The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!
- Thread starter Bulldogma
- Start date
Copied from the IN thread : https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/730582/indiana-bycers-here/20160#post_12647490 minmin1258
Yes they did. Pretty and shiny and good as new, and stayed, the roo didn't rub them off again.
Hi,
I'm new to raising chickens and BYC. We are starting our flock this spring. I have a million questions, and hope to work my way through this thread gathering answers. That said, I hope you don't mind one round of newbie questions. Right now, I'm concerned with raising chicks naturally. Is it wise to forgo vaccinations? Is it possible to get chicks from hatcheries without them? Same question for medicated feed. I want to be as natural as possible since our hens will be producing food for us, but I absolutely don't want to create suffering for any animal and a miserable experience for us. Vaccinated or not, are there certain breeds that are particularly hearty/disease-resistant? We're looking for birds that are good foragers but also able to tolerate confinement in the run/coop (we have severe predator activity). Grateful for any guidance you can give.
I'm new to raising chickens and BYC. We are starting our flock this spring. I have a million questions, and hope to work my way through this thread gathering answers. That said, I hope you don't mind one round of newbie questions. Right now, I'm concerned with raising chicks naturally. Is it wise to forgo vaccinations? Is it possible to get chicks from hatcheries without them? Same question for medicated feed. I want to be as natural as possible since our hens will be producing food for us, but I absolutely don't want to create suffering for any animal and a miserable experience for us. Vaccinated or not, are there certain breeds that are particularly hearty/disease-resistant? We're looking for birds that are good foragers but also able to tolerate confinement in the run/coop (we have severe predator activity). Grateful for any guidance you can give.
Kassaundra is right, you will find a lack of clear agreement on some of your questions.
About breeds - figure out what is best for your climate, especially if there are any heat or cold extremes where you live.
Best advice I can give you is plan for as much room as possible in both coop and run, and keep your flock as small as possible given the space - better to have lots of space than too little for reasons of health, flock dynamics, etc. I have never once heard of anyone feeling their run or coop is too big, but zillions feel the opposite.
If you have a severe predator problem, foraging is not going to be such an issue for you as your flock won't be around long if free ranging, unless you have an lgd (livestock guardian dog).
Personally, I think you may as well have the mareks vaccination , but I would skip medicated feeds unless you are keeping chickens in coops or runs where there have been chickens previously by someone else. In 15 years or so, I've never had medicated feeds and treated for cocci only this year on one chicken that had some underlying illness.
Read the emergency threads so you will learn the problems that people run into - some can't be avoided, but you will learn lots of things that will help you avoid common mistakes.
And finally, please give some thought now to why you want chickens, and what you will do in a few years when your hens stop providing eggs. What will happen to the hens? Will you keep them and continue feed and care without eggs? Will they become stew? If you are purchasing chicks and expecting all pullets, what will you do with roosters, or too many roosters? (if your chickens are pets, then a responsible pet owner keeps the pet for life. If your chickens are livestock, you eat the ones that are no longer producing or sell for market - finding a home for excess roosters or 2 year old hens isn't realistic in many places.
stepping off my soapbox now....
welcome to the wonderful world of chickens!
Don't believe everything you read! Common sense is very important. Its great that you are researching ahead of time.
Naked Necks are very disease resistant from my experience and what I've read online...
However, they certainly are not for everyone in looks.
I think the Plymouth Rock is a good breed for any newbie.
lalaland and Kass both answered your other questions. I think chicks started in mild weather are less likely to be overrun with cocci than those raised in the heat of summer... Cocci grows out of control in damp, wet and hot areas. Keep bedding as dry as possible (does not need to be clean), and add Unpasturized, raw (with the mother) apple cider vinegar in their drinking water. Fermented or soaked feed is a good idea as well.
I've never had a case of Cocci with anything other than my cornish X and layer chicks, and it was in the very hottest part of summer - in a brand stinking new barn. They were the first in that pen.
Welcome. You're in for a fun ride. For a partial listing of the possible choices, check out Henderson's Chicken Breeds Chart. Then, with your choices narrowed down a bit, Search the threads specific to each breed you're looking at. Some people choose one breed. Others like to mix it up so their flock and egg basket is varied in color. I'm a member of the latter group. If you have very cold winters, you might consider pea or rose combed birds as they are less prone to frost bite issues. Look for birds that are docile. And as PP said, one of the most important issues is the tendency to put too many chickens in too little space. If you have a heavy predator load, you might consider electric poultry net fencing. It will give you a nice big run, and minimize your predator risk. Most land predators will never touch an electric fence after the first zap, and if you have plenty of hidey spots in the run, hawks will hunt elsewhere, at least once your girls get full sized. They are most vulnerable before that time. The nice thing about electric poultry net fencing is that you can move it around. That makes it as close as you can get to free range while providing safety. In order to have your coop predator proof, it will need 1/2" hardware cloth. Chicken wire won't do the job well enough.
A good book to get you started is "The Small Scale Poultry Flock" by Harvey Ussery.
My personal opinion re: vaccination and medication is to not use it unless I have a problem. My personal approach is to help the chicks develop a healthy immune system by gradual exposure to the environment they will be living in, including starting them off with a healthy dose of probiotics in their water, apple cider vinegar in their water, and this year's chicks will get fermented feed. They also benefit from exposure to soil by giving them chunks of sod to work over. Don't forget to give them grit. The experts say not to give it to them if they are only eating chick starter, but, my intent is to give it to them shortly after they first fill their crops with feed. Chicks raised by a broody develop their immunity by snacking on her poo. Sounds gross, but a lot of baby animals function that way.
Ask 10 people for recommendations re: any chicken topic, and you will get so many varied responses that it will make your head spin. Your job is to use your common sense, apply some humor and sometimes forgiveness, and choose the path that is logical for your situation.
A good book to get you started is "The Small Scale Poultry Flock" by Harvey Ussery.
My personal opinion re: vaccination and medication is to not use it unless I have a problem. My personal approach is to help the chicks develop a healthy immune system by gradual exposure to the environment they will be living in, including starting them off with a healthy dose of probiotics in their water, apple cider vinegar in their water, and this year's chicks will get fermented feed. They also benefit from exposure to soil by giving them chunks of sod to work over. Don't forget to give them grit. The experts say not to give it to them if they are only eating chick starter, but, my intent is to give it to them shortly after they first fill their crops with feed. Chicks raised by a broody develop their immunity by snacking on her poo. Sounds gross, but a lot of baby animals function that way.
Ask 10 people for recommendations re: any chicken topic, and you will get so many varied responses that it will make your head spin. Your job is to use your common sense, apply some humor and sometimes forgiveness, and choose the path that is logical for your situation.
oh Emalin, I thought of something else that I didn't know years ago when I started: From the beginning, put a chunk of sod in the brooder with the baby chicks - some people do this day 1, you could wait til day 3. You will need to replace the sod with a new chunk when it needs freshening - I just put the used up sod chunk back in the ground and dig another. If you have flower gardens and need to expand your bed a little, this is a great way to do it!
You will be amazed at how much the chicks peck, dig, and eat dirt, rootlets, grass, clover, little bugs, etc.
DONT do this if you use pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers on your lawn.
You will be amazed at how much the chicks peck, dig, and eat dirt, rootlets, grass, clover, little bugs, etc.
DONT do this if you use pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers on your lawn.
Yes good point!! This really helps!
It sucks that I can't do this until late April or May for my chicks. :/
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