The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Heron's Nest Farm]

armorfirelady
I see you are using the deep littler method. I've been trying it, but my hens aren't interesting in scratching it EVER. I pasture them as well so maybe it's just not necessary?

I would like it to work so that I can use it on the farm. What mix of stuff are you putting in your coop?

Of course anyone else with success please chime in.

 

[vpatt]

Production hens are most likely a mix.  Each hatchery has their own "blend" which may or may not be the same as those of an other hatchery.  Sex links are a specific hybrid, designed to be color sexed at hatch.  They are often prolific layers and have a good feed conversion rate, the down side being that they often cease laying at an early age, and succumb to reproductive issues.  If you're interested in finding out what goes into producing a sex linked hen, read the sex linked thread.  There are some wonderful charts that tell you which breeds work together to produce a sex linked chick.  I've produced my own sex links for the past two years, and am optimistically thinking that these birds will posess good hybrid vigor, and not be prone to the laying issues of the commercial sex links.

Thnx.....that sounds interesting

 

[Lacy Blues]

armorfirelady
I see you are using the deep littler method. I've been trying it, but my hens aren't interesting in scratching it EVER. I pasture them as well so maybe it's just not necessary?

I would like it to work so that I can use it on the farm. What mix of stuff are you putting in your coop?

Of course anyone else with success please chime in.

Have you tried throwing treats into it? If you have it kind of roughed up (not smooth) and throw treats into it so that some of it gets into some somewhat hidden areas, that should trigger their digging instincts. I don't have deep litter yet. I hope to some day. I'm still rebuilding my barn but when I get it finished, I want to try for deep litter. I live in a desert region so I don't know if its even possible but I'm going to try.

 

[sunflower4you]

We had a brief warm up today so I decide to turn over the DL in the coop. Girls couldn't decide where to scratch first. And you can't tell the peepers from the big girls anymore.

I had to take the door off the old run (brick in front of the door raised up) and turned that over as well and refreshed their 2nd dust bath. I even sifted thru my garbage can of wood ash. Hens couldn't decide what to do first.

I have oyster shell available on the side for the hens to eat as they need it. I just refilled their oyster shell ( it didn't stay dry in container I had it in outside

so I hope it dries out in coop). Neither did their grit. I need to come up with a different plan for next year. The ouster she'll is whatever the feed store has available.

The eggs I get are hard like normal. Only Stella & 2 peepers are laying now.

Saturday it got up to 34 so a warm-up here, too! I cleaned the deep litter out of the coop for the first time since I got chickens in July. I put 4 wheelbarrow loads out into the run and sprinkled some scratch on it and for 2 days all I saw was pine shavings flying in the air. I even had to take the waterer off bricks and hang it higher since the girls kept filling it with shavings. I give them kitchen scraps for treats and have a hanging basket to put lettuce in for entertainment, but apparently scratching through litter is much more exciting. Talk about overstimulated - I thought they were going to forget to go to bed last night!

armorfirelady
I see you are using the deep littler method. I've been trying it, but my hens aren't interesting in scratching it EVER. I pasture them as well so maybe it's just not necessary?

I would like it to work so that I can use it on the farm. What mix of stuff are you putting in your coop?

Of course anyone else with success please chime in.

I am new to chicken-keeping and decided to use just pine shavings for deep litter in the coop. I started with about 4 inches and added a layer every few weeks as needed. I didn't need to add much in the summer since I had a poop board, but I took the poop board out in the winter so I have had to add. It got pretty deep (probably a foot), but they only scratched when I sprinkled some scratch in there and it was so cold out they didn't want to go outside (below zero weather). My problem with deep litter is that mine never really broke down. So I did not save any of the old when I cleaned out the coop. I just started fresh. I used diatomaceous earth in there one time to dry out some damp bedding so that probably hurt, but also I do not have a dirt floor so I think that may be the problem. Maybe if I add some dead leaves or pine needles or something I can get it to compost? All I ended up with was a foot of pine shavings filled with dried poo. The coop didn't smell bad until recently (that's why I cleaned it out) and it was nice that I didn't have to clean it out every week, but I would like to get some beneficial bugs going in there.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

I am new to chicken-keeping and decided to use just pine shavings for deep litter in the coop. I started with about 4 inches and added a layer every few weeks as needed. I didn't need to add much in the summer since I had a poop board, but I took the poop board out in the winter so I have had to add. It got pretty deep (probably a foot), but they only scratched when I sprinkled some scratch in there and it was so cold out they didn't want to go outside (below zero weather). My problem with deep litter is that mine never really broke down. So I did not save any of the old when I cleaned out the coop. I just started fresh. I used diatomaceous earth in there one time to dry out some damp bedding so that probably hurt, but also I do not have a dirt floor so I think that may be the problem. Maybe if I add some dead leaves or pine needles or something I can get it to compost? All I ended up with was a foot of pine shavings filled with dried poo. The coop didn't smell bad until recently (that's why I cleaned it out) and it was nice that I didn't have to clean it out every week, but I would like to get some beneficial bugs going in there.

I have exactly the same thing going. Deep pine shavings on a linoleum floor, no composting happening, and they don't dig much in it.

I do shovel the used litter from the coop into the runs, and let the chickens spread it around for me. Once the litter and poop are outside on the ground, it composts down into the dirt pretty nicely, and it keeps the runs from getting muddy.

 

[ThePRfan]

Production reds aren't a mix,well not all.

I have done a lot of research and the only possible thing in a Tractor Supply hatchery,a production Red would be likely bred with Red Jungle fowl.
The Production Red is bred of RIRXNewHampshire(The "Proper" way to say the breed)X(Sometimes,often) Leghorn to make the PR's egg production 100% better.
After having the Production Red with every flock,they lay well,an d surprisingly can't be sexed at age.

Great egg layers laying X large eggs,although I've never got a "Double" yolker from my 3 or 4 PR hens.

as for the Red sexlink,nah,never gettin' another 1.too bossy and aggressive,and from my experience,small eggs,horrible layers.

 

[LindaB220]

Production reds aren't a mix,well not all.

I have done a lot of research and the only possible thing in a Tractor Supply hatchery,a production Red would be likely bred with Red Jungle fowl.
The Production Red is bred of RIRXNewHampshire(The "Proper" way to say the breed)X(Sometimes,often) Leghorn to make the PR's egg production 100% better.
After having the Production Red with every flock,they lay well,an d surprisingly can't be sexed at age.

Great egg layers laying X large eggs,although I've never got a "Double" yolker from my 3 or 4 PR hens.

as for the Red sexlink,nah,never gettin' another 1.too bossy and aggressive,and from my experience,small eggs,horrible layers.

I don't care for the Red sexlink either. They cause waves in the coop. Bossy. The ISA Brown pullets I'm getting from Townline are supposed to be totally different from red sexlinks. A lot easier going and no fights. I'm going to do like they do in the hatcheries and put the roosts at 2' high. One level. The nest boxes will be on the ground level. A misconception that people have is that the ISA Brown's are just pullets. Like the Golden Comets. Totally different ballpark. Sold only by Townline, or a place that buys from them. They are the egg layers version of CX's. Four different grandparents. Closely guarded secret. Sixty percent of the eggs in the grocery stores are laid by ISA Brown's . Brown eggs. Leghorns are the white.

 

[ThePRfan]

golden comets are just a red sexlink.I have had just aboout all......

 

[ThePRfan]

what does isa brown mean....

 

[Bulldogma]

Hey! Good to see you

You'll have to catch us up on what you're up to with your flock and how things are going. What's your flock looking like now?

Not ignoring you - just busy. LOL!

I have 50+ birds now - most of my stock is for breeding (Swedish Flower Hens).
I'll try to catch up more later.