The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Jewelwing]

I agree and probably because not enough people have asked

How would we ask? I haven't been on enough forums to know stuff like that.

 

[Sally8]

Sally8, sorry about your cats. I agree that quality of life is the determiner. I heard a anthro-biologist (studies human-animal interaction) interviewed and he said since animals always and only live "here and now" they don't want to live "forever" they want to live well and comfortably "now."
I've been wondering...how is Cecelia? The babies?

I think the same thing about animals. I love mine so much and it's so hard to let them go but there are so many out there that need homes. Amazingly, Cecilia is doing great. She's a little more compact than she was but her feathers are growing back. Her babies are much larger than she. I don't know how old they are supposed to be to separate babies from Mom but her babies are BCM, not silkie/sizzle like herself. Sorry about the blurry 2nd pic.

 

[armorfirelady]

Wow her feathers have grown in great Sally8

 

[Leahs Mom]

How can I make hen's lay in the coop.I have two hen's that refuse to lay in the egg boxes. They lay in the dog house driving my dog nuts. when I hear her howling I know egg's are ready for pick up she wont go in till we get the egg or egg's.I kept them up only to come home to two wore out birds that were still running the fence cackling like no tomorrow all night until I let them out to shut them up right to the dog house. I definitely found out why they call these birds Easter eggers not the color of egg at all its because if you want all your egg's you must be a good hunter!

Sand harbors mites??? Read a lot of things about using sand but not this. What is best then. I use pine shavings.

Wanted to made a dust bath area, was going to use bought organic top soil, it has some sand in it. I have wood ash to put in too. So what dirt is best. My area is red clay.

You can put a little sand in. I have in the past (for the dust bath I mean). I use pine shavings inside.

I'm too new to say whether or not borax is OK to use around chickens, but I know when using it to control dog and cat fleas it works best inside the house when dusted into cracks between couch cushions, under couches, into the carpet, etc and is just left there. Dust it in after vacuuming. Borax works on the flea eggs by drying them out, so it has to be in contact with the eggs to work. You don't need much of it, just a sprinkle, worked well down into the fibers and such. The eggs can lay dormant for as long as a year, and flea meds like Frontline only work on the adult fleas. We've had excellent luck using a combination of the two here.

BORAX IS POISON. Don't want to use it around the chickens. I was just saying you can use it in your carpets and vacuum up. Dehydrates the eggs from what I understand.

 

[RedRidge]

On your waterers:

-What size/type are they that the bulbs keep them thawed?
-On your Ceramic heaters - I have one but have never used it. Purchased it for brooding but that was a bad idea for various reasons. So - if I used if like you are, how do you keep the chickens from touching it and getting burned? (Very hot, they are! And no glow to warn.)

I use these... for my water...
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/farm-innovators-multi-use-utility-deicer-250-watt

I have them all plugged into thermocubes so they are only on when necessary.
I have my brooder lamps on 24/7 when I have chicks (we do NOT raise chicks in the house, so mine are in the barn from day 1).
So the brooder lamps are not plugged into thermocubes.
My heat lamps that I use every once in a while for lambs are also on thermocubes.

 

[Gramma Chick]

How can I make hen's lay in the coop.I have two hen's that refuse to lay in the egg boxes. They lay in the dog house driving my dog nuts. when I hear her howling I know egg's are ready for pick up she wont go in till we get the egg or egg's.I kept them up only to come home to two wore out birds that were still running the fence cackling like no tomorrow all night until I let them out to shut them up right to the dog house. I definitely found out why they call these birds Easter eggers not the color of egg at all its because if you want all your egg's you must be a good hunter!

Can you post a video of the dog howling ? So instead of a chicken egg song...you have a dog egg song ..
Some questions for you ..
What are your nesting boxes like ? they obviously like something about the dog house ...Is it more private ?
Some suggestions:
Here is a trick also put fake eggs or golf balls or ? in the nesting boxes...they see them there ..chickie see chickie do ..
or try putting the nesting box in the dog house ..or in front of the dog house .and gradually moving the nesting box out
is there a blanket in the dog house ? put that in the nesting box

 

[RedRidge]

I have switched from commercial feed to a local mill that mixes their own. I especially like their scratch because it's whole and cracked grains. It's about 10% protein. Now if I can get a good meat protein source, I'll stick with this mix. They usually make it while I watch and wait. When I wet it, it doesn't turn to cement like the commercial stuff. I love a real feed mill!

Black Soldier Flies.... great source of animal protein and calcium and they are super easy to raise.
We freeze enough for winter months when they don't free range.
Free and easy... you can't beat that.

 

[delisha]

Sand harbors mites??? Read a lot of things about using sand but not this. What is best then. I use pine shavings.

Wanted to made a dust bath area, was going to use bought organic top soil, it has some sand in it. I have wood ash to put in too. So what dirt is best. My area is red clay.

You can add wood ash to the sand

Surely this has been brought up before, and I just don't know the rules. But it seems like with over 2,000 pages and over 21,000 posts, this shouldn't be a thread anymore - it should be a whole section (whatever they're called). Like "managing your flock" or "raising baby chicks" or "coop and run - design, construction & maintenance." We could have "natural chicken keeping" along with those others in the drop-down menu.

That way we could have threads within this natural chicken keeping subject. It seems like it would be a lot easier to have the conversations that people have been having on here, and easier to catch up (you could skip the threads that don't interest you as much), and just a lot easier to follow in general.

Is there a reason why this hasn't been done already?

I think you should do it. BDM did do it off BYC in an organized form. Unfortunately BYC will not allow it advertise. It is a beautiful blog with all the information needed and wanted. She tried to do it on BYC but was not able to do it. I think you should try.

Quote: Nothing wrong with using sand. I tried it several times with chicks and wish i could use it. If it is heated and wood ash added I doubt the mites would stay. I cooked/baked my sand before using.

DL seems to work best all around. Getting a healthy microb going it keeps a good balance and discourages mites. Ferment feeds and add garlic..use the leftover garlic and toss in coops, Dill and Coriander is not only good for chickens it helps to repel those nasty's. Pyrethrum chrysanthemums is a natural way to go and they look pretty when you grow them. Just planting them around the coop helps.

1. Ants: To repel ants I find it useful to use Mint, Tansies or Pennyroyals.
2. Aphids: To repel aphids use Mint, Garlic, Chive, Coriander or Anise.
3. Bean Leaf Beetle: To repel bean leaf beetles use Potatoes, Onions or Turnips.
4. Codling Moth: To repel codling moths use Common Oleander.
5. Colorado Potato Beetle: To repel Colorado potato beetles use Green Beans, Coriander or Nasturtium.
6. Cowpea Curculio: To repel Cowpea Curlios use Garlic, Cloves or Radish.
7. Cucumber Beetle: To repel cucumber beetles use Radish or Tansies.
8. Flea Beetle: To repel flea beetles use Garlic, Onions or Mint.
9. Harlequin Bug: To repel harlequin bugs use Radish, Turnips or Onions.
10. Imported Cabbage Worm: To repel imported cabbage worms use Mint, Sage, Rosemary or Hyssop.
11. Japanese Beetle: To repel Japanese beetles use Garlic, Larkspur, Tansy, Rue or Geranium.
12. Leaf Hopper: To repel leaf hoppers use Geranium or Petunia.
13. Mexican Bean Beetle: To repel Mexican bean beetles use Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Radish, Petunia or Marigold.
14. Mice: To repel mice use Onions.
15. Root Knot Nematodes: To repel root knot nematodes use French Marigold, Slugs, Prostrate Rosemary or Wormwood.
16. Spider Mites: To repel spider mites use Onions, Garlic, Cloves or Chives.
17. Squash Bug: To repel squash bugs use Radish, Marigold, Tansies or Nasturtium.
18. Squash Vine Borer: To repel squash vine borers use Cloves, Onions or Garlic.
19. Stink Bug: To repel stink bugs use Radish.
20. Tomato Heartworm: To repel tomato heartworms use Marigold, Sage or Borage.

Read more: http://gomestic.com/gardening/20-plants-that-repel-pests/#ixzz2fllqSRyM​

Quote: wow..you did a great job..she looks beautiful

 

[ki4got]

BORAX IS POISON. Don't want to use it around the chickens. I was just saying you can use it in your carpets and vacuum up. Dehydrates the eggs from what I understand.

borax is useful in some situations though... against insects it works wonderfully. dry, it's an abrasive crystal that gets on the insects, and as they move it abrades holes in their exoskeleton, causing fluid loss, dehydration and death fairly rapidly. it doesn't poison them, it cuts them, essentially.

boric acid is in most eye washes, ear washes and contact lens cleaners among many other uses. but like everything, must be used properly for it to be effective.

that's why it works well in carpeting. the dust won't bother people or pets, but any insects and their eggs will die because of its abrasiveness. I've dusted birds with it before, on occasion, and never had issues with it, other than a significant lack of lice/mites afterwards. in one instance the bird had air sac mites (a canary) and the inhaled powder cured him of the mites in his airways as well as the external ones.

as for sand/dust harboring mites and other parasites, it entirely depends on the TYPE of sand... we have red clay around here, and all of the dust baths the birds prefer are mostly clay-based sandy areas... I'm convinced this clay dust/sand is very much like the borax in nature, as I have yet to have ANY fleas on my dogs or cats ever since moving here 15 years ago... I haven't treated anyone for it, not even shampoos. the last bottle of flea shampoo was diluted and sprayed over a yellowjacket nest that showed up in a box on my deck... (after the shop vac sucked up most of them. long story... LOL) since getting the chickens we haven't had any ticks either. I also haven't seen any mites/lice on any of the birds that dust bathe regularly... I have seen them on birds that were injured or excluded from the group for some reason or other and not 'allowed' near the preferred spots..

 

[delisha]

http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/news_wp/?p=12491

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