The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TeaChick]

If it smells tangy or sour (not yeasty, alcohol-like, or moldy) it is lacto-fermenting. And that's great for them! Here's an article that has some of the research references about the benefits of lacto-fermenting of feed grains. Way better than just dry corn! So you're definitely not a bad chicken keeper!

Thanks. =)
I'll check out the article. Thanks.

I feel like a bad chicken keeper and I've lost five chickens and I've only been keeping chickens for nine months. =(
And I've got one that I'm worried about now.

 

[ronnie 25]

I am a rice farmer and i just feed mine rice. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai hope hope that is organic.

 

[TeaChick]

I also think that the "semi-fast" that they go on when broody is a body-cleansing time too. Then everything is renewed. Makes a lot of sense.

I agree. I think that makes sense. =)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
TC - how have you lost them? Sickness or predation?

 

[Pnoah1]

On the feed, what do you suggest for free ranging supplement. I have a "normal" Deep South yard, so there aren't much grains available right now (there will be Baheia grass in the summer and a bunch of other smaller grasses that have grain heads on them, but not now). There are greens available now; I see them eating Spanish Needle leaves and some other leaves I don't know exactly what it is, but it smells good to me, and of course we have more than our fair share of bugs and creepy crawlies of all kinds here. lol

My Frizzle's fluff reminded my husband of a character from VeggieTales (who was supposed to fly, but couldn't until the end of the story), so he named her after the "Snoodle". Okay.
My kids asked who that was (your roo). The recognized that he looked just like Snoodle. lol
Well, IDK where you are, but if you ever have an extra Bantam Cochin roo, please PM me. =)

There is no real good grass for the winter as most chickens tend to stick to there coups during the cold seasons, when the grass starts growing again during the spring then the grass you have already should be fine. Though Perennial fescues is a good year round growing grass that should work well for your chickens.

Next year we are going to be breeding and selling some of the chicks we get from our Cochins next year, I'll PM you if your still around at the time.

 

[TeaChick]

TC - how have you lost them? Sickness or predation?

I lost four to predators (two of my Leghorns thought it was a good idea to sleep in the woods one night, only one walked back out, another time another Leghorn went to sleep out there and didn't come back; this makes me want the darker colored birds b/c my gold Comets and my black Jersey Giant have spent a night, or a week and a half in the case of my JG, in the woods and come out fine), another predator loss was the Monday before Thanksgiving, my junior rooster got bitten by a poisonous snake.
A hen I got at the same time as my JG got sick as soon as I got her, but i didn't know until almost two weeks later and she died. My JG turned out to be sick too, but I was able to save her. Now, something else is going on with her, but IDK what, so.... I'm concerned I'm working on my sixth loss. =(

 

[ki4got]

Quote: honestly, if you're wanting to 'create' barred cochins, you're better off starting with barred cochins, otherwise it will be many generations before they actually look like cochins...

 

[TeaChick]

There is no real good grass for the winter as most chickens tend to stick to there coups during the cold seasons, when the grass starts growing again during the spring then the grass you have already should be fine. Though Perennial fescues is a good year round growing grass that should work well for your chickens.

Next year we are going to be breeding and selling some of the chicks we get from our Cochins next year, I'll PM you if your still around at the time.

I live in the Deep South, my lawn is still green; it's different than in the summer, but still green. There's something that looks like it might be miniature duck weed.

Sounds great! I'll keep an eye out for your PM. =)

 

[Shan30]

I have ice on the inside of all my windows in the coop. Not sure it's avoidable here though due to moisture in the air.

This is the coldest it's been since we started chickeneering and was around -12 Celsius for a few days(last winter was mild even for the island) The coop is about 15' x 8' with a floor to ceiling window on the south end that does not open and 3 windows each on the east and west side that do. The building is actually insuated but since the windows are old single panes with wood frames, the insulation is basically useless.

I closed all windows except one on the west side just above the pop door and it still froze inside. The waterers froze solid overnight and the rabbit waterers actually exploded. Total pain in the you know what! Switched waterers twice a day, letting them defrost in the bathtub. We were completely unprepared for that kind of cold. Not as bad as when I was a kid and the entire barn had automatic waterers plumbed directly with PVC. Entire system froze, cracked pipes, flooded and refroze. Skating rink horse,cattle and pig stalls in the dead of winter is not pretty.

It's warming up for now and I plan in investing in some heated dog bowls before it hits again.

On a sad note, yet another of my Amerecaunas was killed. This time it was a hawk. That's 4 in the last couple weeks, 2 to a raccoon, 1 to a mink and now the hawk. I guess everything out here is hungry with this weather. I left her in the field for what ever needs her. Will be trying the fishing line trip over the run. Hope it works!

 

[TeaChick]

I have ice on the inside of all my windows in the coop. Not sure it's avoidable here though due to moisture in the air.

This is the coldest it's been since we started chickeneering and was around -12 Celsius for a few days(last winter was mild even for the island) The coop is about 15' x 8' with a floor to ceiling window on the south end that does not open and 3 windows each on the east and west side that do. The building is actually insuated but since the windows are old single panes with wood frames, the insulation is basically useless.

I closed all windows except one on the west side just above the pop door and it still froze inside. The waterers froze solid overnight and the rabbit waterers actually exploded. Total pain in the you know what! Switched waterers twice a day, letting them defrost in the bathtub. We were completely unprepared for that kind of cold. Not as bad as when I was a kid and the entire barn had automatic waterers plumbed directly with PVC. Entire system froze, cracked pipes, flooded and refroze. Skating rink horse,cattle and pig stalls in the dead of winter is not pretty.

It's warming up for now and I plan in investing in some heated dog bowls before it hits again.

On a sad note, yet another of my Amerecaunas was killed. This time it was a hawk. That's 4 in the last couple weeks, 2 to a raccoon, 1 to a mink and now the hawk. I guess everything out here is hungry with this weather. I left her in the field for what ever needs her. Will be trying the fishing line trip over the run. Hope it works!