The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Paganrose]

Does it have the minerals the chickens need?

Honestly I am not sure. The loose sheep minerals have the same ingredients, but slightly different percentages than the chicken approved water soluble vitamins I was using- minus copper. It never occurred to me that I might be able use them for the chooks.

I gave some to the sheep and the chickens ignored it after the sheep walked away. The geese however grabed a mouthful before knocking it all around. Although I did have a hen that would go into the sheep pen last winter and peck at the minerals.

 

[BlueMouse]

ok. so here's a weird question.... Does anyone know what an injury from a chicken flogging someone looks like and would this be it?



my four year old's arm. She was complaining that it hurt and I found these scratches. I've never seen anything like that in my life. I inquired and after some sifting of information I think what happened is that she tried to pick up our very flighty EE hen who I have totally seen attack my dog. she was outside on the porch while I let out the chickens. I heard a lot of yelping, but then her story was that her brother had shut her fingers in the door. I THINK what happened whas she tried to hug a chicken and the chicken attacked her, then she tried to go inside and Ethan shut her fingers in the door.... But I don't know. I've never seen injuries from chicken attack.

 

[armorfirelady]

Could be......I get scratches on my arm like that all the time but its from the fence, moving firewood etc. I've never been flogged by a chicken but that could be what it was. I wouldn't worry to much just clean them up and put some antispetic cream on it.

I am guessing she won't be trying to hug the chickens anytime soon if thats what happened

 

[Paganrose]

ok. so here's a weird question.... Does anyone know what an injury from a chicken flogging someone looks like and would this be it?

It could be- But it may have been more of a panicked/trying to get away reaction that caused the scratches than a flogging, especially if the hen doesn't like to be held. I have gotten similar scratches from handling my otherwise friendly birds.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: For us when a chicken tries to attack it does not go for the arms but instead the face or the hair. It sounds more like a scared hen as described above. My children are better at catching our chickens than I am. It is possible that your child got the chicken faster than you might expect.



I was looking at the Meyer hatchery catalog at the smaller chickens. They did not describe any of their bantam breeds as wonderful layers. Most of their smaller versions were described as fair or even poor. Is there a great laying bantam chicken that lays close to a medium egg?

 

[jockeyeba]

ok. so here's a weird question.... Does anyone know what an injury from a chicken flogging someone looks like and would this be it? my four year old's arm. She was complaining that it hurt and I found these scratches. I've never seen anything like that in my life. I inquired and after some sifting of information I think what happened is that she tried to pick up our very flighty EE hen who I have totally seen attack my dog. she was outside on the porch while I let out the chickens. I heard a lot of yelping, but then her story was that her brother had shut her fingers in the door. I THINK what happened whas she tried to hug a chicken and the chicken attacked her, then she tried to go inside and Ethan shut her fingers in the door.... But I don't know. I've never seen injuries from chicken attack.

I have a bantam rooster that has flogged me several times & the marks just look like puncture wounds & of course bleed alot

 

[jockeyeba]

We have a friend that has lost egg sales lately because a neighbor is selling her eggs claiming their "cholesterol free", I think this lady has Americana's or EE's. I know no chicken egg is cholesterol free but are there differences in breeds?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

We have a friend that has lost egg sales lately because a neighbor is selling her eggs claiming their "cholesterol free", I think this lady has Americana's or EE's. I know no chicken egg is cholesterol free but are there differences in breeds?

I watched a video last night that claimed less cholesterol in pasture / free ranged chickens that eat a large part of their diet from the land.

here is a link. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/eggs-zl0z0703zswa.aspx#axzz2ehcEhi5U

 

[BlueMouse]

I would only worry if it was the roo. and I'm pretty sure it wasn't. For one he typically just runs away from people, and I think his spurs would do a whole lot more damage than that (I found out how sharp they are last time I had to pick him up.). I wouldn't keep a roo that was going to attack a child. Even if they provoked him by trying to hug him. I can't be there every minute of every day. The only reason I even thought chicken was the way that they're perfectly paralell and crosshatched like that. I couldn't think of anything else she'd come into contact with that would scratch her that way... Mrs. Bennet is super flighty. I told Jade that from now on she'd better stick to patting bossy and Charlotte who like to be patted, because sometimes when we scare animals (even by accident) they can hurt us. And she's a very good chicken catcher! of course most of the chickens let her catch them. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a catch and a mad dash for freedom. But of course getting a clear report of the sequence of events from a four year old.... Yeah. She informed me that the "mama chicken stood on my arm and scratched me." Sigh.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I would only worry if it was the roo. and I'm pretty sure it wasn't. For one he typically just runs away from people, and I think his spurs would do a whole lot more damage than that (I found out how sharp they are last time I had to pick him up.). I wouldn't keep a roo that was going to attack a child. Even if they provoked him by trying to hug him. I can't be there every minute of every day. The only reason I even thought chicken was the way that they're perfectly paralell and crosshatched like that. I couldn't think of anything else she'd come into contact with that would scratch her that way... Mrs. Bennet is super flighty. I told Jade that from now on she'd better stick to patting bossy and Charlotte who like to be patted, because sometimes when we scare animals (even by accident) they can hurt us. And she's a very good chicken catcher! of course most of the chickens let her catch them. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a catch and a mad dash for freedom. But of course getting a clear report of the sequence of events from a four year old.... Yeah. She informed me that the "mama chicken stood on my arm and scratched me." Sigh.

my children play in the back yard while I watch from the window sometimes. So they are learning all about coexisting with chickens. I have rehomed or butchered any mean roo. I don't even wait for the roo to try and attack the children, once it starts to flap around me it gets sent to isolation to be rehomed or eaten. For some reason I'm typically the first target. Funny since for right now I get to decide you stays and who goes.