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

[armorfirelady]

#2 - There are some breeds that really aren't chickens at all: ie: silkies. Don't see any issues with handling them. Hard to get your kids to stop picking them up

I can see the chickens like it too, because they stand on your boots to be held.

I have never had silkies but I have seen them at fairs. I agree with others they look like Aliens lol

You silkie owners may get a laugh out of this. A couple of years ago I was at the NYS fair looking at the chickens (this was before I had them) and everyone was around this one large cage so of course I had to go see what was so interesting. $ silkie chickens in there in a rainbow of colors......yellow, red, orange & blue. I really thought that was their *real* color of feathers.......till I spoke with a friend who raises them and when she got done laughing she informed me they were dyed that color. I always wondered what possesed the owners of those chickens to dye all their feathers. If I come upon the pic I took I will post it.

 

[aoxa]

I have never had silkies but I have seen them at fairs. I agree with others they look like Aliens lol 

You silkie owners may get a laugh out of this. A couple of years ago I was at the NYS fair looking at the chickens (this was before I had them)  and everyone was around this one large cage so of course I had to go see what was so interesting.  $ silkie chickens in there in a rainbow of colors......yellow, red, orange & blue.  I really thought that was their *real* color of feathers.......till I spoke with a friend who raises them and when she got done laughing she informed me they were dyed that color.   I always wondered what possesed the owners of those chickens to dye all their feathers.   If I come upon the pic I took I will post it.

I have seen them do this, and they do it for the children. Silkies actually love being pampered. I show mine, and they have to be bathed before shows. They fall right asleep. You can also line them up on a bench and they stay there while you wash the others.

They may be 'aliens' but I have found no better broody. They are protective with their chicks. They hardly eat much at all, forage well if started out early doing so, and lay very late into their life. They rarely suffer from reproductive type diseases (can't think of proper term here.. conditions?). And the best part about them, is you can sell a male for $20. Females go for more. They are the easiest breed I have to sell. Even poor quality silkies. Males with lots of faults still go for $10 each.

Oh and the roosters actually take care of chicks. That's something else I really love about them.

 

[Wax Myrtle]

.   I always wondered what possesed the owners of those chickens to dye all their feathers.   If I come upon the pic I took I will post it.

To camoflage the diapers? Sorry, Aoxa, couldn't resist. You DO do a good job promoting them. Might possibly have to look further into them. I've heard they don't do too well in high humidity heat?

 

[delisha]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089KULD4...e=395261&creativeASIN=B0089KULD4&linkCode=asn

This is the link for the dog heat mat. It is $19.00. It is also pretty big and all 30 of the chicks can fit on the mat. They are all feathered out now so I removed the mat. They are just using the over head heat source now.

 

[delisha]

Disadvantages I have found in the mat is clean up. Next time I am going to use sand on top of the mat. I covered it with chips, but with all the heat they can easily remove the chips and poop all over the mat in a matter of minutes. I hate cleaning off dry chick poop.

 

[Cknldy]

I thought I was the only one who did this! The local sawmill sells dumpster loads of sawdust for $5. My roosts in both coops have boxed area under them. I simply pour about 1 1/2-2 inches of sawdust spread out under roosts. Every morning I use a cat litter scoop and toss poop out to deep litter floor. Then I 'flipwatched and turn' the litter so everything gets air and doesn't mat down. It's the easiest way to do it and since I keep the box clean the ladies have been seen dusting in the sawdust as well as on the ground! I love dual purpose stuff.

 

[bobbi-j]

Oh, I absolutely agree aoxa. I'm sure that's the reason Matter of fact, last year a dear friend of mine died. At the wake some of his relatives brought their young children. They were playing in the sitting room and coloring . Well, some of the family were horrified that someone brought their kids and said they thought it would be too traumatic. I told them no, children should be brought to wakes and funerals from a young age. Death is a part of life. And I also told them that if they were exposed young, and the parents acted naturally and calm about the whole process, then their children would grow up able to handle death and be more emotionally healthy for the experience. Now, I can't tell you why I'm having such a problem with killing a chicken feeling that way about death, but I'm thinking it's because, well to put it frankly, it's a slaughter. The dead part doesn't bother me. It's the killing that does. And truly, it's not even the killing. It's the slaughter. And people who have had the experience start slow. They see their grandparents or parents killing and processing for a time before it's turned over to them. They've been taught, by example, that it's a natural process. I think it's the approach by which children are taught that is sometimes more important than the teaching itself. I envy those that grew up in the country and have that knowledge of raising animals, growing their own food, and about life in general. My husband told me the other day, we're old, and now you want to be a farmer! I guess not, but I sure would like to be able to raise these chickens the proper way.

I'm way behind on posts, but felt the need to comment on this. When my grandpa died, he had seven great-grandchildren, ranging in ages from 8-3 years old. They all came to the visitation, and to the funeral. The night of the visitation, they had so many questions! My then-5-year-old son asked if Great-Grandpa still had his legs. With my grandma's permission, the funeral director lifted the part of the casket lid that was covering Grandpa's legs to reassure the kids that his legs were still there. That led to many more questions, and a tour for the kids (and any adults who wanted to come) of the funeral home - where they keep the extra caskets, the preparation room (after he made sure no one was in there, waiting to be prepped), and many, many memories for these kids. They're all healthy, well-adjusted adults now. None were traumatized by the experience. And that funeral director earned the respect and gratitude of several of us parents that night. On growing up on a farm, and experiencing the circle of life - we had a little bull-calf given to us once. The boys (ages 6, 8 and 11) name him Butch. When I asked why Butch, they said, "We're going to butcher him anyway, Mom!"

 

[Bulldogma]

Looks very good so far! I have one teeny suggestion. " . Be sure to use a plastic bowl or feeder to serve the fermented feed to your chickens." I use a ceramic dog dish. It's also easier to clean.

Great suggestion, Wax Myrtle! I am not offended by corrections or suggestions! On the contrary, I welcome them!! I'm going to add that tidbit right away!

#2 - There are some breeds that really aren't chickens at all: ie: silkies. Don't see any issues with handling them. Hard to get your kids to stop picking them up

I can see the chickens like it too, because they stand on your boots to be held.
#3 - Ooo I love doing that. It's so toasty.. I do it every time I close up. Helps get the circulation back to my fingers in cold temps

I'm sure the chickens don't really appreciate it, but I do!

I have seen them do this, and they do it for the children. Silkies actually love being pampered. I show mine, and they have to be bathed before shows. They fall right asleep. You can also line them up on a bench and they stay there while you wash the others.
They may be 'aliens' but I have found no better broody. They are protective with their chicks. They hardly eat much at all, forage well if started out early doing so, and lay very late into their life. They rarely suffer from reproductive type diseases (can't think of proper term here.. conditions?). And the best part about them, is you can sell a male for $20. Females go for more. They are the easiest breed I have to sell. Even poor quality silkies. Males with lots of faults still go for $10 each.
Oh and the roosters actually take care of chicks. That's something else I really love about them.

Stop it! Now I want a silkie - LOL! For my kids, of course! My 9-year-old has 2 bantam cochins (one roo and one pullet) and those poor birds get loved to pieces. Perhaps a silkie would enjoy her attentions a bit more. I have to give it to the cochins though - so far they have tolerated her love amazingly well... when she can catch them - LOL.

To camoflage the diapers? Sorry, Aoxa, couldn't resist.

You DO do a good job promoting them. Might possibly have to look further into them. I've heard they don't do too well in high humidity heat?

 

[galanie]

Bee, have you thought about educating these folks?  Show them non-swollen-footed, non-drippy-butt, non-lice-infested, healthy, laying, fertile, scratching, bug-hunting, seed-foraging, hawk-dodging, solid-poopin, cock-a-doodle-doin chickens and roosters and tell them that you'll teach them how they can have that too.  Don't do their fishin for them, but teach them to fish.

I'm only on page 32 so if this has already been suggested, my apologies.

colburg

Well....they already SAW that kind of bird when I gave them to them in the first place!   We're talking about a couple who are in their mid to late 70s and are very nice...not a mean bone in their bodies.  But, they seem to have a blind spot when it comes to animals, for some reason.  It's a cultural thing in some of these mountain communities.  Chickens are about the lowest thing on a farm out in the country and, in that area, no one really considers them to have much importance...it's nothing to drive by and see the chickens confined to a barren run and coop setup for years upon years while all the grass outside their coop is green and lush.  It never occurs to some people to let those birds have a more normal life out on the grass like the cows, sheep and horses. 

Also, these people used to have broiler houses back in the day and every other farm in that area still do.  Chicken life and their comfort is just not considered in those parts...they are to be used for eggs, their meat, and for an income but are not really considered to have much worth beyond that as an animal with a need for a quality existence. 

It's hard to explain that to urban and city folks because people from that background only have experience with pets and they then treat their chickens as pets.  Country folk, for the most part, see them as food and as something to "use up" and get more when those are used up. 

Although I can't agree with that, I understand it somehow. My parents both grew up in east Tennessee. They used to shake their heads and laugh at farmers that considered they knew all there was about farming because they "Used up 3 farms before you were born." Meaning they stripped the soil of it's fertility and moved on to strip another. There was this "use it up" mentality and that's what they knew. Your comment that chickens were something to "use up" struck me as being an extension of this exact same attitude and mentality. But my folks, WWII vets both, knew better by the 50's. My dad was from a farm that had been in the same place for over 150 years. If his family didn't use up a farm and move on, how is it these guys knew so much that they "used up" 3 of them?

 

[galanie]

I've always wondered if these heat mats - or the heated dog/cat mats - would work to put below brooding chicks when you brood outside in the hen house.  Of course you'd put whatever bedding over the top of the mat.  Has anyone tried either these or the pet mats for a brooding base?

I have wondered the same thing...

I didn't try those but I did try a regular heating pad on chicks. Bad idea. I think they need overhead heat and somehow heat under them doesn't do it. No matter the temp of the pad and no matter if they were on it or not, they screamed that they were cold. I put in a heat light and suddenly they were happy. I guess an overhead heat source mimics momma.