The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: Why not make a dusting area you can move the tractor over every once in a while?
I can try this. There are lots of last year's chicken made spots that would be good picks. The only downfall is the chickens like to dust bath a lot and we only move the tractor about 3 times a week at most sometimes only once a week if I'm using it as a grow out area.

 

[lazy gardener]

4Hgirl: Congrats on your hatch. Any more? Am I understanding that Mama is a barred rock? What is Daddy? If he's a solid colored roo, (not barred, and not white) your chicks will be sex linked. That first one looks like a girl!!

 

[ki4got]

For those of you that use tractors, what do you use for dust bathing? We put ash in the runs but not the tractors. Last summer the chickens made several dusting spots in our yard. I thought just maybe the grass would come back in with spring, but it is not. We are using smaller tractors (4*8) this year as trio breeding pens. I really don't want any new dusting spots but I don't want ash all over the yard or lice on the birds either.

get a large covered cat litter box, maybe... you can move it with the pen.

 

[lalaland]

I'm giving in to a broody - gave her a couple eggs today. Its one of the sulmtalers in the small coop with her two sisters. I think it will work out ok. I will partition off her nest tomorrow in the coop so she has a little space to herself, and we will see what happens.

here comes day 1!

 

[ki4got]

ok has anyone ever given turkey poults to a broody hen? will they take them?

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

ok has anyone ever given turkey poults to a broody hen? will they take them?

I gave 2 turkey poults to a silkie that just hatched 4 babies, she took them with no hesitation.

 

[Alibabe]

Alibabe, I think your inclinations are good, but I'm really new at this broody stuff. Maybe you could ask your question over here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ody-hen-hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread They're all about the broodies!

Thank you, will have a look at that thread.

 

[joyfulkeeper]

I'm giving in to a broody - gave her a couple eggs today. Its one of the sulmtalers in the small coop with her two sisters. I think it will work out ok. I will partition off her nest tomorrow in the coop so she has a little space to herself, and we will see what happens.

here comes day 1!

I just put my determined broody in a dog crate, in the coop, with 8 eggs today too! She took to it without any fuss - even when my son lifted her from her favorite nesting box. Have you ever used a broody before? This is my first time incubating anything. I hope she proves to be a good mother hen - yours too! Keep us posted on how it all goes.

 

[lalaland]

I just put my determined broody in a dog crate, in the coop, with 8 eggs today too! She took to it without any fuss - even when my son lifted her from her favorite nesting box. Have you ever used a broody before? This is my first time incubating anything. I hope she proves to be a good mother hen - yours too! Keep us posted on how it all goes.

I have never ever had a broody that I couldn't discourage after a few days . So I've never had a broody sit on a nest. This hen, however, didn't care what I did to discourage her and kept going back to the nest no matter what. She is pretty funny, she got so she would tuck an egg under each wing so when I would lift her off the nest, she would take the eggs with her . Took me a while before I figured that one out!

I gave her blue and brown eggs to hatch, no idea if they are fertile or not. She and her sisters lay cream eggs, so I'll be able to pull any out that get laid daily.

I like those broody boxes I saw in other threads - a long rectangular box made of scrap lumber - just the frame of a rectangle, wrapped in wire, with a cardboard box for the nest at one end. put it in the run, broody and chicks are safe but everyone sees each other. course, the little coop run isn't really big enough or waterproof...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Since I have one area divided, I put my broody in there until hatch. Just a cheap rubbermaid container with a door cut on the end for her nest.