The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[BlueMouse]

I wanted to thank everyone for putting up with my excessive worry about my molting bird. I've never had chickens go through molt before and I as unsure what it even looked like. Now she's missing a huge chunk of her tail, I'm finding her feathers around the coop, and she's just obviously molting. I'm still dosing everyone with cayenne and garlic again just in case. I like to do that about once a month anyhow just as a preventative. It won't hurt them. I've also been giving her an egg every other day or so, I was reading that molting chickens need extra protien (specifically animal protien) to make up for all those feathers they're growing. I wasn't sure if that applied to my chickens that are on free range, but figured it won't hurt her. What do you more experienced keepers do during molt?

 

[delisha]

I wanted to thank everyone for putting up with my excessive worry about my molting bird. I've never had chickens go through molt before and I as unsure what it even looked like. Now she's missing a huge chunk of her tail, I'm finding her feathers around the coop, and she's just obviously molting. I'm still dosing everyone with cayenne and garlic again just in case. I like to do that about once a month anyhow just as a preventative. It won't hurt them. I've also been giving her an egg every other day or so, I was reading that molting chickens need extra protien (specifically animal protien) to make up for all those feathers they're growing. I wasn't sure if that applied to my chickens that are on free range, but figured it won't hurt her. What do you more experienced keepers do during molt?

Nothing..Molt is normal. I do not encourage egg laying by adding anything additional. I want them to molt and stop egg laying for long health and vitality. They need all reserves to replace feathers.

 

[MumsyII]

I wanted to thank everyone for putting up with my excessive worry about my molting bird. I've never had chickens go through molt before and I as unsure what it even looked like. Now she's missing a huge chunk of her tail, I'm finding her feathers around the coop, and she's just obviously molting. I'm still dosing everyone with cayenne and garlic again just in case. I like to do that about once a month anyhow just as a preventative. It won't hurt them. I've also been giving her an egg every other day or so, I was reading that molting chickens need extra protien (specifically animal protien) to make up for all those feathers they're growing. I wasn't sure if that applied to my chickens that are on free range, but figured it won't hurt her. What do you more experienced keepers do during molt?

I never worry about it with regular layers or barnyard chickens. When I am conditioning for show, I have in the past hurried the process by show caging the bird a bit earlier. I will carefully and gently remove the tail and wing feathers to get the moult over with faster. For hard feathered birds I would feed good meat protein cat food once a day. Also dry rusk bread soaked in whole milk and wrung out. Once a day, all the bird could eat. All the extra protein brought in lush feathers in preparation for show. That's the way the old timers I knew used to do it. That's the way I used to to do it for conditioning. LIke I said. A regular flock on free range and FF are getting all the groceries they need to grow new feathers. Show birds need perfect feathers. Layers don't.

edited to add: It's not that layers don't need a good feather layer to protect them from the elements or Cock bird action, I'm talking about show quality feathers.

 

[birmann]

Report of a nationwide salmonella outbreak linked to one (and possibly many) hatcheries http://mtstandard.com/business/salm...cle_cd8824e3-4f81-5c10-95fd-cee562bf8450.html

my 2 year old got salmonella this spring and it was that strain. She was hospitalized for 4 days. She was really sick. We got 8 chicks from that hatchery in March.

 

[armorfirelady]

If you moved the fence to give fresh area's to feed and no hawks or preds are in the area, you are over feeding at night. They don't need the grass and greens since they are fed so much at night. Skip a night feeding and a day feeding and see how they are the next morning with the free range. (don't worry ...a day with out feed is sometimes more helpful to get answers, you will not harm your birds)

Could you put that in writing so I can hang it over their food bowls to remind them? Since with the racket they make you would think I was starving them

I did a video of their area since some do better with a visual. But with all that clover, grass and bugs (lots of flies, bees,etc in the area) I know they shouldn't be complaining. I was going to plan on giving them some eggs today for their protein. I guess I will hold off

I tried to shorten it........

 

[delisha]

Quote: lol..
Your birds will not suffer from a missed feeding..they are healthy as can be..and not a thin bird in sight. i think your mom over feeds.

 

[Shan30]

Mean rooster question...

We separated the boys from the girls on the weekend. All except the silkie boy who gets to stay with the ladies

Ever since, the biggest blue boy (who is gorgeous) has had all the other roosters pinned in one corner or another.
He's strutting around while the other 10 hide. What's the deal? I have never had a pen full of boys before so I don't know if this is normal.
I am planning on practicing drawing blood from the boys when we cull (after they cant feel it) so I can test everyone with a steady hand later. So should I just make him my first freezer boy / lab rat, move him in with the girls and see if he is nicer or will they work it out over the next couple weeks?

 

[delisha]

Mean rooster question...

We separated the boys from the girls on the weekend. All except the silkie boy who gets to stay with the ladies

Ever since, the biggest blue boy (who is gorgeous) has had all the other roosters pinned in one corner or another.
He's strutting around while the other 10 hide. What's the deal? I have never had a pen full of boys before so I don't know if this is normal.
I am planning on practicing drawing blood from the boys when we cull (after they cant feel it) so I can test everyone with a steady hand later. So should I just make him my first freezer boy / lab rat, move him in with the girls and see if he is nicer or will they work it out over the next couple weeks?

Keeping other roosters in line is the job of the top rooster. it will keep them from harming chicks and hens if the head rooster has control. It is good they cower in front of him and hide. If he is too busy keeping other males in line his attention is diverted from keeping watch from preds and he can't do his job correctly. Eventually he will allow a second in command as he matures. He sounds like a great rooster. I would keep that boy.

Not mean at all..he is smart!

 

[Kassaundra]

Mean rooster question...

We separated the boys from the girls on the weekend. All except the silkie boy who gets to stay with the ladies

Ever since, the biggest blue boy (who is gorgeous) has had all the other roosters pinned in one corner or another.
He's strutting around while the other 10 hide. What's the deal? I have never had a pen full of boys before so I don't know if this is normal.
I am planning on practicing drawing blood from the boys when we cull (after they cant feel it) so I can test everyone with a steady hand later. So should I just make him my first freezer boy / lab rat, move him in with the girls and see if he is nicer or will they work it out over the next couple weeks?

That is what I would do make him the first to be processed. Not only is he making your and the other boys life miserable, but if they are cowering in the corner worried for their life they aren't eating and getting fat for their turn at freezer camp.

How are you going to draw blood on a dead bird? Do you not bleed the birds you kill for food? Just my opinion, but if you plan to draw blood on live birds you should practice on live birds. Sticking a needle into a live pt, is so much different then a dummy or dead pt. The skill of hitting the vein is only a part of what you need to practice, also handling the birds response, and your own psyche of drawing from a live bird. jmo

 

[MumsyII]

Keeping other roosters in line is the job of the top rooster. it will keep them from harming chicks and hens if the head rooster has control. It is good they cower in front of him and hide. If he is too busy keeping other males in line his attention is diverted from keeping watch from preds and he can't do his job correctly. Eventually he will allow a second in command as he matures. He sounds like a great rooster. I would keep that boy.

Not mean at all..he is smart!

X2 This is how I will pick my top HRIR cockerels to breed. I don't want a mamsie pansie shrinking violet cock to breed his genes into my line. I want a virile, smart bird that knows how to do his job and be a top rooster.

edited to add: The shrinking violet cowering cockerels are the first to go to the freezer in my flock.