The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I was going to ask the same thing. I knew the LGDs protect against ground predators but never thought about aerial ones?


Aoxa- your pic with the tons of chickens made me giggle. I always think getting swarmed by 8 hens is a lot.......I don't know how you guys walk with that many surrounding you

Very, very slowly. I am always stepping on feet lol

 

[lalaland]

Hey, my sweet little Mrs. Murphy is having problems. In the last couple of days, I've noticed she has had trouble flying up to the roosts - previously she could do this. She aims, flies, and falls short.

Last night, I found her on the floor of the coop, not even up on a hay bale. I put electrolytes in the water for everyone before I left in the dark this morning, and when I get home I am going to dose her with vitamins and some fresh chicken liver. She's the little bantam or icelandic, who knows, is about 20 weeks, and who nearly died as a chick but was revived by vitamins.

Her comb is still pale - hasn't pinked up yet, otherwise she looks ok - no signs of illness except a little lethargy which I was attributing to the cold (snowed yesterday, I have two inches).

I did physically examine her yesterday morning, and couldn't find any evidence of injury, her wings seemed fine, and no mites or anything. She seemed lightweight, but she is tiny...

 

[aoxa]

Hey, my sweet little Mrs. Murphy is having problems. In the last couple of days, I've noticed she has had trouble flying up to the roosts - previously she could do this. She aims, flies, and falls short.

Last night, I found her on the floor of the coop, not even up on a hay bale. I put electrolytes in the water for everyone before I left in the dark this morning, and when I get home I am going to dose her with vitamins and some fresh chicken liver. She's the little bantam or icelandic, who knows, who nearly died as a chick but was revived by citamins.

Her comb is still pale - hasn't pinked up yet, otherwise she looks ok - no signs of illness except a little lethargy which I was attributing to the cold (snowed yesterday, I have two inches).

I did physically examine her yesterday morning, and couldn't find any evidence of injury, her wings seemed fine, and no mites or anything.

Examine her at night. Mites will hide in the bedding during the day.

Sorry to hear she is having trouble

Could be multiple things..

 

[ki4got]

Aoxa- your pic with the tons of chickens made me giggle. I always think getting swarmed by 8 hens is a lot.......I don't know how you guys walk with that many surrounding you

VERY slowly. LOL

 

[RedRidge]

Quote: ABSOLUTELY!!
Nothing flies over my property... ever!!
We have hawks, but lately turkey vultures taking live animals is a bigger problem.
I have friends who have llamas for guardians and lost more than 60 newborn lambs last year... they have maremma now... didn't loose any this year.

Flying predators and a bigger problem for my poultry here than ground predators. We have a lot of fox... and coyote... but they are predictable.
It's the flying ones that can surprise us... working the dogs in pairs prevents surprises... one of them always see em in time.
I have never lost anything to turkey vultures or hawks... actually I have never lost any livestock at all to any form of predation since getting maremma.
I can't believe how much I depend on them and how much easier they make my life.
I am going to miss all these pups terribly... the first one left this weekend and the others all leave over the next few weeks.
They are amazing to watch... they bond so quickly with their livestock...
I wish I had a picture of their mom when she had feathers in her mouth after a hawk barely escaped with it's life a few weeks ago.
The look on her face was priceless! And they know which birds belong and which don't.
My older female loves the chickens... but is only "tolerant" of the guineas... and of course will kill any hawks or vultures... they are very discerning.

 

[aoxa]

ABSOLUTELY!!
Nothing flies over my property... ever!!
We have hawks, but lately turkey vultures taking live animals is a bigger problem.
I have friends who have llamas for guardians and lost more than 60 newborn lambs last year... they have maremma now... didn't loose any this year.

Flying predators and a bigger problem for my poultry here than ground predators. We have a lot of fox... and coyote... but they are predictable.
It's the flying ones that can surprise us... working the dogs in pairs prevents surprises... one of them always see em in time.
I have never lost anything to turkey vultures or hawks... actually I have never lost any livestock at all to any form of predation since getting maremma.
I can't believe how much I depend on them and how much easier they make my life.
I am going to miss all these pups terribly... the first one left this weekend and the others all leave over the next few weeks.
They are amazing to watch... they bond so quickly with their livestock...
I wish I had a picture of their mom when she had feathers in her mouth after a hawk barely escaped with it's life a few weeks ago.
The look on her face was priceless! And they know which birds belong and which don't.
My older female loves the chickens... but is only "tolerant" of the guineas... and of course will kill any hawks or vultures... they are very discerning.

Do you count your chickens? How do you know a hawk has never taken one?

The only way I knew was seeing that I was missing some of my juveniles. I did see the hawk a few times as well. It was very hungry, and fearless.

Clementine just watched it, she didn't attempt to stop it. Afterwards she was beside herself though.

Henry is doing a good job warding off animals. I have never heard such a deep menacing bark. He is HUGE. If he wanted to, I know he could take any predator that attempted to come on our property.

He is stronger than either of us for sure. We had to hold him down to take quills out of his chin, so I know his strength.

 

[Leahs Mom]

RR that is so encouraging about your dogs taking out the hawks. They are also my main pred concern since my birds are locked in at night and the other preds are more predictable as you say.



ETA: If you didn't have the other livestock, do you think your dogs would have recognized the chickens as their responsibility to protect? I know they work well with the sheep, goats, etc., but what about chickens?

And...do you guys think I need a dog in w/the goats if we have them in the spring or would they be alright at night?

 

[SunnySkies]

I got GPs specifically to guard the chickens. It is VERY difficult to bond a dog to birds. And mine have liked to play with chickens and killed two chicks when playing so when I'm not supervising, they are penned or chained up while the chickens get free range. Chicks are also not allowed out now until they stop peeping. But they, even now, at a very young age, notice and bark at large birds overhead. I have no doubt that they would drive off an overhead predator too...if the hawks we had at the beginning of summer come back. They moved on not long after the puppies showed up.

Axoa, I'm having the same thoughts about the two FR/Rosambro pullets I saved from processing. One is just blowing up like a blimp. I'm not sure she will make it to next summer. She might end up Christmas dinner too.

 

[aoxa]

Axoa, I'm having the same thoughts about the two FR/Rosambro pullets I saved from processing. One is just blowing up like a blimp. I'm not sure she will make it to next summer. She might end up Christmas dinner too.

It doesn't take much feed to make them this large!

 

[SunnySkies]

It doesn't take much feed to make them this large!

Yep. A handful of feed twice a day. Sigh. Any less, and I feel like she is starving. I even cut them at 12 weeks to 15% layer feed to try to keep them small. Poor girls. I really wanted to try crossing them in with my huge backyard mutt rooster and seeing what the chicks were like. I still might get to with one...she is small (although solid) but the other one may run into serious trouble. Now that her brothers are gone and not out competing her for food, she is growing fast on a limited amount of feed. I'm going to keep a close eye on them and the second it looks like they are struggling, it will be over.