The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TeaChick]

I have checked in the afternoon and at night for eggs but so far I haven't found any. I think my hen is laying them early in the morning?

I have had trouble with hens not laying.
A breeder friend of mine up the street has too.
Breeder friends of hers all over have too.
There's even a whole thread about it on here (BYC)!!!

Mine just got back to laying.
I should be getting almost half a dozen eggs a day from the breeds I have; I was lucky to average an egg a day, then they stopped altogether for about ten days each (I have white egg layers and brown egg layers). Yesterday I got one egg; today I got three by noon.

 

[Kassaundra]

What is NN?

Naked neck, they have aroung 60% fewer feathers then average chickens. Are excellent for hot climates.

 

[TeaChick]

I have some very wet chickens and it's going to get down to 26 degrees tonight. They free range and despite me putting their food under roof, some of them still spent a lot of time in the rain doing their normal thing. The 2 cockerels look like they took a bath. Most of then hens were a little smarter and stayed under cover.

There's no electricity in the coop and I won't run an extension cord to leave a light on for them.

I'm trying to control the impulse to bring them in one at a time to try to dry them up a little.

But wet and cold is bad bad bad so I feel like I should do something.


Where's the line of they know what's okay for them and maybe as their steward I should have kept them confined all day because they don't know better?

Mine are more apt to be out in the rain. They hunt for worms and other things that come out of the ground to avoid drowning.

IDK where the line is between them knowing better or us knowing better, but I bet it varies widely by breed and breeding.

If you feel like it's better for them if you dry them off, then you're going to feel a lot better about that than if you find them... expired?... in the morning.
I don't like to live with the idea of shoulda, coulda, woulda; and I wouldn't sleep all night if I felt the way you described.

 

[TeaChick]

The chickens have started their Christmas decorating.


They got some lights that are battery operated at Walmart (Cheaper than this link states. They're smart shoppers

)

We haven't even started decorating at the house. I guess they have time on their hands. (It does get boring for them about this time of year.)

I was taking down the electronet before the next big snow tonight..supposed to be another 4-12" depending on proximity to the lake.)


(Theirs had 36 lights )

If they laid eggs, they wouldn't be so bored!!!

 

[TeaChick]

Too cute!!




I think I killed all of my birds..

I am just sick..they have been acting off for two days and I attributed it to me not fermenting with the change in weather... I bought a new bag of crumbles and was going to feed that out through all of the storms. ..I had several downed adult healthy birds this morning and all of them are acting off..several dead chicks...the bag of feed is full of mold..I am doing molasses and hoping I can save some of them..but I think its too late..almost 50 lbs of poison I gave them..

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having these problems!!!

 

[TeaChick]

@ Delisha:

You might try ecinechea (sp) and/or a pinch of cayenne in whatever they will eat???
Also, yogurt and/or scrambled eggs.

I got two new hens about a month and a half ago; they both got sick (digestive). I didn't know until I lost one of them, but I was able to save the other. I fed her 2T plain yogurt mixed with a scrambled egg and 1/4 t ecenechea every day and kept food (ff, if you have it) available. IDK if you can do that for all your birds or not. I had to separate her, so it was easier for me to make sure she was eating it and in the right amount.

All the best to you for them!!!

 

[TeaChick]

Vicki,

2013 has simply been the worst year all around, and I am SO SORRY to hear this. Makes my stomach tighten and my heart drop.

I'm not a religious person, but I am praying for you here as well.

Guess I chose the wrong year to get into chickens.
Unless trial by fire is considered a good thing. =o\

 

[TeaChick]

Naked neck, they have aroung 60% fewer feathers then average chickens. Are excellent for hot climates.

Oh, thanks.
60% sounds like a good head start. ;-)

 

[TeaChick]

I just had to cull one of my chicks, it was a harder for me cull then usual considering my recent attack and how few I have left, and that she was a she. She wasn't "sick" just failing to thrive. The ironic thing is before the attack I wouldn't even have considered keeping her b/c of her large bow tie (a nn). She was young and tiny, so I am trying cooking right after culling. I plucked since she was a nn and then when I had finished threw some seasoning in her and stuffed a potato in her cavity, so we'll see how that goes.

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm new (started in March).
What is culling?

Thanks for the understanding and answers. =)

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm new (started in March).
What is culling?

Thanks for the understanding and answers. =)

No problem. Culling is removing a chicken from your flock, some sell, or give away, or eat. When I say cull it always means killing and eating. I distinguish between culling and processing. In that if I process a bird it is one I intended to eat, if I cull the bird it isn't one I intended to kill, but circumstance (usually sick, or injured) requires it.