The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[hellbender]

Speaking of fences, do any of you have any recommendations on electric fences. I have seen the links on here for premier fencing, but I am not sure what I need exactly. I need the fencing itself and then a charger for the fencing? I that correct. Is there any place that sells kits with everything? We're trying to figure out the cost. I really don't need a lot of area covered maybe an 20 x 10 foot space and I will move the fencing around the yard to control free range areas.

I am just really confused about what I need to buy and how much area the fencing will cover.

Thanks!

The fence will cover what ever lengths you buy and how you set it up. As I mentioned in another post, I use the same high powered charger that I use for the other stock but you can go to a farm supply store and get a very good charger for around $45 or 50 bucks.

It's very important to have a proper ground steak and to have the fence grounded..it's well described with the charger.

Do NOT get a 'weed burner'. They are fine for some purposes and other material but all others are great and will give you excellent service and years of peace of mind.

I would avoid the solar type..they seen to fail often, according to friends.

Honestly...this is likely the easiest fencing to install and maintain.

Good luck

 

[RedRidge]

So one of the projects we're hoping to complete this summer is making a fence for our garden area. I'm totally against using treated wood at all, although my husband thinks I'm a bit wacky for refusing to let him use it even for the posts (and for not letting him use Roundup to kill the grass that's where the garden's going to be!!!).

He found someone on Craig's list who's selling hedge posts (osage orange) from some land he cleared.  Apparently these make fantastic posts, and take forever (many decades) to rot.  So does everyone think it's a good idea to use osage orange wood near where we're going to grow vegetables, and around chickens?

I've heard the fruit is toxic, but we'd just be using the cut trunks.

On a similar note, we're thinking of using a living fence, like wisteria, instead of planks to fill in the fence itself.  We'd put support between the posts, and then grow the wisteria close enough that deer, dogs, and chickens couldn't get through.  The raccoons could still climb it, though.  Any thoughts on that?

Have you thought about just using electro netting? It had several advantages... it will keep out more than a wood fence and it is portable - meaning you are not confined when you plow or till - AND it is a lot less expensive. Google Kencove poultry netting.
One of our garden plots is about 1/2 an acre... We putting electro netting around it and then when the corn is tassling (or some other attractant is at its peak), I just graze around it with the poultry and sheep WITH an lgd. Double protection as the Maremma will keep out predators too.
Just a brainstorm thought.

 

[RedRidge]

Speaking of fences, do any of you have any recommendations on electric fences. I have seen the links on here for premier fencing, but I am not sure what I need exactly. I need the fencing itself and then a charger for the fencing? I that correct. Is there any place that sells kits with everything? We're trying to figure out the cost. I really don't need a lot of area covered maybe an 20 x 10 foot space and I will move the fencing around the yard to control free range areas.

I am just really confused about what I need to buy and how much area the fencing will cover.

Thanks! 

I hands both premier and Kencove and prefer the kencove. Some notes about charges. .. Get one bigger than what you think you'll need, and then make sure you hook enough strands to it so you don't burn the netting up.
Also remember. .. You can never have enough grounding, especially if you live in a dry area.
Also. .. Get a bunch of pigtails. .. they are very handy and disappear like socks in a dryer.
We put a strand of regular hot wire above our perimeter fencing around all of our property... That way we can put up netting anywhere it is convenient at that time and as long as it starts or ends at the perimeter fencing we always have electricity and just use Alligator clip pigtails to make it hot. ;-)
QED

 

[Leahs Mom]

Won't the birds you removed still be the lowest birds in the pecking order when you return them, so the same problem would still be there? Or are you thinking that removing the other three would put Miss Gray above them when they're returned, so they would stop picking on her?

I'm most concerned about them not harassing. I'm not sure what order I will return them in the long-run. I'll have to see how it goes. I have ideas but not sure any of them are the best or not.

It is amazing how Miss Gray is just grazing around with them just like a normal bird for once in her life. I'm hoping to give her enough time to build confidence to continue to "flock".

Speaking of fences, do any of you have any recommendations on electric fences.
Thanks!

Yep..love those electro nets. And Premier DOES sell a "kit" of everything you need if you want to purchase it that way. Give them a call and ask for a MANAGER. Sometimes the folks on the phone are just young'uns that don't really know...but if you ask for an electro-net specialist and get hold of the right person they'll help tremendously.

I do have a solar charger. So far so good.


@RedRidge

I have often wondered if I could run a "link" from one end of the fence to another fence end across a gap that I don't have electric on. It sounds like what you're describing is similar to what I'm thinking. So there would be a fence end..a gap of space (like where it comes to a hard regular fence) then just a strand running to the other side to continue the electric to another net.

I think I'm going to try that this year.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Jewelwing
I didn't notice you changed your name until you said it! I'm so used to looking at the avatar that I never noticed the name

Good thing you used the same one!

 

[lalaland]

I've been reading the kencove fencing catalog, trying to figure out how much to get.

I actually have bare grass today, so I let the big flock out and after they scattered, let out booster and his three hens. Big mistake. Buster came flying over and there was a sparring match. blood flying. I managed finally to intervene and got booster locked back in the run and man oh man! he spent the next hour in a fighting frenzy, stalking, growling, flapping....the three sulmtalers went flying and managed to get back into the big run where they were raised.

I thought, great! lets see if they integrate back....the hens were fine with them but when Buster, sr roo, came over, he threw a fit. Harassed them, chased them, trounced them....remember he was the original reason I pulled the sulmtalers because he just hates them.

dang. they are his flock mates, he was raised with them....shoot. even after booster is gone, I'll still have to keep them separated. gol darned it!

bluebirds are back..trumpeter swans, sandhil cranes...its spring! hard to believe the blizzard last friday. I still have snow drifts, and still have to park down at the road and walk up, but...its definitely finally spring.

 

[lalaland]

Webinar on Composting for Poultry thurs night 8:30 EDT




here's the notice I got today:

Just a reminder that we have a webinar coming up – Composting for poultry -https://learn.extension.org/events/1433 - April 10 at 8:30 PM EDT

Whether large or small in size, poultry flocks can benefit from the use of composting as a tool to create a great soil amendment from a by-product of poultry keeping. The discussion will cover the topics of composting litter, mortality, and butcher wastes, along with monitoring the process. Proper compost pile building and pile diagnosis will also be discussed.

Please pass the word around.

Its free, an Iowa state program. You can log in as a guest, and the "room" opens 10 minutes before it starts.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland

I feel your pain. I'm afraid I'm going to have to make some decisions on removing some of these chickens from my flock. Perhaps I'm jumping the gun, but right now I just can't imagine peace around here.

My thought is that it was just too long of a winter for everyone to be in such tight quarters. I can't imagine how in the world folks navigate with those tiny coops...even with only a bird or 2. Just doesn't compute.

 

[jime]

For the people with the electro net.
I have 4 poultry netting from Premier, I love them in the beginning but now I am almost to the point of giving up on them.
in winter they don't work at all too much snow when snow falls it really falls in here ) I don't put the power on any more and I have some kind of animal that eats the net so spring time is fixing time , and that is not so great I have to make knots and the tension is not the same (missing the little white things, they don't sell them), summer time I have to deal with dry ground so I put a bucket with little holes next to the ground rod.We have terrible wind and the posts bend like crazy i have note a single one straight any more and they are not able to bend back at least I have not find the way jet.I use solar in two and buttery in the other two (when I can do it.
This is a great products but I fill that not for me.
Does any body has recommendations for me , the animals free range in 10 acress during the day with the GSD is on duty, I use the net only when they get to bed and supposedly in winter but that is not working.
Do you guys have those kind of problems as well and how did you fix them.
Thanks

 

[Leahs Mom]

My birds are locked into a chicken shed at night to keep them safe from predators. I only have them in the netting during the daytime hours to keep them safe from stray neighborhood dogs. I also have a "kennel run" for when I can't let them out into the larger area. It is NOT predator proof for night sleeping, but it does have netting on top to keep hawks from getting them.

I can't use the netting during the winter either as it's not designed to work in snow...just for spring/summer/fall.

If your dog is guarding the chickens during the day...and you have a secure shed/coop for night, I'd say you wouldn't need to worry about netting.