The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[slordaz]

Haha exactly! And even if I'm holding more of said treat, nope, hers is better lol

Pickled!? Really!? So interesting the chickens like that.

Hahaha oh wow!!!

mine for some reason don't like apple cider vinegar but love the home made pickling stuff and we use white distilled for that. might be due to the garlic too though. They get mad for me limiting how much garlic they get so it's one thing I didn't plant in the garden this year or i'd have a bunch of break ins to the garden area lol

 

[Nutcup]

I have a leg-feathered Cochin (Scoobie Doo) that is mean as heck to the little Easteregger Pecker. She will chase her away from food, sometimes chase her 20 feet for no apparent reason. My Silver Laced Wyandotte (Miss Kitty) is so sweet, but she doesn't take any crap from S-Doo! and she lays lovely extra large light brown eggs.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a leg-feathered Cochin (Scoobie Doo) that is mean as heck to the little Easteregger Pecker. She will chase her away from food, sometimes chase her 20 feet for no apparent reason. My Silver Laced Wyandotte (Miss Kitty) is so sweet, but she doesn't take any crap from S-Doo! and she lays lovely extra large light brown eggs.

@Nutcup
I have such a conflict about what to do w birds that behave like that. I have in the past removed them if they are persistent over time.

I used to have a pair of BRs that would sit at the entrance to the coop in the winter - just inside the pop door, one on either side. Like little sentries, they would attack any bird they wanted to harass which usually meant any bird that was younger than them or lower in pecking order. Other birds were being forced to stay outside in the winter when the temps and wind was just too cold to keep having that happen.

 

[Nutcup]

Hi Leah's Mom :>)
I've chased Scooby-doo across the yard I was so mad at her. That wasn't cool and I regained my patience after realizing how immature I was acting. She is a lovely hen, but like some people, looks isn't everything. Pecker also has her karma, she's too small and at the bottom of the order. I have seen her defend herself a couple of times and was proud of her for it, but usually she either runs or just hides her head. I told S-doo that she was going in the pot next time, but I haven't had the heart to enforce that.

What did you do about the barred rocks?

Chickens must be chickens. I made Pecker part human by loving her too much, now she has to deal with her unchicken-like attitude.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sometimes adding a second door or having a larger doorway can stop that type of behavior. Making sure your chickens stay busy so they don't have extra energy to devote to shenanigans can help too.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Larger door was in order here.

 

[slordaz]

well I got a little one I nursed after it was attacked pretty bad, took it 6 weeks for it's neck to finally heal after they about took it's head off, now it don't think it should be with other birds unless it's in my arms, 5 months old and still cannot tell if it's a hen or roo. thinking if this keeps up might see if the petting zoo will take it. The other day it broke outta it's cage in the house and came and got in bed with me, that ain't happening lol. it's a mixed breed, looks Oprinton but white amd pretty small for it's age, which was unusual, thinking the dad was the barred rock as the red doesn't have any white at all.

 

[curious chickee]

Culling a lot of my flock over the last couple months is taking its emotional toll. My flock tested positive for marek's so I have been culling all birds with symptoms. I now have 1 turkey poult, only one of shipped eggs to make it. I know what I am doing is best in the long run, but man is it hard.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, so every bird has shown symptoms? I though some developed immunity. Sorry to hear. What are your future plans? Vaccinated birds? That would be a hard thing.

 

[curious chickee]

Wow, so every bird has shown symptoms? I though some developed immunity. Sorry to hear. What are your future plans? Vaccinated birds? That would be a hard thing.

I am culling those with symptoms which is so far 90% of chicks hatched in spring around 3-4 months old. So far I have not had any make it to lay but some getting older hoping they will make it. Only lost 1 hen so far. I will probably vaccinate in future just because of my daughter and having to see my 11 year old watch her 4H chicks she raised coming down with it and knowing they will be culled. I told her we will but together a breeding pen next month for her show birds. The flock hit a double wammy with wet fowl pox (she lost her rooster to it). Been a tough summer.
On further research, the over the counter mareks vaccine derived from turkeys is not the one causing the biggest issues with hot mareks. It is the hatchery form which is a different strain from the chicken mareks. Not the route I wanted to go, but for my daughters emotional state I am going vaccinate.