The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[vpatt]

I put sod in yesterday and this morning for them....now there is 8" of snow on the ground. I can start adding a bit of litter from the big coop too.....

I am a bit puzzled today....the chicks are very active and they have been chest butting each other....like I have seen the two little roosters outside doing....please tell me pullets do this too.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yes...baby pullets do it too. But so do baby cockerels!

@JulesChicks

If you've never had chickens before and they will be going out to a new area where there weren't chickens before, I wouldn't worry about getting any litter from the old place. Just dig a sod plug from the yard area where they will be and put that in with them. That will give them exposure to the area they will be going into. You have to change those silly sod plugs about daily as they really mess them up. I just dig out from a place and then take the plug back out and replace it where I dug it from once it's "used"....then get another and so on.

 

[JulesChicks]

Sounds good! Thank you!

 

[n3kms]

I put sod in yesterday and this morning for them....now there is 8" of snow on the ground. I can start adding a bit of litter from the big coop too.....

I am a bit puzzled today....the chicks are very active and they have been chest butting each other....like I have seen the two little roosters outside doing....please tell me pullets do this too.

My first chicks last spring were 10 BR pullets and they did chest but when they were young.

 

[vpatt]

Oh I'm glad to know that. They are supposed to be pullets but I know they aren't 100% accurate. I was just thinking that I couldn't have been unlucky enough to get all roos, lol.

 

[flyladyrocks]

As far as sticking chicks under a broody setting infertile eggs, be wary of how long she's been broody. Even with an experienced Mama, I wouldn't put eggs under her unless she's been setting for at least two weeks. Something happens in their brain. Any earlier and she would likely kill the chicks... I've had experienced mamas do this and it was quite shocking.

Also, how long ago did your rooster kick the bucket? If it was as far back as two weeks, I wouldn't count the eggs as infertile. Candle the eggs to be sure.

 

[flyladyrocks]

@flyladyrocks

Here is the old article on brooding w/deep litter: http://www.plamondon.com/faq_deep_litter.html

I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING LIME. PLEASE DON'T USE LIME! or any other additives.

When I brought my new babies home last time, I let them settle in a day or 2 in their box. After that, I brought in a handful of litter from the floor in the regular coop and put it in with the litter already on their box floor. Every few days I'd add a little more of the litter from the regular coop until after about 1.5 - 2 weeks it was predominantly litter from the regular coop.

This is an important step, along with the sod plugs, as it helps their immune system build for the items they will be put into when they go out with the rest of the gang. The studies seem to show that when most chicks get cocci, it is when they are first put out in the regular coop around 6 weeks of age, having come from no exposure at all. The immunities are supposed to be building from day 1 by being exposed to the environment while they still have some of the immunities that come with the hatch.

Interesting thing in that article is that they believe one of the reasons that the deep litter helps is that it has ammonia...as it has been proven to kill the cocci parasite. So... NOT IN EXCESS, but in small amounts, ammonia in the litter is a good thing. (OF COURSE, IT MUST NOT BE STRONG TO CAUSE RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS.) But that bit of ammonia in the built up litter is good when in moderation.

 

[EastNashChick]

Cut your hardware cloth about 1/2 inch larger than the hole in your lid (on all sides) or more.  Punch holes in the lid about 1/4 inch from the edge. Grab a handful of zip ties and attach... easy peasy.

That's what I do!

 

[chicalot]

24 inches of snow on the ground. Never again will I set eggs before march. Pretty sure I said that last year as well.

So I'm wondering. Who broods in cold weather and has them out of the house. My options are a barn, garage, and building.... all unheated. I'm thinking I might be able to use a wood stove in the buildin. That would worry me about as much as heat bulbs. Wondering how effective the Premier plates would be in colder temps. The building is insulated but still awful cold. I can't handle month+ old chicks in the house..

 

[vpatt]

I am a newbie....but I had two small hatches over the winter. First time three out of four eggs hatched on November 30th. The broody chose her nest inside the coop (small, off the ground coop, no heat) I left them inside for a week or so and then let her take them out...so night and early mornings they were in with the whole flock. We had some cold temps during that time...but not much snow. The second hatch....the hen chose a large (42"X42") nest box away from the coop. She hatched three out of four eggs on January 17. One died right away. She had the other two out on the ground on day two and it was very cold and we have had quite a bit of snow that didn't melt due to low temps. No heat in her nest box. I am amazed at how hardy the chicks have been. They all free range.
And the low temps were very low for us....ranging from -3° and up into the teens. And occasionally a day here and there of "normal" temps.