The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

sorry for everyone's predator troubles - its a tough time of year.

went to let the girls out under supervision. Booster, the junior roo, was sounding the hawk call every few minutes. He has a really good eye, although he did freak out over a big leaf falling from the sky. I finally gave up and shooed the girls in. I swear, the sulmtalers are going to be easy pickings, so big, so visible, and so slow to react to warnings.

Still no eggs! Aoxa, I tried for comb pics but the sunlight is just so harsh this time of year, it washes everything out.

I have yet to have any big predator losses. At least there's one good thing I can say this year. I've lost a few to hawks, but nothing big. *knock on wood*

I have to say, I even leave doors open at night...

 

[Shan30]

It makes sense to me. My first idea was something along those lines ... a "loop" between each box that a pole or board could be slid through to secure the whole string of boxes at once ... it would have been a simple enough solution had we been thinking ahead. But the lid of each box is at it's own peculiar angle, each box is at it's own peculiar height, and so on. Think Picasso painting. 

If only raccoons weren't so clever and persistent. If only humans weren't so stubborn.

Haha we're all a little stubborn. Hard not to be when you know your always right like me

If you can, post a picture of the areas that need to be secured.

Anyone know any natural (or unnatural) raccoon deterrents?

 

[Shan30]

I admit I have a couple times when we decided to stay at a friends.

Maybe the $179.00 + tax investment into an automatic pop door isn't a bad idea. I just wonder how secure they really are.

 

[Kassaundra]

I admit I have a couple times when we decided to stay at a friends.

Maybe the $179.00 + tax investment into an automatic pop door isn't a bad idea. I just wonder how secure they really are.

My husband made ours our of a car antenea motor and a piece of metal from lowes, he has it hooked to a timer/ light senser, we love it. I don't know about the ready made ones, but know ours can't be breached by anything short of a bear b/c of how he has installed it (on the inside) and the track system he made. The door itself is metal and there is nothing for any preditor to grab hold of from the outside to lift or pry with and if they push on it they are pushing on solid wood screwed together. He got the idea from some site I'm sure if you google car antenea motor automatic chicken door it or like ones will pop up. I couldn't even begin to tell you how it works or is made.

 

[Allysha1990]

Hi, I just joined BYC and I have just started raising my own natural flock. So far we are having great success, the only issue I have is a few of my flock have bumble foot. I posted in another thread on how I was treating them. Papaya cream, tea tree oil, lavender oil, and chamomile oil. So far they are responding very well!
I opted for a natural treatment vs antibiotics because eventually they will probably be meat birds, and as we are raising a natural flock we do not want to ingest any antibiotics.

 

[AletaG]

I admit I have a couple times when we decided to stay at a friends.
Maybe the $179.00 + tax investment into an automatic pop door isn't a bad idea. I just wonder how secure they really are.

My husband made ours our of a car antenea motor and a piece of metal from lowes, he has it hooked to a timer/ light senser, we love it. I don't know about the ready made ones, but know ours can't be breached by anything short of a bear b/c of how he has installed it (on the inside) and the track system he made. The door itself is metal and there is nothing for any preditor to grab hold of from the outside to lift or pry with and if they push on it they are pushing on solid wood screwed together. He got the idea from some site I'm sure if you google car antenea motor automatic chicken door it or like ones will pop up. I couldn't even begin to tell you how it works or is made.

we're thinking of copying this design https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-5-bucks-with-a-radio-antenna-from-a-junkyard

 

[Kassaundra]

we're thinking of copying this design https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-5-bucks-with-a-radio-antenna-from-a-junkyard

I'll have to show my husband that thread and see if it is similar to ours, I know ours cost quite a bit more then the $5 I think his motor alone was about 40 online. If there is a way he could make it more economical that would be great. He is taking one of ours to give to his father (he just got chickens this last couple of months) so he is going to need to make another one for us (we have 2 chicken doors on our coop) since the inside is divided into 2 for raising chicks so they can have a covered run (protection from cats)

 

[lalaland]

Hi, I just joined BYC and I have just started raising my own natural flock. So far we are having great success, the only issue I have is a few of my flock have bumble foot. I posted in another thread on how I was treating them. Papaya cream, tea tree oil, lavender oil, and chamomile oil. So far they are responding very well!
I opted for a natural treatment vs antibiotics because eventually they will probably be meat birds, and as we are raising a natural flock we do not want to ingest any antibiotics.

Welcome!

What area do you live in? I've never heard of papaya cream....

 

[Shan30]

Thanks Kassaundra and Aleta, I will show this to my boss (Electrician) when he gets in and see if I can get some help.
May ask him if he could adapt it to use a photocell so it would close when the sun goes down.

Hopefully this did occur once it was dark and that will solve the problem.
If something attacked during the day I'm not sure how we will secure such a large area.

I have the feeling that "removing" one coon isn't going to do it.

 

[TeaChick]

I think this is the thread for my question, but I'm still not sure there isn't a better thread.

I just started keeping chickens this year and, in keeping with my endeavor to be as crunchy as my DH will let me be lol, I have been trying to keep things as natural as possible for them. I started out free ranging, but they didn't like the original coop, so I had to tempt them in there with "peep treats" every evening and then catch a few to put them in. When they got to be about six months old, I was told they should have already started laying, so I started cooping them for a few days at a time and letting them free range for a day. Then I had to change their feed. Then I built them a hen house (with roost and ground access, which the coop lacked). I cooped them there for a week and I got more eggs than I had been in the coop (I assume b/c of the increased light). I free ranged them one day and they didn't go into the hen house, so I grounded them for five days. Those five days was up this past Sunday (11-17-13); I've been free ranging them since and I've got them all going into the hen house.
Complaint: I'm not getting any eggs from my Jersey Giant, Bantam Cochin frizzle, and four gold Comets, and I'm getting one egg a day from my three white Leghorns.
Question: Is all the changing the reason I'm not getting eggs from my brown egg birds? Or do I need to go on an egg hunt?

The question I can't find a thread for is this:
I plan on my Jersey (at least) and hopefully my Cochin going broody this spring. I'll keep the hens and eat the cockrels.
Question: Is it okay for my to incorporate my new hens into the old flock with their dad? Or do I have to eat my rooster every year?