The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lindz8504]

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.

That's a lot better than my numbers! I lost 13 in two weeks to a neighbor's dog! And I have only had chickens since June!

 

[Leahs Mom]

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!

Very frustrating. Sorry to hear.

I try to keep a trap out baited for meat-eaters most of the time until the ground predators are mostly gone from the area. Has worked very well to thin out the population in the area.

Is your coop secure at night? (Where they sleep.)

 

[Leahs Mom]

Deleted. Duplicate somehow

 

[Shan30]

Very frustrating.  Sorry to hear.

I try to keep a trap out baited for meat-eaters most of the time until the ground predators are mostly gone from the area.  Has worked very well to thin out the population in the area.

Is your coop secure at night?  (Where they sleep.)

Thank you, It is now, the mink got in through a 1 to 1.5" hole that is now blocked. The rest were a taken outside. The live trap is also set constantly but hasn't seen any action since the mink.

 

[lalaland]

Quote:
Yeah, sublime the verb has a very different meaning than sublime the adjective! I like both meanings, though. I wonder how (if) the meanings are related? All in all, a very cool word.

I hope your ice crystals go away! I hate to worry about the birds. I worry that my coop is too open. No ice crystals, but it's only about a degree warmer inside than it is outside, and that may just be because it's two different thermometers. Maybe I have too much air flow? Since it's an insulated 6' x 6' x 6' box with 9 birds sleeping in it for 14 hours, it seems like it should warm up more than that. Maybe since it's so small I should just have windows on one side open, so there isn't such a breeze through the whole place.

The windows I have open are all up at the tops of the walls, but the roost is about 4' off the floor, so the chickens aren't too far below the windows. Plus, the ADOR1 door has all those holes in it and it's right below the roost, so the wind could easily come up from there and blow out the windows.

It's supposed to get down to 4'F tonight, -5 with windchill. Two of the walls are completely closed now, but the other two (East & West) have windows open. The roost is along the South wall. Maybe I should close up most of the windows on the East side (since the West side has a large overhang, so that window is more protected), and just leave a little opening up by the roof on that side? Waddya think?

I like Leahsmom's idea of windows on one side open - whatever isn't the prevailing wind. Your hens will be fine...mine have been in below zero for weeks. not happy, but fine except for a roosters comb. still haven't made it to the dictionary, I am curious about sublime still.

With chickens there is not many things you can't feed them, though be wary of certain seeds like apple seeds, they contain cyanide with in the seeds that kills birds. SO nothing wrong with the fermented corn at the moment until you can get some scratch or layer.

the apple seed thing reminds me of the potato peeling thing. I've read you shouldn't feed either to your chickens, mine get both. They would have to eat sooooo many seeds to have a problem, I think more than they actually could ingest if you fed nothing but seeds. Mine pick the seeds out first to eat. and they eat peelings, not their favorite but over a couple of days the peelings get eaten.

NOT in the winter though, the peelings just freeze and get left alone. same with anything lately,....it just freezes....can you tell I am in a funk about this weather?

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!

I'm sorry to hear of your hawk loss. THis is the first fall in 3 years that I haven't lost any to a hawk. Two things are different: first, I have roosters, and second, I extended a hawkproof enclosure and locked the girls up in it a few weeks earlier this year. Also tried to supervise more closely when they were out, so I was around when the hawk pinned my ee Jezebel to the ground, and got there in time to free her.

your barn story of the pipes freezing and flooding sounds just awful! and to have to deal with it in the cold, too. must have been really tough.

 

[ki4got]

still haven't made it to the dictionary, I am curious about sublime still.

just google the word...

sublime
adjective
of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe. "Mozart's sublime piano concertos"
synonyms: exalted, elevated, noble, lofty, awe-inspiring, majestic, magnificent, glorious, superb, wonderful, marvelous, splendid

sublimation
- (chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid

 

[TeaChick]

That's a lot better than my numbers! I lost 13 in two weeks to a neighbor's dog! And I have only had chickens since June!

Oh, it sounds like that was beyond your control. (No less difficult, I am sorry.

)
I'll try to keep in mind that it could be worse. =) Thanks.

 

[Shan30]

your barn story of the pipes freezing and flooding sounds just awful!  and to have to deal with it in the cold, too. must have been really tough.

Wasn't so bad when I was a kid, thought it was pretty cool and my horse and pony got to sleep in a hay barn so I was happy My parents not so much lol

It's incredible that you actually saved her when a hawk was already on her! Nice work!

 

[Scott H]

To lalaland...I believe the toxin in apple seeds is cumulative. ... so the longer they eat them the more toxins build up on their bodies. I may be wrong but check out.. I'm on my dumb phone or I would do it.
Same with potato skins. ...

 

[Scott H]

Things I've learned about the molt. ..

1. They can molt before they are a year old. Oprah is 11 months old.

2. Your biggest hen can turn into the smallest in a week.

3. They can survive extremely cold temps during the molt but look miserable doing it.

4. Appetite is poor for a week or so while molting.... you would think they would be ravenous.

5. Appetite comes back before they are done molting and they become ravenous again.

6. They somehow retain their flock position and no one picks on them when they're down.

What did I miss? Add to the list if you have a mind to....