The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[Beekissed]

I got a whole page of info thrown at me....there's a little bit of urgency that I sense to get me to see the light.

I've read all the info before...been at this awhile and have been attacked many, many times on here for my choices...like using ACV. Notice a ton of folks using that now when only a few years ago they laughed me off the forum and tried to stuff amprollium up my nose holes.

Or free ranging. Yes. I've been attacked over and over for free ranging and it's been implied that I could never love my babies if I free ranged them. I've lost one chicken to free ranging, it was at night, and she refused to coop and was out of the dog's jurisdiction. She lost. That was in all the times I've had chickens in my life in the past 36 years...one chicken. Yeah...I'll keep free ranging.

Or not heating the coop. How COULD you???? See this article?? And, and, and THAT one? BAD chicken owner, you are!

The list goes on....

Yet here I am, doing what I do and it seems that, finally, someone thought I just might....possibly just might...have a handle on this whole chicken thingy without following the herd to the Emergency section.

Side note...not all of us OTs think alike.

Our methods vary a bit and I think I may be the only one on this touchy feely (as Al would call it)natural path to animal husbandry. I respect their wisdom on their husbandry methods and they have grown to respect, if not fully accept, my own methods.

 

[aoxa]

I got a whole page of info thrown at me....there's a little bit of urgency that I sense to get me to see the light.

I've read all the info before...been at this awhile and have been attacked many, many times on here for my choices...like using ACV. Notice a ton of folks using that now when only a few years ago they laughed me off the forum and tried to stuff amprollium up my nose holes.

Or free ranging. Yes. I've been attacked over and over for free ranging and it's been implied that I could never love my babies if I free ranged them. I've lost one chicken to free ranging, it was at night, and she refused to coop and was out of the dog's jurisdiction. She lost. That was in all the times I've had chickens in my life in the past 36 years...one chicken. Yeah...I'll keep free ranging.

Or not heating the coop. How COULD you???? See this article?? And, and, and THAT one? BAD chicken owner, you are!

The list goes on....

Yet here I am, doing what I do and it seems that, finally, someone thought I just might....possibly just might...have a handle on this whole chicken thingy without following the herd to the Emergency section.

That was not my intention Bee. I edited my original post and got rid of the quotes. I didn't intend for it to sound like I was trying to force it on you. Just wanted you to tell me, "Hey, that's not true. You don't need to avoid layer like the plague". Because I have been. I would feel comfortable with a 2% calcium, but 4+% seems like a lot. If I diluted it I would feel better. If I had 50% layer and 50% scratch grains (barley, wheat, oats, corn), would that be okay? Say I have calcium sensitive birds for example.. The ones I lost were all fancy birds. Not good foragers.

75% of my flock forages. Lets count the silkies as the 25% who don't.. The extra calcium would probably hurt those guys more than the free ranging crew. Since you have always free ranged, maybe that is why the layer has never shown any issues. I like that, because I also free range. When I lost those birds I was not free ranging. I lived on 1/4 of an acre, and they got to have fresh grass and rotating pens 100% of the time, but not real free ranging like I do now.

Heating the coop? Seriously? Some people.. I perhaps advise strongly against it to newbies. Very dangerous indeed. Birds need to be acclimated to the cold. What if the power went out like it often does in the winter? That would be a disaster for birds who weren't acclimated. Heat lamps are dangerous if not installed properly.. Fire hazards. But I know of one friend who heats her whole barn to just above freezing to keep her showbirds in good shape. She keeps bantam D'Uccles and Polish. I think she's the only one I know who heats in our area.

I haven't got a lot of people saying anything about my free ranging. I see more people in the predator pest section that DO NOT free range than I do from those of us who do. Just my two cents.

Hope you don't think I was attacking you.

 

[Bulldogma]

A very sad thing happened to me yesterday. A friend of my DIL lost all her chickens to a bobcat. Someone gave them 2 hens. I offered them a few more and they took 4 hens and a roo. As my luck would have it THEY WERE MY BLUE AND GREEN EGG LAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the time I thought what were the chances that it would turn out that way. I have 2 others that could lay colored eggs. But as badly as I feel about it, the woman was so pleased she cried. Her husband had a hard time speaking. They thought my chickens were beautiful. So, that explains why I have been having the urge to incubate again.

Sorry to hear about the losses!


Congrats on becoming a Grandpa!

Junebugs have an awful memory for me.. I was in grade 4. Last day of school.. A Junebug was in my hair, and my teacher actually killed it with a ruler and I had dead Junebug in my hair the whole bus ride home. The ruler did not hurt. I yelled to get it out. I didn't tell her to smoosh it!

Ewwwwww!

the 3 Pekin girls are drinking a little and shaking their tail feathers. Not interested in eating. I even gave them left over baked apples, one of their favorites. But it has only been 24 hours since the attack roughly.

Happy to hear they seem to be perking up a bit.

 

[aaggjg]

We had June bugs when i was growing up in FL. I never have liked any kind of bug with a hard body, just grosses me out, Roaches, especially, so glad we don't have many things like that here in the mountains. How awful to have a smashed June bug in your hair. lol  I feed dried mealworms, wish I had the space to grow my own, they are pricey dried ,I buy in bulk. I only feed them in the winter when bugs aren't available for protein. All I have to do is bring out the shovel and I can't even dig for being surrounded. 

Miss Lydia you don't need much space at all to grow meal worms!!! I was feeding the dried mealworms to my girls too but boy are they pricey!!! Not to mention they are so hollow and light it made merging they would get so much more out of fresh!!! I have a plastic storage bin where I have started my mealworms. I did not do any fancy 3 tiered system. Just 1 bin. I put in bran, worms and a few pieces of carrot. Well I add more carrot from time to time that's it. I just started a few months ago and now have a bunch of beetles..... So I'm patiently waiting for the worms to grow. So far it's really easy and requires very little space!!

 

[Beekissed]

Nah...not at all. I get that reaction every time I post that and was just a little surprised to see it here. Thought you all already knew I was a bit....different, shall we say?

I'm never going to be like the rest of BYC and heaven help the day that I am. It either means I have converted everyone to the BEE natural idea~ or I have drank the Piperazine and am a zombie, unable to make my own decisions without the rest of BYC to confirm that it is a good idea.

Either way, that will be the day I get out of chickens because~ either my job here in life is done~ or I have lost my everlivin' lovin' mind.

Remember the rule, Aoxa? If the bulk of your birds are doing great on a good method and only a few are not, those are your culls. One simply cannot make this chicken thing easy, and for it to have any flow, when each little group needs special care or considerations.

Now, someone who breeds different kinds~or shall we say, species~of birds, some tweaking is sure to have to happen. But a simple working flock like mine or the usual flock people are using to produce food? They need a simple, one stop shopping feed regimen and husbandry routine that works on them all.

If not, you find yourself losing the joy of the chickens and it becomes more of a nerve frazzler. If ever any animal in my life becomes a bother and a chore, more than a joy, that is the day I get rid of them.

Flock grower is great if folks want to use it and supplement calcium in the winter months...and I found myself doing this when I tried it once. And, you are right, I can't get flock grower in a mash and I have grown to love my mash...it just has a better appearance and smell than the pellets and crumbles, though I know the only difference is the processing. I usually trust my eyes and nose on if things are good.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Miss Lydia you don't need much space at all to grow meal worms!!! I was feeding the dried mealworms to my girls too but boy are they pricey!!! Not to mention they are so hollow and light it made merging they would get so much more out of fresh!!! I have a plastic storage bin where I have started my mealworms. I did not do any fancy 3 tiered system. Just 1 bin. I put in bran, worms and a few pieces of carrot. Well I add more carrot from time to time that's it. I just started a few months ago and now have a bunch of beetles..... So I'm patiently waiting for the worms to grow. So far it's really easy and requires very little space!!

How do you keep the beetles in the plastic storage bin? and where do you keep the bin, my problem is space. and keeping them beetles where they cannot get out. lol

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

I don't/wont heat the coop. They are birds. They need to acclimate.
I let mine free range if possible. Right now, not possible. The only chickens we have lost has been to neighborhood dogs. We do have gray fox in the area, as well as hawk, skunk and racoon. Our chickens do have a large and airy run. 30'x32'. Provides shade and sun.
I did let the game birds free range last summer, for about 3 months. Mainly because, once I let them out...the would not go back into the chicken tractor. So, I let them be. Let them free range, with food and water available. Till they started destroying my gardens. Then it was back to the coop.
They get layer mash, which is now fermented. With some scratch added. *** well as sprouted BOSS. Kitchen scraps that are appropriate.
Both of my flocks have been very healthy so far. Bright eyes, good feathering, no mites, no intestinal problems, no overweight issues. I have always kept them just a tiny bit hungry. I let them clean out their pan/bowl...and forage for a while before I feed them more.
I started out doing the acv in the waterer, but it got to be too much. DH finally made me a way to open the waterers easier, so I might start adding it again.
All of my 4 new hens are laying. Good hard shells. Only 1 shelless egg, and I know who did it and why. It was a pullet egg thing.
So, I'll just sit back and continue reading and learning. I have so much to learn about this chicken raising thing. Not ever having been around farms much. 2 brief households that had chickens, and one of them was a chicken house, raising birds for Tyson. Back in the 70's. I think.

 

[aoxa]

Nah...not at all. I get that reaction every time I post that and was just a little surprised to see it here. Thought you all already knew I was a bit....different, shall we say?

I'm never going to be like the rest of BYC and heaven help the day that I am. It either means I have converted everyone to the BEE natural idea~ or I have drank the Piperazine and am a zombie, unable to make my own decisions without the rest of BYC to confirm that it is a good idea.

Either way, that will be the day I get out of chickens because~ either my job here in life is done~ or I have lost my everlivin' lovin' mind.

Remember the rule, Aoxa? If the bulk of your birds are doing great on a good method and only a few are not, those are your culls. One simply cannot make this chicken thing easy, and for it to have any flow, when each little group needs special care or considerations.

Now, someone who breeds different kinds~or shall we say, species~of birds, some tweaking is sure to have to happen. But a simple working flock like mine or the usual flock people are using to produce food? They need a simple, one stop shopping feed regimen and husbandry routine that works on them all.

If not, you find yourself losing the joy of the chickens and it becomes more of a nerve frazzler. If ever any animal in my life becomes a bother and a chore, more than a joy, that is the day I get rid of them.

Flock grower is great if folks want to use it and supplement calcium in the winter months...and I found myself doing this when I tried it once. And, you are right, I can't get flock grower in a mash and I have grown to love my mash...it just has a better appearance and smell than the pellets and crumbles, though I know the only difference is the processing. I usually trust my eyes and nose on if things are good.

I do remember that rule. Silkies are not chickens though, right?

They will be my only exception to that. I will base that rule in the silkie class. If 98% of the silkies are doing well on a system, the 2% that aren't will be culled. Though I have never lost a grown silkie before. They are hardier than the Wyandottes hands down! A little tricky to raise if mixed with standard birds though, and get trampled easily. I would love to have a completely separate coop for just the bantams. That would be very helpful. A 25 pound goose is a danger to a 1.5 pound silkie pullet. Probably a danger to many chickens as well, but the silkies move slower so are more apt to get trampled by them. Only lost silkies under 8 weeks to this issue. Only ones NOT raised by a broody. Mama always teaches them to get away from big fat geese.

Wouldn't want to get caught under that belly fat.

I offer calcium all the time anyway. They rarely eat it. It's there if they do need it. The ones I see eating it most are the high production girls (red sex links).

How is it these geese above eat less than chickens, and they look so robust? I just love that their diet is almost 95% forage.
They are not overweight. It's their breed characteristics by the way. They are supposed to look that obese (if not more so).




It's their double chin that had me sold.

 

[Beekissed]

Draft horses eat about the same as a regular horse but still maintain their big build. That's me....big, solid, easy on fuel.

Maybe that's something you could breed for in your Silkies? Get them out on free range quicker with a good, resilient mama and then cull for those who are quick, forage well and have survival instincts. It's probably never been done before and you could sell them like hotcakes if you developed a strain that could do that. They have the very same body structures of any other chicken...no reason why they are slow to move and don't forage well.

Keep the fluff trimmed out of their eyes and see what you can do with them. You could market them to a whole new crowd of people who want one or two but can't free range them because they are hawk bait.

Welcome to BEEs slammin' style of developing a free range chicken....put them out there and kill all that don't do it well. You may only have one left, but that's still breeding stock.

 

[delisha]

So aoxia, you set your eggs yesterday?
How do those geese taste?
I have to go set my eggs in a little while..My very first Heritage RIR show stock. The toe punch might work for these better than my idea of using zip ties.