The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I don't know if y'all have heard, but Bob Blosl passed away.

 

[Jewelwing]

We have friends with guardian dogs on a 10 acre farm. They have chickens, ducks, and turkeys free ranging the whole property. They have told us that there is a learning curve and they do lose a few birds to the dogs when the dogs are young.

We had chickens first with no dog but my daughter wore us down and we adopted a rescue dog who was around 7 months old. She is some kind of cattle dog/catahoula mix who is a header. She has high energy and loves to play. I was hoping that we would eventually be able to trust her in the backyard with our yard ranging chickens. We worked quite a bit on the leave it command and I took her out with me almost every time I fed the chickens or gave them treats. The chickens got fed first and then Pixie got a treat. I was hoping to communicate to her that the chickens were higher in the pack than she was. She played with a 18 week old cockerel and he died. There were no wounds on him so I don't know if he broke his neck or something. We kept working with her. Two months later when she was past a year, we felt that she was doing really well with no casualties so we trusted her when we shouldn't have. We left her with the chickens while we were gone a while. Our broody hen chose to come off her nest and we found her dead in the yard when we came home. There were no wounds but we are assuming the dog played with her. Two more months went by and she played with another teenage cockerel and he died. We were there that day but couldn't get to them in time. 3 lessons learned the hard way. It seems like she was most interested in the teenager cockerels and the broodies. I think that it was because they didn't act like the rest of the chickens who avoided her. They stood up to her and she saw it as an invitation to play. She has never acted aggressive with them just excited. It now 1 1/2 years later and she hasn't played with a chicken since. We still don't leave her with them while we are away from home. She might be fine with them but I am not willing to trust her completely, yet.

That's exactly how my dog (Great Dane) treats our chickens and our cats. She's not mean or aggressive, but she wants to play with them so badly! She plays with her huge paws, and is quite rough. She loves chewing on her squeaky toys (and unfortunately our terrified cat once - my daughter caught her in time and the cat was shaken up but ok), so I know she would kill the chickens not realizing it.

I keep telling my husband we need another dog to give her someone to play with, and then she'd be exhausted by the end of the day and not irritating us when we're trying to relax at night. No luck so far (he doesn't really like mammals anyway, so I'm lucky to have a dog and two cats!).

But I will say that our dog's first interaction with the chickens was sniffing them through the hardware cloth, and one of them came up and pecked her on the nose! She was so startled! After jerking away, she put her nose back (because that's what kind of dog she is), and got pecked again! Now she does seem to have a healthy respect for them and tends to keep her distance when they're out foraging. I think it helps that they're not scared of her like the cats are, so they don't run away and act like prey to her. The other day she was foraging for kitchen scraps in the leaves right along with the flock - it was hilarious! I never leave her out with them without me right there, though. I know she's not trustworthy.

 

[aoxa]

That's exactly how my dog (Great Dane) treats our chickens and our cats. She's not mean or aggressive, but she wants to play with them so badly! She plays with her huge paws, and is quite rough. She loves chewing on her squeaky toys (and unfortunately our terrified cat once - my daughter caught her in time and the cat was shaken up but ok), so I know she would kill the chickens not realizing it.

I keep telling my husband we need another dog to give her someone to play with, and then she'd be exhausted by the end of the day and not irritating us when we're trying to relax at night. No luck so far (he doesn't really like mammals anyway, so I'm lucky to have a dog and two cats!).

But I will say that our dog's first interaction with the chickens was sniffing them through the hardware cloth, and one of them came up and pecked her on the nose! She was so startled! After jerking away, she put her nose back (because that's what kind of dog she is), and got pecked again! Now she does seem to have a healthy respect for them and tends to keep her distance when they're out foraging. I think it helps that they're not scared of her like the cats are, so they don't run away and act like prey to her. The other day she was foraging for kitchen scraps in the leaves right along with the flock - it was hilarious! I never leave her out with them without me right there, though. I know she's not trustworthy.

That reminds me of this:

 

[aaggjg]

So I have been battling mites FOREVER. They will not DIE or go away not matter what I do. No I have not resorted to chemicals .... I guess that is the curse of living in a temperate climate... I was at the feed store this weekend I stumbled across a new natural product called Vet's Best Flea & Tick... The woman there said people love this product ... so I bought it and sprayed down my coop ... It says it is made from cloves and peppermint. All I smell is the cloves.... If it works I wonder if we can just sprinkle some whole cloves around.... A mite potpourri so to speak.... I also remember reading somewhere about using nicotine to repel mites... I googled it this morning and found an article in which scientist found wild bird nests lined with cigarette butts!! This prompted a study giving the birds the option of choosing used filters or fresh to build their nests and the birds picked the smelly ones!! Then they took those nests and used a heat generator to attract mites and they found the ones with the nicotine attracted fewer mites! If all else fails, I might start stalking ash trays

 

[lalaland]

give the suphur a shot! it worked for me

 

[Jewelwing]

Very frustrating that it's so hard to find just plain, unaltered food.

I know, right? There doesn't seem to be anywhere around here, and people look at me like I'm crazy. When I ask about organic (or non-GMO) feed, I get told "This bag says natural - isn't that organic?" But you look at the ingredients and there's nothing organic or non-GMO listed, and nothing on the bag says anything but "natural," whatever that means. Very little, I suspect. Like you said, frustrating.

Just lost my first bird to a predator. Hawk.

I'm so sorry about Miss Gray. She was a beauty. I'm glad her chick is OK.

I saw my first hawk around my chickens the other day. I was painting some boards next to the coop (still working on finishing the coop!) and letting the girls free-range nearby. I heard a squawking commotion like they do when there's an argument, so I looked up and some of the chickens were running under the coop, some of them were still next to the side of the coop, and one of them was flying really well. My thought as it cleared the height of the coop was, "wow, they are really starting to fly well! I'll have to keep that in mind." But then as it flew away I and I noticed how big its wingspan was I realized it was a hawk, not a chicken. My chickens can't fly that well after all. It must have been spooked by me even though I didn't notice it right there. Luckily no one was hurt, and they spent the rest of the day under the coop.

There must be one around today too because the wild birds at the feeders have scattered and flown into our windows at least 4 times in the last couple hours. They don't usually hit the windows unless they're really freaked out. My girls are staying locked in their run today!

I thought these side by side (diagrams? Not sure what to call them) might help some of you guys sex your chicks.

I did two comb side by sides, which is your very first sign if chicks aren't sex linked.






Both sets are FULL siblings. Same mother and same father. It makes an easier comparison that way.


Okay here are some leg size differences too

Colour sexing BPR (can be done as early as 3 weeks) Reliable once feathered out.

If you still aren't able to tell, at 12 weeks and older, look for these signs:

Those are really nice comparisons. Thanks! I'm hoping it won't be long until mine prove to me that they're all girls...

We had a funny moment the other day with turkeys ... the testicles are HUGE ... but at first I thought they were kidneys until I didn't find any in the female bird (got the caviar instead). Then the lightbulb moment.

That reminds me of the first time my then-7-yr-old daughter saw an adult male rat in a pet store. She had seen her brother feed frozen "pinkies" to his snake, and she pointed out the male rat to me and excitedly said, "Mom, look! That one's sitting on a baby!" Ummm...

http://www.gemplers.com/product/G73...=G73500&ef_id=Ue1j2QAABKDZvXpn20131021031846s

This looks like my owl exactly. In fact, based on what I paid, I suspect my feed store bought it from this website. Doh! Mine is named Sergei.

Thanks for the link. I think I'll go buy one right now!

That reminds me of this:

That is hilarious! Yes, it's a lot like my dog. It's funny - they're so obviously scared, but they can't help themselves and have to keep nosing close! That dog looks young too (mine is a year and a half).

 

[aaggjg]

give the suphur a shot! it worked for me

I've sprinkled the sulfur powder and nu-stocked.... but will try dipping them! Too bad I didn't read that yesterday... would have been the perfect sunday morning activity!

 

[delisha]

Vicki, I tried, I really tried to keep the weight off of the two meaties I planned to keep - but they just got so big.. I am going to process them. Maybe keep two of the younger girls. They are growing MUCH MUCH slower. It's insane how slow they are growing compared to the first batch. Also their tails are upright..

9 weeks:



"how did them words get there?"
hehe

This one is 16 weeks. She's too fat yes? :| She's still running, but overheats even when it's mild out. I think she will make a nice Christmas dinner though.

She's also squatting.. Do these girls lay around 20 weeks?

I would keep her till she lays you some eggs..than butcher her out..she is too fat, but will give you eggs next month. She is about 1 lb too far. Your younger ones will winter well unless you feed in the barn this winter.

give the suphur a shot! it worked for me

I just might have to pick some up..thanks


My new girl is out of quarantine and she is growing up really nice..



Split to chocolate black cuckoo English Orpington

 

[armorfirelady]

Found a "call" site:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/sounds


I listened to every hawk on there and it sounds most similar to the red tail.

Thanks for posting I am going to listen and see of I can ID my hawks. Its either a red tail or coopers hawk. Frompictures I looked at I think its a cooper.

Quote:
I love the crows as well. They live in my neighbors trees and I always applaud them when they chase a hawk away. I wish they would move to my yard or at least invite their offspring to

So I have been battling mites FOREVER. They will not DIE or go away not matter what I do. No I have not resorted to chemicals .... I guess that is the curse of living in a temperate climate... I was at the feed store this weekend I stumbled across a new natural product called Vet's Best Flea & Tick... The woman there said people love this product ... so I bought it and sprayed down my coop ... It says it is made from cloves and peppermint. All I smell is the cloves.... If it works I wonder if we can just sprinkle some whole cloves around.... A mite potpourri so to speak.... I also remember reading somewhere about using nicotine to repel mites... I googled it this morning and found an article in which scientist found wild bird nests lined with cigarette butts!! This prompted a study giving the birds the option of choosing used filters or fresh to build their nests and the birds picked the smelly ones!! Then they took those nests and used a heat generator to attract mites and they found the ones with the nicotine attracted fewer mites! If all else fails, I might start stalking ash trays

I can tell you what I did. My infestation was not horrible. I believe I caught it before it got bad but that's only because I saw them on the roost. What I did I learned from other OTs on here.

I sprayed all the wood in the coop with neem oil. I had to use what they had at Lowe's or Home Depot. I could not find organic neem oil. I sprayed the coop first thing in the morning and wouldn't let the chickens in. It has a VERY strong odor. Read the directions on the label. At roosting time the odor was still strong (I have a hoop coop lots of ventilation but still the smell was there) I removed the roost I sprayed and put another one in its place. I am sure the odor was so strong because I basically drenched the roost in Neem oil. None of those suckers were going to live if I had my way

I then removed all bedding in the coop and nesting boxes and disposed of it in the trash. (Or you can burn it)

That evening after they roosted I dust bathed them in wood ash and put nustock on their legs and feet. I did this 3 times about every other day or so. I also gave them eggs with fresh garlic and oregano. I did this a couple times as well. I also upped their meat protein to about every 3 days instead of only once or twice a week (I read that hens that are badly infested can become anemic from mite infestations) I put fresh herbs in the nesting boxes that are natural insect repellers.

I also removed all the wood from the coop that I could. Obviously I couldn't remove the frame but I sprayed it once with neem oil. Was this a little overboard? I am sure it was BUT those mites were not going to win. Their roost now is made from tigerwood which is suppose to be insect repellent. So far so good. The kitty litter box nesting boxes now sit on a wire shelf.

I was then told to check the hens every night for 10 days after the last dusting in wood ash. Day 10 is tomorrow. So far no new mites have been found. I am going to dust them with wood ash tomorrow night at roosting time just because its me and It wont hurt them. And put some nustock on their legs again. Just to be safe.

I can tell you that after the 3rd dusting I noticed a difference in the hens. They were not scratching when they were roosting like they were before. They were all nicely settled instead of antsy and itching. I NEVER saw the mites near their vent. Not once. I saw them on their backs and under their wings.
I have multi colored birds and the mites I saw on the birds were white and the ones on the roost were red. And I saw the red mites during the day on the roost. I really thought they were tiny spiders. UGH

I know mites and lice are everywhere. But I always left a litter box for of wood ash & peat moss in their coop all year round. This summer I got lax and didn't leave it in the coop. I truly believe that's why the hens got infected. I believe when the ash was available it kept the mites at bay so when it wasn't available they infested the hens. I will never do that again!! Thank goodness I heat with wood. I will be saving ashes to last us thru the summer

I BELIEVE I HAVE WON THE WAR AGAINST MITES

 

[aaggjg]

I know, right? There doesn't seem to be anywhere around here, and people look at me like I'm crazy. When I ask about organic (or non-GMO) feed, I get told "This bag says natural - isn't that organic?" But you look at the ingredients and there's nothing organic or non-GMO listed, and nothing on the bag says anything but "natural," whatever that means. Very little, I suspect. Like you said, frustrating.

Natural is a word companies try to use to trick the public into thinking things are good for you! I don't think it is regulated like the word organic... they are hoping you are too stupid to read the label. I was really sad to learn that bagged soil amendments are not regulated at all ... so buying "organic" doesn't mean a thing!! SO FRUSTRATING!!!!