The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

I know there are mice in the coop, but I have watched the hens reach over and nibble on each others back. The hen that is nibbled on doesn't react, and I have 4 welsummers and 3 astrolorps from that bedroom flock - there is one astrolorp that objects and so isn't nibbled on. She might be the main nibbler, but she taught my 5 year old EE to nibble too. It is a roosting behavior, and I noticed a surge of it when they were locked in the coop for weeks on end with the bitter cold.

they do learn from each other.

funny thing is, they hardly ever eat feathers that have fallen out - down or otherwise.

Delisha that is a scary thought that mice and rats would eat the feathers off a hens back!

And it is totally different than rooster damage. It looks as if someone carefully clipped the tips of the feathers off.

I'll try to get a picture of it. I am just sorry - I can hardly be proud of their condition!

Go out at night with a flash light and look through a window..if you have mice or rats they crawl all over the chickens while they are sleeping. I have seen video on the net and it was very disturbing to watch..I never knew they did that..

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
It would be a one generation chick, just a small group that I could quickly tell the roos from the hens.

Quote: Nice but I'm still debating how many sex linked hens I want in my layer flock. Once they grow up they are not much better for breeding than any other barnyard mix. So much to consider.

Quote: Or I could drag you into my Rhodebar project. VBEG
I have thought about the rhodebars, but opted to try for the cream legbars instead to get blue eggs. But my one legbar hen passed, leaving me only 1 roo and a delay till next breeding season. Most likely for the best since I can dream of so many other combos I want to try this breeding season.

Quote: Sex linked yes, but not autosexed. So just remember they won't breed true. But the first generation will be sex linked due to sex links and auto sexed are connected to the barring gene.
This is a down side for sure. Still I would be able to pull the rooster chicks out and not wast a lot of food, at least for that first year.

First chick of the season hatched a few hours ago... Rhodebar pullet.

Congratulations.

 

[aaggjg]

Go out at night with a flash light and look through a window..if you have mice or rats they crawl all over the chickens while they are sleeping. I have seen video on the net and it was very disturbing to watch..I never knew they did that..

YUCK!!!!! I want to live in denial!!! I mean YUCK!!!

 

[Overhill Flocks]

Go out at night with a flash light and look through a window..if you have mice or rats they crawl all over the chickens while they are sleeping. I have seen video on the net and it was very disturbing to watch..I never knew they did that..

I'm sorry. WHAT?!?!? That's just terrible.

 

[Shan30]

Go out at night with a flash light and look through a window..if you have mice or rats they crawl all over the chickens while they are sleeping. I have seen  video on the net and it was very disturbing to watch..I never knew they did that..

This is incredibly messed up! I am battling rats in the coop and failing miserably. They won't take the bait! Every night I make sure they can't get to any of the feed and I've had baited traps out for two weeks and still nothing! Any ideas?

Great now I can't stop picturing the broody covered in rats!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

HOW do you debone a whole bird? I can see deboning the individual portions, but not a whole thing...

I learned how from this video:

I found that the bones and connective tissues of a cockerel are much sturdier than a store-bought meat bird ... x 10 for free-range turkeys.

 

[aaggjg]

Okay so I want to tell you all a story about my 2 white silkie hens.... They were kept inside a little longer then they should have been because their coop was being built. They were raised with Ameraucanas & Lav orps they were by far the lowest on the pecking order and very shy. They always stuck together and when I would open my run door to let the hens out in the yard these 2 girls would hang back and enjoy the quiet in the run. One day you all might remember that I was shaking out the tarp that I put over the run during a heavy rain and the silkies got scared and ran out into the yard. Well they NEVER LOOKED BACK.... These 2 girls often go up my hill together foraging and they are fearless. They are trailblazers. One is a scrappy little thing named Pickles and the other is bigger fuller and her name is Penelope.... They lived with some other silkies the lav orps, ameraucanas, a sizzle etc etc .... Well 2 of my hens in the coop with my older girls died ... there was 1 lone silkie in that coop so I decided that these 2 whites should go live with the older hens... bantam cochin, ameraucanas, frizzle, Marans & lone silkie ..... They adjusted very well and the other lonely silkie had some new friends ... They've been living together for 6 months or so ...


Well, lately Pickles has become a very Chatty chicken... She is taking after my splash Marans, Pearl, who I now call LOUD MOUTH .... Pearl crowed a month or so ago .... I've heard her a few times but I immediately pretend I am a rooster and pull her neck feather and pinch her tail... She hasnt crowed for a few weeks ... Crisis averted .... Today Pickles was on the lower Patio with the Big Girls Loud Mouth & others and she was being CHATTY so I went up to see what was going on and no sooner did I arrive then Pickles my sweet scrappy little white silkie CROWED .... PICKLES!!!! She is not at the top of the pecking order ... What is going on??? This better be a one time thing.... Do you hear me Pickles ??

 

[ChickChickChicky]

This is incredibly messed up! I am battling rats in the coop and failing miserably. They won't take the bait! Every night I make sure they can't get to any of the feed and I've had baited traps out for two weeks and still nothing! Any ideas?

Great now I can't stop picturing the broody covered in rats!

I've found that the among the best baits for my Rat Zapper http://www.amazon.com/Rat-Zapper-RZC001-Classic/dp/B002665ZTC are Calf Manna http://www.mannapro.com/products/calf-manna/ and/or black oil sunflower seeds. Rats (and mice) love both of them dearly.

 

[aoxa]

Okay so I want to tell you all a story about my 2 white silkie hens.... They were kept inside a little longer then they should have been because their coop was being built. They were raised with Ameraucanas & Lav orps they were by far the lowest on the pecking order and very shy. They always stuck together and when I would open my run door to let the hens out in the yard these 2 girls would hang back and enjoy the quiet in the run. One day you all might remember that I was shaking out the tarp that I put over the run during a heavy rain and the silkies got scared and ran out into the yard. Well they NEVER LOOKED BACK.... These 2 girls often go up my hill together foraging and they are fearless. They are trailblazers. One is a scrappy little thing named Pickles and the other is bigger fuller and her name is Penelope.... They lived with some other silkies the lav orps, ameraucanas, a sizzle etc etc .... Well 2 of my hens in the coop with my older girls died ... there was 1 lone silkie in that coop so I decided that these 2 whites should go live with the older hens... bantam cochin, ameraucanas, frizzle, Marans & lone silkie ..... They adjusted very well and the other lonely silkie had some new friends ... They've been living together for 6 months or so ...


Well, lately Pickles has become a very Chatty chicken... She is taking after my splash Marans, Pearl, who I now call LOUD MOUTH .... Pearl crowed a month or so ago .... I've heard her a few times but I immediately pretend I am a rooster and pull her neck feather and pinch her tail... She hasnt crowed for a few weeks ... Crisis averted .... Today Pickles was on the lower Patio with the Big Girls Loud Mouth & others and she was being CHATTY so I went up to see what was going on and no sooner did I arrive then Pickles my sweet scrappy little white silkie CROWED .... PICKLES!!!! She is not at the top of the pecking order ... What is going on??? This better be a one time thing.... Do you hear me Pickles ??

I have never ever had a hen crow, that's hilarious!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I have had one production RIR crow.