The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

@RedRidge

Does your Premier have the double spike posts?

I wish I could see the Kencove to compare. Mine is Premier with double spike. I also got the "Plus" net that has more posts so they are closer together and it doesn't sag between posts as much as the regular ones.

I have the plus with double posts as well. It will sag a little when the ground gets saturated but my yard when its wet is WET. Seems my yard is lower than everyone else's and its clay. (To bad I couldn't make an adobe chicken house with it lol)

Ideas Needed.

For a quick, 2 - 3 chicken, predator secure sleeping "house/box" that they can be locked into at night only. For temporary use. Needs to be movable. Cheap. Possibly Re-purposed.

RE metal dog crate and kennels...

Raccoons can reach right into them so not night time predator proof.

I made my old run out of wood lattice work. You can wrap in hardware cloth with some on the ground to make it predator proof. I use the run for storage now and of course to contain Sofie in lol I also used it for the tots when they were little. Wood lattice is cheap here & lightweight making it easy to work with and plenty of ventilation.

You can sort of see the chicken wire on the bottom of the 2nd picture. I had a roof put on but you could easily use a tarp as a roof. My friend used 2x2s as the supports for the frame. They are also inexpensive. Heck I find them in the discounted lumber pile at Home Depot & always pick them up for future use.
You could wrap outside with hardware cloth or another fencing to prevent predators from reaching in.

And the really cheap wood lattice covers pallets used as a compost are well & make a great area for pumpkins & squash growing out of the compost to grow on

I think I paid $1 each for these pieces. They would not work for making a coop but perfect for camo for the compost pile.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
an alternative to ground rods is to ground alternating rows and put hot on the other alternating rows... chances are a predator or chicken will hit 2 of them same time and will get the snot knocked out of them. we have a problem with dry ground too so the electric fence is always closer rows, alternating hot/ground. just make sure you don't have rows crossed where hot and ground are touching.

 

[armorfirelady]

Since I was going through pics today I found this one from last May. @Sally8 remember when they were this little?

Sophie on the left & Stella on the right. Who knew that the smallest chick would be my biggest hen now. Stella certainly has grown

Update on Sophie- I checked on her late last night. Removed her towel because it was wet. Her crop was smaller than a golf ball & I don't feel any of the stringy matter like I did before. I think I will leave her in there till Saturday after work to monitor her crop & see if it goes up or down tho with only having spinach to eat I do not think it will get big like it does when she has grains or forage area.

Does anyone know if a crop is actually truly completely empty? I would think there would always be a little something in there?

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

just make a plywood box with a door that you can close/lock at night... mine has a sloping roof and one side comes off for access. wire on the floor (1/2") for the poop to fall thru and it sits up off the ground on some 2x6 blocks. the pop doors are sides to old computer cases that slide down into their rails (the front one has been changed since these pics) and wire across the vents at the top for air circulation. I also decided against the shingle roof and it now has a composite material from Lowes... can't think of the name, starts with a D. LOL but painted plywood would probably work as well. it went together in 2 afternoons (one to cut the wood and build the frame, the second to put all the wood on. then I painted it the next day. you could leave off the nest for simplicity, make it larger, shorter, whatever.

I made this out of pallet wood (stripped off the pallets) and it's portable but not by one person... a smaller version would be easier if you need to move it, unless you have a tractor, which is what I use.







and a more recent pic showing how well it's aged

 

[aoxa]

Hey guys,

Just checking in. I have been SO busy with work and the farm that I have had zero time to keep up with this thread. I will be back, I promise. I am working non-stop, even on the weekends. Susan has left her job to work full time on the farm as well it's that busy.

Our hatching this year has been out of this world. We've hatched 828 chicks so far this year More to come this weekend!

We have decided to cut out Easter Eggers next year, and to add Black & Blue Copper Marans (hatching Saturday) as well as Blue/Black/Splash Ameraucanas (also hatching this Saturday). We may get out of Silver Pencilled Plymouth Rocks, as they are not laying like they should be.

Hope everyone else is having a good spring. This is the first week we actually have anything close to spring weather. We've had a record winter for snowfall. On one side of the barn, the snow is almost touching the eaves of the roof.

Also, if you ever build your own barn, don't use a steel roof in the wrong direction where the snow slides off right in front of your barn entrance and exit.. Ugh.. Dangerous AND difficult to walk through.. because it always happens after you plough through it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks for all the ideas and photos too! Very helpful...has me pondering again And gave me some good ideas to start with.

 

[gevshiba]

Ideas Needed.

For a quick, 2 - 3 chicken, predator secure sleeping "house/box" that they can be locked into at night only. For temporary use. Needs to be movable. Cheap. Possibly Re-purposed.

I'm not sure exactly what you need, but I repurposed a baby crib that I bought on Craig's List for a brooder. It could be set up for adult birds, but maybe not for outside.

 

[Jewelwing]

For anyone who's interested in the labeling of GMO foods, there's an opportunity to sign a petition to block the bill going through Congress right now that would:

• Prevent the Food and Drug Administration from requiring companies to label GE ingredients.
• Prevent states from adopting their own GE (GMO) labeling laws.
• Prevent states from making it illegal for food companies to put a “natural” label on products that contain GE ingredients. (Right now, companies can label something as "natural" even if it contains GMOs, and this bill would keep states from making laws outlawing that.)

If you want to know the site to go to for more information or to add your name to the petition, PM me.

 

[Shan30]

Read assisted hatching 101 but if it has pipped give it time it may be able to get out on its own. Leave the chick in to dry ideally 24hrs...

Well little Early Bird made it through the night just fine and had two new siblings this morning. The one piped did just fine. DH has the day off so I am getting updated at work. All three are in the brooder. Five more pips and two rocking around in there. Hope they all make it out ok! Thanks for helping me not panick haha!

Funny thing is I was kinda expecting white chicks. These guys were just for fun to try out the bator. In that coop the hens are White Chantecler, Blue and Black Ameraucana and a couple Silkies. There is a White Chantecler Rooster who is always mating and a Silkie Rooster who I never see mate. I didn't attempt any silkie eggs so I was expecting the white roo over black, white and blue hens. Thought white was dominant... The chicks hatched so far came out of the Ameraucana eggs and are one black and two blue. Oh well should be some winter hardy Easter Eggers!

 

[subhanalah]

[COLOR=B22222]Ideas Needed.[/COLOR] 

For a quick, 2 - 3 chicken, predator secure sleeping "house/box" that they can be locked into at night only.   For temporary use.  Needs to be movable.  Cheap.  Possibly Re-purposed.

wire and an old couch for a frame/roosts already built. It would be low to the ground, but movable and good if it's only temporary