The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ChickensAreSweet]

I built the moveable fence and set it up around my garden. I think I'll call it the "portable paddock." The girls spent the day in it, today, and it worked great! To make the posts, I screwed a 24-inch piece across the flat of the 2x4 post and a 16-inch piece that butted up to the cross piece . The cross piece lumber slides right through the fencing (2x4 welded wire.) I used coat hanger wire to hold the top of the fence to the post. I got all the 2x4's from the cull lumber bin at Home Depot. $.51 each 4 foot piece. I wanted to use 5 foot wire fencing but it was way too heavy for me to manage by myself, so I got 4 foot high fencing. I got mine at Tractor Supply, but I've seen it at Home Depot, too. I used 10-inch, 3/8" spikes for the ends of the cross pieces. They were $.20 cheaper than the 12" spikes. I built 10 of the fence posts and will probably build two more...just because.

Cool!

 

[armorfirelady]

I use glass inside my heater dog bowl for FF in the winter. I just add water so it come up the side of the glass. Those heaters do not get that hot.

That is what I did as well. The food/water was never hot in the bowls just not frozen

do you put the ashes in the coop itself or in the run ? i use apple cider vinegar in their nesting boxes and spray their coop floor with it when i clean, but why put it in the water and how much?

In the run, nest boxes and in a pan in the coop during the winter for them to dust bath in. I use ACV when I started their FF and sometimes add it to their water in winter. There is no measurement per say just a glug or so per gallon of water.

what is ff

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds
Here is the link where you can find about FF and how easy it is and good for your chickens

I built the moveable fence and set it up around my garden. I think I'll call it the "portable paddock." The girls spent the day in it, today, and it worked great! To make the posts, I screwed a 24-inch piece across the flat of the 2x4 post and a 16-inch piece that butted up to the cross piece . The cross piece lumber slides right through the fencing (2x4 welded wire.) I used coat hanger wire to hold the top of the fence to the post. I got all the 2x4's from the cull lumber bin at Home Depot. $.51 each 4 foot piece. I wanted to use 5 foot wire fencing but it was way too heavy for me to manage by myself, so I got 4 foot high fencing. I got mine at Tractor Supply, but I've seen it at Home Depot, too. I used 10-inch, 3/8" spikes for the ends of the cross pieces. They were $.20 cheaper than the 12" spikes. I built 10 of the fence posts and will probably build two more...just because.

Awesome job!!!! It looks great. And sounds like it is pretty easy to do. My kind of project

Great Job !!!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

do you put the ashes in the coop itself or in the run ? i use apple cider vinegar in their nesting boxes and spray their coop floor with it when i clean, but why put it in the water and how much?

depends on the time of the yr for me. in the winter I have put them in one corner of the coop after making sure they were cooled off or even a touch frozen. But for most of the yr say almost 85% they go in the corner of the run.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Just the opposite for me. I tried a ceramic dog bowl inside the plastic dog bowl. When it got really cold, I think the temp difference was too much from top to bottom Cracked 2 of them like that before I figured out what was going on.

Del's idea of putting water in the outside bowl - like a double boiler - helps keep the heat more even from top to bottom.

I built the moveable fence and set it up around my garden. I think I'll call it the "portable paddock." The girls spent the day in it, today, and it worked great! To make the posts, I screwed a 24-inch piece across the flat of the 2x4 post and a 16-inch piece that butted up to the cross piece . The cross piece lumber slides right through the fencing (2x4 welded wire.) I used coat hanger wire to hold the top of the fence to the post. I got all the 2x4's from the cull lumber bin at Home Depot. $.51 each 4 foot piece. I wanted to use 5 foot wire fencing but it was way too heavy for me to manage by myself, so I got 4 foot high fencing. I got mine at Tractor Supply, but I've seen it at Home Depot, too. I used 10-inch, 3/8" spikes for the ends of the cross pieces. They were $.20 cheaper than the 12" spikes. I built 10 of the fence posts and will probably build two more...just because.

Mel - that's fantastic! Love it

 

[Leahs Mom]

New coop news coming soon

In the meantime...I'm contemplating picking up a pair of SFH that are about 12 wks old. I need creative ideas on how/where to quarantine in a temporary manner. Don't want to build anything.

I do own 2 of the little quanset-hut type thingies that you often see pigs in. The short curve thing that is metal and only about 3 feet tall. I have them stored in the barn. Maybe something could be done with those.

Ideas, please

 

[delisha]

New coop news coming soon

In the meantime...I'm contemplating picking up a pair of SFH that are about 12 wks old. I need creative ideas on how/where to quarantine in a temporary manner. Don't want to build anything.

I do own 2 of the little quanset-hut type thingies that you often see pigs in. The short curve thing that is metal and only about 3 feet tall. I have them stored in the barn. Maybe something could be done with those.

Ideas, please

Perfect idea..set something up outside your chicken area where no contact can be done. I use temporary fencing. Right now the fence I use for quarantine is keeping my new chicks away from the older chicks. Those older chicks are just rotten to the baby's. I had one yesterday poke a hole in the hinny of a chick.

 

[iwanaplae2]

New coop news coming soon

In the meantime...I'm contemplating picking up a pair of SFH that are about 12 wks old.  I need creative ideas on how/where to quarantine in a temporary manner.  Don't want to build anything.

I do own 2 of the little quanset-hut type thingies that you often see pigs in.  The short curve thing that is metal and only about 3 feet tall.  I have them stored in the barn.  Maybe something could be done with those.

[COLOR=FF0000]Ideas, please[/COLOR]

I use my old dog crates (we no longer have a dog). We have 2 types, one is the plastic type for a large dog. This will hold one adult chicken quite nicely. The other is the metal fence type for extra large dog. This could probably handle two. Of course if keeping the bigger one outside it will need to be covered in the rain.

 

[aoxa]

The only things I have seen pointed out in prior posts are 1 it takes electricity that many don't have in their coop and 2 it is made of plastic. I use plastic but here on the natural thread there is more than a few plastic that either avoid or even despise plastic to eat from.

They don't make heated glass water buckets, so I need to use this sort of stuff. If I used glass I would break it. If I didn't break it, Susan would.

I don't keep my FF in it though. Just water for the goats. The chickens drink out of plastic waterers or puddles. Some things I just can't change. This is one of them.

Sooo cute!! I haven't been on in a while but if I'm remembering right you have a lgd, right? I want one really bad but I've got a few questions. First is we have about 80 acres but out house and animals (13 chickens and 2 rabbits and 2 pet dogs) are on about 1 acre. Would she be happy enough on that? And would a wireless fence keep her from the road? Our chickens aren't in the dogs fence so she wouldn't be either and I was wondering if a wireless fence would contain her. A maremma (sp) is the type I was looking. I couldn't really find any locally either. Are they hard to come by? I'm in NC. Sorry for so many questions

You may want to talk to RedRidge about Maremmas. I did have an LGD back in February, but she passed in the fire. I wouldn't get an LGD without having sheep, goats or something similar to that for them to bond with. They do not bond well with chickens. The chickens often just fall into part of their property. It belongs, and they protect their property as a whole. They wouldn't generally be seen loving on them. They can be... but it's not something you hear of them doing exclusively. As puppies they are really hard to train with this type of livestock, as the chickens do not care to bond with them. Goats and sheep will. They will initiate play, snuggle, etc. Plus if you start a pup out with an ewe or a doe, they will put her/him in their place early on. A chicken really can't. Maybe a goose could.

 

[aoxa]

New coop news coming soon

In the meantime...I'm contemplating picking up a pair of SFH that are about 12 wks old. I need creative ideas on how/where to quarantine in a temporary manner. Don't want to build anything.

I do own 2 of the little quanset-hut type thingies that you often see pigs in. The short curve thing that is metal and only about 3 feet tall. I have them stored in the barn. Maybe something could be done with those.

Ideas, please

What about a garage? That's where I quarantined.

 

[MumsyII]

What about a garage? That's where I quarantined.

I have used the garage and greenhouse with a large dog crate and also a cage as a quarantine area.