The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[R3bauer]

I'm in Iowa and I have spoken with an Rep from the Iowa state extension office who happens to raise chickens organically and his advice was to just let the chickens be chickens. My plan is to have about 5 birds to start and "pasture" them in my 1000sqft garden. My Grandma and Grandad used to do this and it keep the bugs and weeds down along with the birds are more relaxed and are doing what is natural. I told my grandma about raising them and she told me it "Its not rocket science they're just chickens!" LOL Gotta love her survived the dust bowl and raised 11 kids 93 yrs. old and can still out drink us all and honestly Im still a little scared of her! LOL

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I'm in Iowa and I have spoken with an Rep from the Iowa state extension office who happens to raise chickens organically and his advice was to just let the chickens be chickens. My plan is to have about 5 birds to start and "pasture" them in my 1000sqft garden. My Grandma and Grandad used to do this and it keep the bugs and weeds down along with the birds are more relaxed and are doing what is natural. I told my grandma about raising them and she told me it "Its not rocket science they're just chickens!" LOL Gotta love her survived the dust bowl and raised 11 kids 93 yrs. old and can still out drink us all and honestly Im still a little scared of her! LOL

 

[heartsizedfarm]

93? And she can still out drink the lot of you? Well, fill up her glass, kiss her forehead and tell her she has my undying respect.

 

[R3bauer]

Yea shes a fire cracker! Love her to death!

 

[tjo804]

Great Idea AFL



I have an old wooden bunk bed I be I could use to make one of these in the run and one for the coop to keep all safe during introductions

 

[CoopChick719]

I told my grandma about raising them and she told me it "Its not rocket science they're just chickens!" LOL Gotta love her survived the dust bowl and raised 11 kids 93 yrs. old and can still out drink us all and honestly Im still a little scared of her! LOL

And that's how she raised 11 kids! God Bless her!!

 

[lalaland]

hey patriot, would you ask your grandma what she did about mites and worms?

its gonna snow again. 6-12 inches on wed. its 19 degrees. I got spoiled by a week of warm weather and actually seeing some bare ground.

I know I'm whining.

good news is I'm getting a few legbar chicks
bad news is those danged girls have cut their egg production in half, so ....must be mites or worms. Not seeing anything in daylight. I'll do the soapy water thing and get out the wood ashes. You know its kite flying season, so ash is a tricky thing as AFL found out a few days ago.

sheesh.

 

[Leahs Mom]

lala - do your birds normally get out to run when it's not winter or are they confined to a run?

Snowed here last night. Will barely get above freezing today. Then supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow. Had to bring the waterers in again last night

 

[Leahs Mom]

My pre-statement
I have never wormed my chickens and don't plan on worming "routinely". It is my belief (I think based on good reason) that using worming products routinely weakens their own immune system response/defence and makes them more prone to having problems in the long-run. Not to mention that there is some research that indicates that there may actually be some health benefit of a limited worm load (who would have thought!!!)

If I had a need to treat for an out of control, unhealthy situation...after I treated, I'd try to figure out what was going on in their environment that may be predisposing them to the problem and work on preventing/remedying that.



That being said, I've seen these products...wonder if anyone has any experience with them? I like the idea that they are are a herb base rather than a chemical vermicide base. (Herb products tend to work with the body to help enable it to do the job rather than working "on" the problem.)

Anyhow...anyone know anything about these?

http://www.treatsforchickens.com/ve...il&utm_term=0_f9789b3e49-f5721cd925-308488545

http://www.treatsforchickens.com/ve...il&utm_term=0_f9789b3e49-f5721cd925-308488545

 

[Phoenixxx]

My pre-statement
I have never wormed my chickens and don't plan on worming "routinely".  It is my belief (I think based on good reason) that using worming products routinely weakens their own immune system response/defence and makes them more prone to having problems in the long-run.  Not to mention that there is some research that indicates that there may actually be some health benefit of a limited worm load (who would have thought!!!)  

If I had a need to treat for an out of control, unhealthy situation...after I treated, I'd try to figure out what was going on in their environment that may be predisposing them to the problem and work on preventing/remedying that.



That being said, I've seen these products...wonder if anyone has any experience with them?  I like the idea that they are are a herb base rather than a chemical vermicide base.  (Herb products tend to work with the body to help enable it to do the job rather than working "on" the problem.)

Anyhow...anyone know anything about these? 

http://www.treatsforchickens.com/ve...il&utm_term=0_f9789b3e49-f5721cd925-308488545

I've read mixed stuff about vermx, mostly that it doesn't work to treat an active infestation. For that, you will want Molly's Herbals. The active dewormer is wormwood. For an infestation of tapes, I found the dosing needed to be doubled (2tbsp per 6 chickens). It also kills cocci!

http://www.treatsforchickens.com/ve...il&utm_term=0_f9789b3e49-f5721cd925-308488545