The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

I finally took the molting girl out to the barn for a few hours. Put her in her own area. Strangely, she ate like a hog - like I hadn't fed her in days! She must have liked the stuff in the bowl the others didn't eat

While she was out there, I realized that she doesn't have enough feathers on her wings to be able to fly directly from the floor to the roost. (There are logs that she can use to get up there, but it's still not safe for her to be with the regular flock while certain ones of them know that she isn't up to par.

I brought her in for the night and will take her out during the days for the next few days after it gets above 30. Will bring her in at night until her wing feathers are good I guess.

 

[lalaland]

Guess what? one of the pullets that hatched this spring laid an egg today! first egg, and it was soft-shelled, and I don't think it had a yolk. I didn't think any of those pullets would lay til later since they didn't hatch til late june. Lucky me, was working from home and went to collect eggs to keep them from freezing, and noticed her hanging around the nest boxes and trying different ones out.

We are headed for a serious warm up, going to be above freezing by sunday.

 

[konachicks]

Aloha Natural Chicken Keepers!
I'm a first time chicken owner with two 9 week Ameraucana mixed pullets
Aurora and Maleficent (A has the white around her neck)

And SEVEN 4 week old pullets
Bratt (Delaware), Dream and Echo (Marans sisters) Mango (golden buff) Marigold (buff orp) and Isis, who was SUPPOSED to be my blue ameraucana from Meyers but even they think they messed up so we have no clue what she is

I'm a mama of four from Hawaii and consider myself pretty crunchy lol I cloth diaper, babywear, and make and use natural remedies as much as I can. So I'm thinking this is the perfect thread for me as id like to raise my chickens as naturally as possible.
The little girls are still in the brooder while my two older gals free range during the day and In the coop at night. I cannot wait until they are all in one place lol as the brooder, though it's pretty big, is getting cramped since they are growing so fast

I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning all I can!
Mahalo

 

[ronott1]

Aloha Natural Chicken Keepers!
I'm a first time chicken owner with two 9 week Ameraucana mixed pullets
Aurora and Maleficent (A has the white around her neck)

And SEVEN 4 week old pullets
Bratt (Delaware), Dream and Echo (Marans sisters) Mango (golden buff) Marigold (buff orp) and Isis, who was SUPPOSED to be my blue ameraucana from Meyers but even they think they messed up so we have no clue what she is

I'm a mama of four from Hawaii and consider myself pretty crunchy lol I cloth diaper, babywear, and make and use natural remedies as much as I can. So I'm thinking this is the perfect thread for me as if like to raise my chickens as naturally as possible.
The little girls are still in the brooder while my two older gals free range during the day and In the coop at night. I cannot wait until they are all in one place lol as the brooder, though it's pretty big, is getting cramped since they are growing so fast

I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning all I can!
Mahalo

They look very nice!

 

[konachicks]

Thanks! The older girls are so funny! Do they go back to the coop at sunset? NOPE! The come to my front door EVERY SINGLE DAY to be carried back to their coop!!

That was them just now lol and me taking them back lol

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Quote:
Originally Posted by konachicks

Aloha Natural Chicken Keepers!
I'm a first time chicken owner with two 9 week Ameraucana mixed pullets
Aurora and Maleficent (A has the white around her neck)

And SEVEN 4 week old pullets
Bratt (Delaware), Dream and Echo (Marans sisters) Mango (golden buff) Marigold (buff orp) and Isis, who was SUPPOSED to be my blue ameraucana from Meyers but even they think they messed up so we have no clue what she is

I'm a mama of four from Hawaii and consider myself pretty crunchy lol I cloth diaper, babywear, and make and use natural remedies as much as I can. So I'm thinking this is the perfect thread for me as id like to raise my chickens as naturally as possible.
The little girls are still in the brooder while my two older gals free range during the day and In the coop at night. I cannot wait until they are all in one place lol as the brooder, though it's pretty big, is getting cramped since they are growing so fast

I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning all I can!
Mahalo

Mahalo Konachicks!
Since you describe yourself as crunchy, and you say you would like your chicks out of the brooder ASAP and you live in Hawaii (lucky!) I thought you might be interested in this post of mine from back in May.
I had 14 chicks in that, from the age of one week, in 57 degree temps. And they did FINE. So very fine that they're massive beautiful Jersey Giants right now, ready to lay their first eggs once the temps get above freezing, and the winter solstice rolls over! LOL!

But, you're in Hawaii. So that's not so much a problem for you is it?

Anyhow, another BYC'er here, Kassaundra, had this awesome idea, which she calls a "Broody Bucket"
Here's my version:
(That's old wool scraps, torn in 1" strips, and suspended from the entire upper inside surface of an old cooler)
Quote:
Originally Posted by MargaretYakoda





You had a GREAT idea Kassaundra! I'm just copying it.

For the record, it's sunny but only 57 degrees right now. And the chicks are fine. Did I mention they're just barely over two weeks old? And they've been outside for a week already?



Also, today they learned what salmon is. This was their reaction

Edited to add: I loaned this contraption out to someone 5 months ago, and have asked for it back 4 times. And been promised that they'll return it "soon" just as many times. Grrrr.... I'll probably never see it again. But for SURE I will make a newer, better, one in early spring.

 

[konachicks]

Mahalo Konachicks!
Since you describe yourself as crunchy, and you say you would like your chicks out of the brooder ASAP and you live in Hawaii (lucky!) I thought you might be interested in this post of mine from back in May.
I had 14 chicks in that, from the age of one week, in 57 degree temps. And they did FINE. So very fine that they're massive beautiful Jersey Giants right now, ready to lay their first eggs once the temps get above freezing, and the winter solstice rolls over! LOL!

But, you're in Hawaii. So that's not so much a problem for you is it? 

Anyhow, another BYC'er here, Kassaundra, had this awesome idea, which she calls a "Broody Bucket"
Here's my version:
(That's old wool scraps, torn in 1" strips, and suspended from the entire upper inside surface of an old cooler)
Edited to add: I loaned this contraption out to someone 5 months ago, and have asked for it back 4 times. And been promised that they'll return it "soon" just as many times. Grrrr....  I'll probably never see it again. But for SURE I will make a newer, better, one in early spring.

How cool is that!! What a great idea! I'm not so much worried about cold, but more because of the bigger girls. I've made sure and had the big girls around EVERY TIME I take the littles outside to cruise the yard hoping the interaction will help when they move in together. At first they were really bossy and would peck the babies if they came too close. Today was the first time they just kinda came by me sitting with the babies, drank some water out of the watering thing and watched them, and didn't peck them. But there were some warning clucks. We have a small one room coop (big enough for them all at night) but at 4 weeks I'm not ready to let them out in the yard alone. Mongoose are attracted to the peeping. So I had planned on waiting at least 2 more weeks? That was the age I let the older girls out alone

 

[MargaretYakoda]

How cool is that!! What a great idea! I'm not so much worried about cold, but more because of the bigger girls. I've made sure and had the big girls around EVERY TIME I take the littles outside to cruise the yard hoping the interaction will help when they move in together. At first they were really bossy and would peck the babies if they came too close. Today was the first time they just kinda came by me sitting with the babies, drank some water out of the watering thing and watched them, and didn't peck them. But there were some warning clucks. We have a small one room coop (big enough for them all at night) but at 4 weeks I'm not ready to let them out in the yard alone. Mongoose are attracted to the peeping. So I had planned on waiting at least 2 more weeks? That was the age I let the older girls out alone

Ahhhh Mongoose. Now that's a predator we don't have to worry about here in Washington state!

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Thank you. And what temperature do you use?


That recipe that I used with the beer looked like 2 C/Gallon to me. I'll bet I have too much in there.

And I think I messed up on 2 counts. I put it in the brine the same day it was processed. Probably should have waited. I have another in the fridge that I haven't done anything with yet.

And...what about the giblets? Do you have to "rest" them too? Or can you start making broth with them right away.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it's a tested and proven recipe, I'm sure it's fine. For straight saltwater brine, I wouldn't use so much.

And like I said, I don't have any reason to think that you can't brine a chicken right away - it just seems to be that most people don't. But there's just as much chance it doesn't make any difference at all. It's all about tenderizing, so if you think the bird needs a little more help in that direction, cook it longer at a lower temperature. I crock pot almost all of my chickens, but you could butterfly a brined chicken and broil it just as easily.

No need to rest giblets, they're good to go right away.

 

[armorfirelady]

Guess what? one of the pullets that hatched this spring laid an egg today! first egg, and it was soft-shelled, and I don't think it had a yolk. I didn't think any of those pullets would lay til later since they didn't hatch til late june. Lucky me, was working from home and went to collect eggs to keep them from freezing, and noticed her hanging around the nest boxes and trying different ones out.

We are headed for a serious warm up, going to be above freezing by sunday.

Thats awesome Congrats !!

Aloha Natural Chicken Keepers!
I'm a first time chicken owner with two 9 week Ameraucana mixed pullets