot left? Did the scab just grow smaller as it disappeared?

When I wrapped her feet I put the vet wrap up her legs as well. It caused the scales to raise. I am guessing I should just stick to wrapping her feet only?

The funny part is she is my friendliest big girl. Even after weeks of digging in her feet. She greets me every mornings at the gate flying up against it like she is trying to open it

I applied NuStock every other day for several weeks. I have to admit, I didn't even wrap at all - kind of difficult on big old duck feet.

It might have gone away sooner if I had... I would just let them swim, etc. throughout the day and then apply the meds later in the afternoon/evening, then take away the swim water. I would apply it kind of thick, then set them back in their run full of pine shavings. I figured nighttime was best for it to work and they couldn't wash it off if they didn't have any swim water. I do have the tricide neo (koi meds) on hand in case I ever want to use that or the NuStock isn't getting the job done. Leah's mom posted the links on the info for that. I will say though that my ducks had it pretty bad - big black nasty scabs and swollen bumblefoot areas and now their feet are all clear.

On another note, I learned today that my husband really DOES listen when I ramble about chickens. The other night he comes in and asks me where I need him to pee. Really? Lol. He was referring to the discussion I was having about male urine keeping predators away a couple weeks ago. My hubby loves me. He pees around my chicken run. Lol

Haha... I need to tell my husband about that - maybe he'll quit peeing in the driveway and do something useful with it.

Justine - LOVED the video with all the different critters running around! I hope in the future that I can free-range my meaties. We tried to keep them healthy as possible but they still couldn't run as well as yours do, which by the way cracked me up!

 

[aoxa]

Justine - LOVED the video with all the different critters running around! I hope in the future that I can free-range my meaties. We tried to keep them healthy as possible but they still couldn't run as well as yours do, which by the way cracked me up!

If I hadn't of started them so early, it probably would not have worked like it had. I really appreciate Del's encouragement the get them on grass. Last year I swore I would never raise Cornish X. I felt like they were freaks of nature.

I did find chick mortality was higher than I expected. I lost two chicks two days after bringing them home, and maybe 5 or 6 more to cocci (which I never had before the meat kings). But once they hit the grass, they were amazing!