The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lizdelc]

Following! This may become my favorite thread!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lizdelc

Good to have you! Just jump right in

 

[mlowen]

Following! This may become my favorite thread!

It sure is mine! We seem to have slowed down on posting, lately, but there is gold all through this thread and stellar chicken-keepers to learn from.

 

[Serenashome]

What a great thread!

Going to take me awhile to dig through 3700+ posts to figure out what I need to know. I read through quite a few of the initial pages and decided to join you all. Just a ton of fabulous info.

We get our chickens in May, we are currently building a chicken moat around the garden and I'm working on a plan on how to plant it. We definitely want to raise them as naturally as possible. I talked to our local feed store and several chicken people near us and I do believe I will have organic feed since enough of us showed interest in it to make it worth his while to buy it. So we are off to a good start but, tons of work to do before they get here.

 

[CherMoz]

Welcome Serenashome!

Good luck in your chicken adventures!

 

[CherMoz]

Welcome Lizdelc! Do you have chickens now or are you expecting to get some?

 

[circlehouse]

Newbie here! We will be picking up our first chicks in April and just wondering about any first aid stuff we should have on hand. I've read about a ton of different stuff, probiotics, electrolytes, Save a chick.... Could someone give me a list of things we should have on hand?
We will be doing fermented feed from the beginning. If that affects any suggestions...

Thanks!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I use bluekote for wounds, and brown sugar to start my chicks, to me being natural means not intervening too much and to cull those who are too sick to recover. I personally don't worm or treat for diseases, I build a healthy flock and do what I need to to maintain it. I actually don't get many birds who are ill anyways. I don't do FF so no knowledge about that.

It must be exciting waiting for your first chicks, what do you have coming?

 

[lizdelc]

Well hello everyone! I wasn't expecting such a kind welcome. Chicken keepers are certainly the best!

I have been dreaming of chickens for about 5 years. I have poured over posts here learning all I could. This year, is finally the year! I live on an old homestead out in the country, and this week, I have been transforming an 8x10 section of a corn crib into a coop. The old farmer used to store the next years seed in it, so it's quite tight. It required the least amount of work out of my options, but I may only use it this year.... We will see how well it works. This will be my learning year....

I hope to raise a backyard, self sustaining flock. I have been reading Usserys book and love it. I live as natural, organic and homeopathic as possible- so, of course I want to do the same for the chickens.

I love, love, love the resource that backyard chickens has been. Best of all, I love finding all of YOU who want to do it this way!

 

[lazy gardener]

Welcome to all the new folks! You're headed into an excellent hobby. Some thoughts for consideration: Heating pad brooding, brooding chicks outdoors, deep litter in the coop and in the run, fermented feed. Happy reading!