The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mr MKK FARMS]

My mystery chick. I heard back from the breeder. He thinks I was accidently sent a Chocolate Orpington.

Very cute!

 

[subhanalah]

is it considered natural chicken keeping to cuddle with your favorite hen every night before she goes to sleep? Who says the current human-chicken dialog up is actually the natural way of thibgs. Everything has become so mechanized and industrialized, maybe chickens have a lot more to say than we give them credit.

 

[aoxa]

is it considered natural chicken keeping to cuddle with your favorite hen every night before she goes to sleep? Who says the current human-chicken dialog up is actually the natural way of thibgs. Everything has become so mechanized and industrialized, maybe chickens have a lot more to say than we give them credit.

Only if she likes it

I wouldn't call it natural, but it's not cruelty if she seeks you out. I don't like the idea of people forcing them to do something they don't want to do just to make the chicken keeper feel good. Checking over for bugs/etc, is something they need, so that handling is not cruel.

I have a Penny who we call Favourite Penny (original yes?) she seeks us out! Seriously hunts us down and hops up on us. And no, it's not the Penny we kept indoors for a couple months to heal. It's an entirely different one who is just so darn sweet.


Here is favourite Penny. She has the most white on her neck out of all the Pennies. We have 14 Red Sex Links. Sold 18 of them this winter, since it was far too many eggs. Now we get roughly 2 dozen a day out of our layer flock - which I still find to be quite a lot!

 

[jime]

So we are considering adding a small number of ducks to our flock. Maybe 4. I'm torn between large ducks good for meat, and smaller ducks just for eggs. My main concern is pest control, specifically around the rabbit cages. My chickens just aren't doing enough. I've heard ducks are better at getting the more nocturnal bugs. My grand scheme is a large fenced run in the woods, about 50'x50'. We've cleared most of the large trees that will be within the run and may try to grow something out there. They may be allowed to free range very limitedly. My rabbit grow out hutches will be within the fenced area. My breeders are outside the area. We will build a house with a small bathing area for the ducks within this space as well.
Question is, does anyone here raise ducks? Is there a natural duck keeping thread somewhere? I avoid soy in my animal foods, so a grain mix would probably be my best choice. I'm having a hard time finding anyone who doesn't feed layer though. What are your experiences with ducks?

I have saxony ducks they are large (for meat) i do not eat them they are to pretty they lay ok, but when they go to rest they go to rest.And I have muscovy as well this are good layers but really good mothers as well so I use them for hatching call duke and saxony.The muscovy are better at bug control they go crazy for flies , the saxony are better at foraging, my muscovy moms spend most of the time on the manure pile with the babies almost like they know the babies will get plenty of food there.
I feed my ducks only grain 19% mix of grains, legumes ad seeds.15% mix of grains (sprouted) and barley fodder all organic. I only feed flock raiser to the babies just to make sure they get a good start sand only until they feather out once they are out they get the healthy stuff.
The muscovy don't use as much the pools as the saxony.

 

[joyfulkeeper]

So we are considering adding a small number of ducks to our flock. Maybe 4. I'm torn between large ducks good for meat, and smaller ducks just for eggs. My main concern is pest control, specifically around the rabbit cages. My chickens just aren't doing enough. I've heard ducks are better at getting the more nocturnal bugs. My grand scheme is a large fenced run in the woods, about 50'x50'. We've cleared most of the large trees that will be within the run and may try to grow something out there. They may be allowed to free range very limitedly. My rabbit grow out hutches will be within the fenced area. My breeders are outside the area. We will build a house with a small bathing area for the ducks within this space as well.
Question is, does anyone here raise ducks? Is there a natural duck keeping thread somewhere? I avoid soy in my animal foods, so a grain mix would probably be my best choice. I'm having a hard time finding anyone who doesn't feed layer though. What are your experiences with ducks?

We have Khaki Campbell, Rouen, and hybrid white laying ducks from Metzers. We got the Khakis last April and the others in late August. We love our ducks!

The white laying ducks are our largest ones. So they are a great dual-purpose duck.

Our Rouens are laying great and one of our three lays a beautiful blue-green egg. They took the longest to start laying but have been consistent now. I'm not sure how they will do with egg production throughout the year though.

Our Khakis gave us eggs all winter and have been great consistent layers from a young age. They are smaller than the others so not great meat ducks.

I feed them an organic soy free layer feed that is available in my area. They are great foragers and we noticed a decrease in bugs last fall.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

So we are considering adding a small number of ducks to our flock. Maybe 4. I'm torn between large ducks good for meat, and smaller ducks just for eggs. My main concern is pest control, specifically around the rabbit cages. My chickens just aren't doing enough. I've heard ducks are better at getting the more nocturnal bugs. My grand scheme is a large fenced run in the woods, about 50'x50'. We've cleared most of the large trees that will be within the run and may try to grow something out there. They may be allowed to free range very limitedly. My rabbit grow out hutches will be within the fenced area. My breeders are outside the area. We will build a house with a small bathing area for the ducks within this space as well.
Question is, does anyone here raise ducks? Is there a natural duck keeping thread somewhere? I avoid soy in my animal foods, so a grain mix would probably be my best choice. I'm having a hard time finding anyone who doesn't feed layer though. What are your experiences with ducks?

I've been following the Muscovy duck thread, because its active and interesting and I'm also toying with the idea of getting ducks for eggs and pest control. Lots of really good natural management ideas on that thread. I bet you'd also like the duck pond thread. Inspirational photos of what some really creative and resourceful people are doing!

 

[joyfulkeeper]

I can't find it... What is the recipe for the vinegar orange peel spray?

I've had the orange peels soaking in the vinegar, now what do I do?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Adorable! What are they?

Yes. SFH

 

[Leahs Mom]

The young ones got their first taste of comfrey today, and the little pirrahna stripped those leaves clean!

Are you growing it or purchasing it somewhere? I've heard they don't like it unless it's wilted...is that true?

More vigilance from this time on. Especially, as my first bred heritage RIR chicks are coming soon from my partner that hatched for me!

Which have to be kept away from adults and out of the main coop as we have a touch of sneezing going on.

Don't want them exposed.

I've seen video of a bear being stopped by electronet. Gives them a zap on the nose...

I got a new lavender ( young daughters picked the color) bantam/growout coop today ..almost a perfect 4 ft cube got the items at a habitat for humanity Restore 4x4ft 1/2 inch plywood for $3.50 some kind of industrial palette i think, each had 3, 2x4's stapled to the bottom..so for $24 I have another coop...just in time because my Colombian Wyandotte bantams just laid their first egg yesterday (or I hope the others in with them are 12 weeks)

Photos, of your new coop, please!

 

[Kassaundra]

Are you growing it or purchasing it somewhere? I've heard they don't like it unless it's wilted...is that true?

I've seen video of a bear being stopped by electronet. Gives them a zap on the nose...

Photos, of your new coop, please!

I purchased roots from coe's comfrey a couple of years ago and now grow it. The comfrey I planted where the chickens had access to ate it to the ground and any small piece of green that dared show it's face was immediately eaten to the dirt, they killed out the supposed "indestructible" plant. Fortunately I only planted 1/2 where they could reach it.