The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ronott1]

I am not a parent helper I class, the teachers have the bators already so they won't need to borrow. They want the eggs by the week of Feb 17th. I was contacted out of the blue, I guess the classes had eggs donated from some place in MS, so they did this last year as well.

I think hatching eggs in class is a great lesson for the kids. So many people have no idea about chickens and how they reproduce and etc.

 

[lazy gardener]

If I were donating hatching eggs, and yes, I think it's a wonderful opportunity for teaching, I'd want to be sure there were some things in place first: like a plan for the hatchlings. And that would have to be a good plan, not just to hand those chicks out to the students like a sack of candy. And, who would be responsible for any chicks hatched with obvious defects. My first poultry experience was from hatching eggs in my 6th grade classroom. I donated the eggs, and took the resulting 4 bantams home. (100% hatch, I might add!)

 

[vpatt]

I feel like I'm turning into a bag lady. Lol. I just confiscated a plastic trash can with a hole in the side. I love bucket nests and I thought I could use it as a giant bucket nest. So I taped up the hole, filled it with straw and threw in some golf balls. I have to prepare for blocking off the porch. Victoria began laying her eggs there and this morning Miss Poppy was sitting in that spot. Later I went out and there was Lady Olivia leading her 3 chicks up the steps. I guess they think it is their poop deck! The rooster, Joe Dirt is always looking thru the door or window at me.

I was thinking about using a trash can for my next broody and chicks...but I cannot think of how to put vents in it and make it predator proof at the same time. I come up with these crazy ideas because there is a major lack of carpentry skills around here and I try to think of things I can do by myself.

Starting snowing a few minutes ago.

 

[vpatt]

Someone tell me about guineas....don't they leave home easily? They are loud.....are they friendly...lay many eggs, anything else interesting?

 

[lalaland]

Its a January thaw, 35F and sunny! lucky me, due to a fluke I'm home from work today. Did a little coop cleaning - put fresh hay down. Found a nest of 8 eggs, looks like two more pullets have been laying in it. Wonder who?

Flock was busy scratching in the hay under the trailer and in the sun porch - had 6 chickens crowded in there, tons of dustbathing going on everywhere....opened the coop door to let the sun in and it didn't take long:


The front two are hatchery girls from the family that didn't want to keep their chicks this winter. The middle one is a mutt hatch from my broody last spring, and so is the one in the back. All sleeping in the sun.

 

[sunflower4you]

Its a January thaw, 35F and sunny! lucky me, due to a fluke I'm home from work today. Did a little coop cleaning - put fresh hay down. Found a nest of 8 eggs, looks like two more pullets have been laying in it. Wonder who?

Flock was busy scratching in the hay under the trailer and in the sun porch - had 6 chickens crowded in there, tons of dustbathing going on everywhere....opened the coop door to let the sun in and it didn't take long:


The front two are hatchery girls from the family that didn't want to keep their chicks this winter. The middle one is a mutt hatch from my broody last spring, and so is the one in the back. All sleeping in the sun.

Love love love when they all dust bathe or sleep in a pile like this. Makes me think they are best friends. Thanks for sharing.

 

[vpatt]

Its a January thaw, 35F and sunny! lucky me, due to a fluke I'm home from work today. Did a little coop cleaning - put fresh hay down. Found a nest of 8 eggs, looks like two more pullets have been laying in it. Wonder who? Flock was busy scratching in the hay under the trailer and in the sun porch - had 6 chickens crowded in there, tons of dustbathing going on everywhere....opened the coop door to let the sun in and it didn't take long: The front two are hatchery girls from the family that didn't want to keep their chicks this winter. The middle one is a mutt hatch from my broody last spring, and so is the one in the back. All sleeping in the sun.

They look so content.

 

[Shan30]

Don't know if anyone will remember mentioning how wet my DL is and that I thought one of my young polish cockerels may have botulism.

Well he is still alive today and eating better than he was before if I direct his face into a water/feed/poul-vite mixture but there is definitely something severely wrong with him. His symptoms got far worse during the week, walking in circles, possible seizures and now unable to stand. Still definitely a bit better and eating better in the last 24 hrs. No other bird is even slightly off so whatever it is doesn't appear to be contagious. I strongly suspect poisoning of some kind.

Since I was guessing botulism I scrubbed waterers etc and was going to clean out the DL but after turning it all and looking for any mould or abnormalities I decided to leave it as it looks pretty good. What I did find was a few little black beetles. I looked them up and am pretty sure they are darkling beetles. When I took the little container that I had popped them in (for study and research aka "googling" purposes) outside I noticed a few near the fence line of the run that's against the tree line so I poked around by the fence line and found a rotting dead bird covered in these beetles about 10' from the coop and outside the run. I understand that if these beetles eat something contaminated with a pathogen and then are consumed they can pass it on to whatever eats them and am guessing this is what happened to this little guy.

Now I'm torn wondering if I should just clean out the entire coop in case any beetles remain or not. I haven't seen any since I got rid of the dead little bird (so nasty) and I'm also uncertain as to what to do for this guy. I generally figure if they want to eat they have will to live left but he really is in rough shape. I may be wrong with my diagnosis but it would be a heck of a coincidence. Anyone dealt with botulism? Is there anything I can do beyond supportive care? Or should I be considering culling?

 

[lazy gardener]

Someone tell me about guineas....don't they leave home easily? They are loud.....are they friendly...lay many eggs, anything else interesting?

I think you need to go to the "first run of cornish meat birds..." thread and/or talk to Duluthralphie about guineas.

Don't know if anyone will remember mentioning how wet my DL is and that I thought one of my young polish cockerels may have botulism.

Well he is still alive today and eating better than he was before if I direct his face into a water/feed/poul-vite mixture but there is definitely something severely wrong with him. His symptoms got far worse during the week, walking in circles, possible seizures and now unable to stand. Still definitely a bit better and eating better in the last 24 hrs. No other bird is even slightly off so whatever it is doesn't appear to be contagious. I strongly suspect poisoning of some kind.

Since I was guessing botulism I scrubbed waterers etc and was going to clean out the DL but after turning it all and looking for any mould or abnormalities I decided to leave it as it looks pretty good. What I did find was a few little black beetles. I looked them up and am pretty sure they are darkling beetles. When I took the little container that I had popped them in (for study and research aka "googling" purposes) outside I noticed a few near the fence line of the run that's against the tree line so I poked around by the fence line and found a rotting dead bird covered in these beetles about 10' from the coop and outside the run. I understand that if these beetles eat something contaminated with a pathogen and then are consumed they can pass it on to whatever eats them and am guessing this is what happened to this little guy.

Now I'm torn wondering if I should just clean out the entire coop in case any beetles remain or not. I haven't seen any since I got rid of the dead little bird (so nasty) and I'm also uncertain as to what to do for this guy. I generally figure if they want to eat they have will to live left but he really is in rough shape. I may be wrong with my diagnosis but it would be a heck of a coincidence. Anyone dealt with botulism? Is there anything I can do beyond supportive care? Or should I be considering culling?

Shan: does your roo have a limp neck? I believe that's one of the signs of botulism. I can't advise you here. wish I had some advice.

 

[mlowen]

...

Don't know if anyone will remember mentioning how wet my DL is and that I thought one of my young polish cockerels may have botulism..

Now I'm torn wondering if I should just clean out the entire coop in case any beetles remain or not. I haven't seen any since I got rid of the dead little bird (so nasty) and I'm also uncertain as to what to do for this guy. I generally figure if they want to eat they have will to live left but he really is in rough shape. I may be wrong with my diagnosis but it would be a heck of a coincidence. Anyone dealt with botulism? Is there anything I can do beyond supportive care? Or should I be considering culling?[/quote

You will have to do what your heart tells you, but I have heard a good many people say they felt like they waited too long to cull and no one who said they culled a suffering animal too soon. My thoughts are with you. It's hard.