The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Scott H]

Glad things aren't looking so bleak now , Vicki, hopefully you are through he worst.

How many chickens here got leftover turkey? Lots of little protein scraps when you take the meat off the carcass.

I now have a SL Bald Wyandotte and Naked Neck BLRB Wyandotte. Need lots of protein.

 

[lazy gardener]

you know how I keep saying I'm learning about new breeds all the time? Well, have you heard of showgirls? a cross between silkie and turken? OH MY!

LaLa: When I stopped laughing long enough to show a picture of a show girl with my husband, he glanced at it and said, "Just because you can... it doesn't mean you should."

Greetings!


I would like to grow small amounts of grains that the chickens can nibble on when they are free-ranging in the backyard. But truly, I know of no grains grown on Long Island.


So, my yard has sun and shade depending on the season. What and where can I buy seeds to grow grains that the girls can eat while the plants are growing. I plan to section off parts of yard and plant vegetables for the girls, but how do I add grains?

thanks
Schimbare

Schimbare: I'd suggest that in the short term you look into growing sprouts of fodder. How many girls do you have? Most grains need or grow best with full sun. Are you talking about the girls being able to nibble on grain seeds from the grain plants growing in your yard? Most grains take quite a while to mature. Again, you're better off IMO growing a variety of greens for them to eat, and adding sprouts/fodder or scratch grains. This in addition to their balanced feed.

Delisha: I'm so very glad your girls are improving. I also recommend that you hold the feed store and feed company accountable for selling you contaminated feed. If we as livestock keepers do not demand accountability re: the products we buy for our flocks, these companies will not change their practices. No amount of reimbursement can "pay for" the horror you've just been through, however, your experience may save someone else's flock through demanded accountability and publicity. Your experience has me wondering about the risk of girls ingesting feed that they've scratched out into the litter. How can anyone possibly prevent that from happening??

 

[armorfirelady]

Mine have one turkey carcass coming and hopefully 2 more.........they freeze great and the hens love a turkey carcass. Since I didn't cook today and it was dark by the time we ate they had eggs with garlic for their treat today. They were content.

They are not eating their grains like normal but any other food they gobble up. I need to figure out why since they should be eating more not less :/ only different thing is this hasn't been thru the processor..........waiting in my new feed grinder.

 

[lalaland]

LaLa: When I stopped laughing long enough to show a picture of a show girl with my husband, he glanced at it and said, "Just because you can... it doesn't mean you should."


Delisha: I'm so very glad your girls are improving. I also recommend that you hold the feed store and feed company accountable for selling you contaminated feed. If we as livestock keepers do not demand accountability re: the products we buy for our flocks, these companies will not change their practices. No amount of reimbursement can "pay for" the horror you've just been through, however, your experience may save someone else's flock through demanded accountability and publicity. Your experience has me wondering about the risk of girls ingesting feed that they've scratched out into the litter. How can anyone possibly prevent that from happening??

LazyGardner, I agree totally with your husband about the showgirls!

And, scratched out feed on the ground - sometimes I notice when I pick up a feed container or bowl that has been on the ground too long, that there is mold growing on the dirt underneath. Totally freaks me out, I have to scrape out the dirt - it goes into a special compost dump where the chickens can't get to it.

I keep feed in metal garbage cans - once in a great while a little rain gets in when I am getting feed (water pours off the lid ) and then later find a clump of moldy feed. This also goes into the special compost dump.

same thing with birdfeeders - you can kill off an amazing number of birds with moldy birdseed.

 

[delisha]

I used to live on Long Island..
You can grow anything and everything your chickens need..

try planting Oregano, kale, spinach, chick weed..squash and pumpkins if you have room..several other herbs too would be great too like ..comfrey, garlic, wormwood, sage, thyme, fennel, and parsley. That is a great start and these greens will be productive and wonderful for your birds. The link below will help you with grains...let us know how it goes!!


http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Growing_grains_for_chicken_feed/

 

[CoopChick719]

Coopchick, I think it is so strange that the three should have underdeveloped ovaries if they came from two different sources and were different breeds. I must be wrong in my thinking that such a problem would be genetic and unrelated to nutrition. I know poor nutrition can stunt development, but can't believe that yours were malnourished as chicks! I'm wondering if the lab guy could shed more light on that...what his opinion might be.

The rest of your flock, any chickens that came from the same age group as the 3 or 4 that are laying? Am wondering if there are more chickens who "will never lay" because of underdeveloped ovaries.

I'm sorry to be so persistent, its just that your experience was so similiar to mine that I am wondering how, despite our best efforts at providing the best for our chickens, that we find these things happening!

After hearing of your results, I went out and added another feeding station. It will have to go away after the snows come, but....

Totally freaks me out, I have to scrape out the dirt - it goes into a special compost dump where the chickens can't get to it.

I keep feed in metal garbage cans.

Lala, DH is convinced that all the chicks we got from 1 source were a bad batch. 1 died in the box on the way home from picking them up. That should have been a red flag. Think it was heat stress from being in a small lidded box which did have holes punched in it... I took them out & put them in the cat carrier we brought w/us. Also, it was an unbelievably hot day for Maine--High 90's. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and the source i-/s also a fellow BYC'er. The Black Sex Link cross, hatched by my Sizzle broody, was very healthy as a chick. However I've heard that Sex Links are known for internal laying problems. She was the one w/peritonitis. Her 2 hatchmates are laying--1 is an EE x giving me a green egg--1 BR x giving me an olive egg. I do the same thing w/moldy dirt under anything. Do you dump the feed directly into the can or just keep the whole bag in the can?

Coopchick, I generally have around 25ish (layers and growing capons) but right now 11. I had a preditor attack that killed my entire flock except for 3 broody moms and their chicks and one smart girl who got and stayed up high.

Especially since all your flock is doing well and you had the handful not doing well I would say it was more a problem w/ those birds themselves, either genetic or temperament, or unknown illness earlier in life that was chronic or had lasting results to them.

You alone know your birds and flock dynamics and husbandry. I would consider w/ a practical eye what the Dr. told you and w/ common sense make the changes you think will help if any (more feeding stations seems very practical) However keep in mind you don't want bad genetics or unthrifty birds mucking up your genetic base to your flock. For millennia animals have survived and even thrived in harsh mother nature b/c of their ability to cull the weak.

Kass, So sorry to hear about your flock!

I am adding another waterer w/vitamins in it. Feeding dry for now but am not convinced the FF is playing any part in this. My FF smells good & tangy.

I, too, am thinking that genetics has played a role here. The vet said thought the Salmon/Faverolle could possibly have been a congenital dwarf because the head & feet were normal size but she was tiny. So much so that I asked breeder if she was a banty. Was told no but her parents were small too.

nother question that begs answering... what breed were they and how old? some breeds take forever to mature in the first place! my wyandottes don't start laying until between 8 and 10 months old usually.

Black Sex Link cross--9 mos.
Patridge Faverolle/Chantecler X and Black Copper Maran--6 mos

DH who has recently become what I call the Accidental Poultryman. He wanted NOTHING to do with chickens. He has started naming chickens and juveniles, He has formed relationships with them, learned their personalities, and developed a sense of when things seem off. I don't know how I would ever repay him for the assistance he has provided the last few months.

Pozees, Kudos to your DH!!! My DH didn't want the birds and wasn't going to help w/them. I was told this was my thing! He named the first 5 we got. He also found the coop for a STEAL--$400--it came w/everything but the chickens!! Talks to the girls, brings them his leftovers from lunch and lets them out in the mornings. Last week, he told me he bought me a Christmas present--it was expensive and I would llike it (not becasue it was expensive--I'm not a high maintenance type of girl). It's a wifi chicken cam for the coop w/2 cameras--1 for inside, 1 for outside! He was so excited about it, I didn't have the heart to tell him I was hoping for an automatic pop door openener or a remote car starter.

 

[Jewelwing]

Wow, lots more homebirthing moms than I ever expected. All 4 though and in Indiana, that is better than great.


delisha ~ said a prayer over here too. I can not imagine all of the chickens getting sick at once and the effort it would take to help them and maintain self control. I would be in tears

I used midwives to deliver my kids, but I did it at the hospital. Good thing I did, too, because my last one required an emergency c-section! So obviously a doctor did that part. But I'd do a midwife again in a heartbeat.

Delisha - I'm waiting with baited breath to see how your chickens are doing (I'm on page 2415, so maybe if I just keep reading I'll find out). I would be sick with worry if that happened to me. I hope your flock is recovering at this point.

 

[TeaChick]

Quote:

LaLa: When I stopped laughing long enough to show a picture of a show girl with my husband, he glanced at it and said, "Just because you can... it doesn't mean you should."

I agree with him. I know ppl like their special breeds. (I, personally, am a fan of frizzles.)

 

[TeaChick]

I used to live on Long Island..
You can grow anything and everything your chickens need..

try planting Oregano, kale, spinach, chick weed..squash and pumpkins if you have room..several other herbs too would be great too like ..comfrey, garlic, wormwood, sage, thyme, fennel, and parsley. That is a great start and these greens will be productive and wonderful for your birds. The link below will help you with grains...let us know how it goes!!


http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Growing_grains_for_chicken_feed/

Thank you!
My chickens eat herbs from my container garden, but I wanted to buy seeds and just spread them in the back yard and have kind of a Chicken "Garden" they can eat from for a season and for not much $. I'll take down your list and check out the website; then I'll be ready to hit the seed rack.
I guess I'll have to lay some kind of hardware cloth over the area so they don't just peck up the seeds....
Thanks!!!

 

[delisha]

I brought one more bird in the house today..the rest seem fine on the first day out. I am not sure the three in the house are worth the extra effort to try to save, but, I am making sure they have a few days of available food and water with out having to go far. I will give them that much.