Natural Chicken Keeping

Very helpful Thanks

2024-02-25T20:55:00.941-05:00

Very helpful Thanks

In the poultry world (at least in the US) "Cu...

2023-12-16T10:18:33.058-05:00

In the poultry world (at least in the US) "Cull" simply means to remove from the flock. It is not a definition of HOW a bird is removed.
I breed 3 different breeds for show and sale. When I have birds that aren't the quality I need for my breeding program, I cull them from my flock... by sending them to a pet home. :)
And just one more thing - this blog is called Natural Chicken Keeping, not Chickens Are Just Like Humans Chicken Keeping. There are articles about growing and processing meat birds here. Ultimately, everybody has different ideas of what chickens are to them. If you want to treat yours like children, that's wonderful but it's not for everybody.
And for the record, research shows that cervical dislocation is one of the most humane ways to put a chicken down as it ends all sensation to the body immediately. I use that and then a sharp blow to the head to make sure brain function ceases. This can be very difficult when it's a bird that's special to me, but I also see it as a kindness for a bird that is suffering. I hold them close for a few minutes before hand and tell them what they meant to me. I pray that they'll cross quickly and without pain or fear and then when I feel ready, my bird is sent over the rainbow bridge by the hands that cared for him or her since hatch. No scary car rides or strangers with terrifying objects. Just me and the familiar surroundings of the farm they grew up on.

Don't cull. Cull is barbaric and ancient. We d...

2023-12-15T23:56:37.412-05:00

Don't cull. Cull is barbaric and ancient. We do euthanasia these days.

AnnieK - I'm happy to hear your hen is doing O...

2023-12-04T10:40:27.546-05:00

AnnieK - I'm happy to hear your hen is doing OK! As with any brain injury, the outcome depends on where the stroke happened, how large it was and what it affected. Sending hen hugs to Buffy.

It is now end of November and Buffy is still w...

2023-11-30T23:00:33.370-05:00

It is now end of November and Buffy is still with us. Albeit blind, I think. I have to put the food in front of her face, but she still eats and drinks. She walks to the back door and wants to sleep inside at night. One day at a time and we will just continue to love her.

We had 1 chick shrink wrapped and we assisted. She...

2023-11-17T19:29:02.631-05:00

We had 1 chick shrink wrapped and we assisted. She is moving around, but still looks wet and is not opening eyes. Not sure what to do. This is our first batch of eggs

Ours have held up well so far. We've had strai...

2023-11-04T10:57:15.779-04:00

Ours have held up well so far. We've had straight-line winds up to 72 miles per hour and they've been fine. It helps that they have some give to them so they can bend a bit. That said, this can also depend on the materials you are using and in what direction you are using them. If you know which direction your big storms come from, make sure that all materials on that side of the coop are secured in such a way that wind can't get up under them and start tearing them apart. If you're using multiple tarps, secure the tarp that is over the top further down the wind side, and then secure the tarp on the back over the top of the edges. (I hope this is making sense.) It's fine to poke very small holes in the side areas of tarps should you need to secure overlapping pieces with zip ties.

If you are using roofing material over the top, secure any side materials all the way up to the roofing materials on the wind side to reduce the amount of wind that can get up under the roofing materials.

We have had to replace our tarps every few years, but we've never had a problem with the coop we have with the roofing materials. I should mention that the one with roofing materials is situated so the wind hits from the side of the coop instead of the rear. The roofing materials come down the wind side about half way (and in winter we tarp off the bottom part). As long as the wind can't get up under a loose edge, you're good to go!

Welcome to your new addiction! LOL! If you are on ...

2023-08-21T10:16:05.310-04:00

Welcome to your new addiction! LOL! If you are on Facebook, we'd love to have you join us on our Swedish Flower Hen groups. They are a great place to ask questions, look through "Featured" posts and meet tons of other Swedish Flower Hen lovers. The https://www.facebook.com/groups/1334890333358184 Is our most active group. Hope to see you there!

I just got 2 hens, and one roo! They are beautiful...

2023-08-21T06:49:19.292-04:00

I just got 2 hens, and one roo! They are beautiful and I’ve been doing so much research about the breed, totally in love! One hen is a golden color, one is grey! He’s a big roo, very confident! Thank you for sharing your knowledge about these birds!

The best way to find swaps in your area is to ask ...

2023-08-03T00:17:20.398-04:00

The best way to find swaps in your area is to ask at your local Tractor Supply or other farm and feed stores and look for poultry groups in your area on Facebook.

What you mentioned happened to my 8 year old hen B...

2023-08-02T23:47:01.597-04:00

What you mentioned happened to my 8 year old hen Buffy too. I chose to force feed with large syringe and she came back. However it happened a few more times and now she seems to be having seizures at night. I love her dearly and don't want her to suffer. She is still eating in the day time, and I will just love her one day at a time. AND we always bury our hens, as they are / were our pets.

Do they have these in Florida

2023-08-02T23:21:15.193-04:00

Do they have these in Florida

How does DL method work to keep out mites & li...

2023-07-21T11:58:49.015-04:00

How does DL method work to keep out mites & lice etc, if that’s possible? And if not, do you have to dispose of the entire DL, burn it, and start over?

Your description of his movement sounds a lot like...

2023-07-20T15:06:06.517-04:00

Your description of his movement sounds a lot like what happens when they’re doing their dust bath and get into a sort of trance state—the panting, feathers out of place and ruffled, getting up and falling back down repeatedly—how long did you observe him doing this?

I LAUGHED SOOO HARD BOUT FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR!!! �...

2023-07-04T13:18:02.323-04:00

I LAUGHED SOOO HARD BOUT FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR!!! 🤣🤣🤣

She may have a slipped tendon. Here is a great lin...

2023-07-03T13:39:55.368-04:00

She may have a slipped tendon. Here is a great link that shows how to get it back in place. You'll need to copy the link and past it into your browser's address bar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuf6Nk6B40E

So I’m a novice when it comes to chickens. I have ...

2023-06-30T17:40:39.515-04:00

So I’m a novice when it comes to chickens. I have 3 chicks (hens), maybe 3-4 months old. I also have another hen that has been laying for nearly a year. About a week ago, I went out to feed them and noticed one chick, Marilyn, was limping and struggling to stay up while walking. I couldn’t see anything in her foot or any visible injury. This morning I went out and she wasn’t able to stand. I have removed her from the pin and she is in a crate alone. I have examined her legs and don’t feel any bones broken or anything loose. Both legs feel alike to me. It is her left leg and she keeps it splayed out behind her. She can grasp with her toes and she has moved the leg at the him joint area, but if I move it back forward, she cheeps a little bit. I don’t know what to do. The vet is going to be too much. But I want to do what I can to help her. What could it be? What else can I do? Any advice is appreciated.

@Annonymous - if a hen does not lay eggs, she is n...

2023-06-24T17:01:14.660-04:00

@Annonymous - if a hen does not lay eggs, she is not necessarily a gynandromorph. In cases where a hen's ovary is somehow damaged, a hen can develop male characteristics, but she can't breed.

Lol! hens can crow, it's kinda common

2023-06-24T13:28:45.525-04:00

Lol!
hens can crow, it's kinda common

Sometimes if a hen is top in the pecking order, sh...

2023-06-24T13:27:38.690-04:00

Sometimes if a hen is top in the pecking order, she can take over the role of the rooster. That's why it won't mate. Hens that TOTROR (take over the role of rooster) will crow and dance, but can't mate. All hens, TOTROR or not, have small spurs. If it lays eggs, its just a TOTROR hen. But if it's never layed, EVER at all, then... gynandromorph?

I was looking for a way not to use plastic. Thank ...

2023-06-19T20:30:07.240-04:00

I was looking for a way not to use plastic. Thank you

Fresh or dried herbs are both just fine! Essential...

2023-06-16T15:37:50.483-04:00

Fresh or dried herbs are both just fine! Essential oils should be used sparingly as too much could irritate your chickens' respiratory systems. If you try new herbs, watch your ladies for any signs of respiratory issues. Some hens are sensitive to certain herbs.

I was wondering how much of it do you use? And wha...

2023-06-12T23:48:10.445-04:00

I was wondering how much of it do you use? And what about essential oils blended and sprinkled in sand? Also if I grew these herbs can I just pick them fresh and cut them up and place them in the boxes or do I have to dry them first

Thank you
Darla from Tehachapi Ca

While on lockdown I've been forced to open my ...

2023-04-19T04:23:10.312-04:00

While on lockdown I've been forced to open my homemade incubators to place in wicked towels to try and keep my humidity between 65 and 70%. My last 6 turkey eggs I totally assisted in hatching and pulling the turkey out of the egg. They are healthy and doing fine. After the outter shell was pipped but no ativity for approximately 8 to 10 hours I had to assist, luckly I did because on 2 eggs in inner membrane was dry and it was not pipped. The baby turkeys were barely opening their beaks, no movement, I actually thought they wouldn't make it but once I pulled them out the egg I saw the relief they had to have been assisted. They would have died without my assistance. They are all happy and healthy.

I'm new here! Glad to know others are worried ...

2023-03-28T15:47:55.776-04:00

I'm new here! Glad to know others are worried about phthalates, BPA and other environmental toxins! We're building our coop now and we will use the deep litter method of composting. But, I haven't found something non-toxic to line my coop with prior to adding my hemp. I wanted to add something to hopefully prevent the wood from rotting, but also to make it easier to clean. I see many use things linoleum, tiles, wallpaper, or polycarbonate plastic (Carolina Coops uses this; they say it's food grade, but the food industry approves a LOT of plastic for food use, but they're full of phthalates and BPA). These all seem unsafe for the chickens to peck at b/c of the plastics, glues, etc. But also as these materials heat up from outside heat in addition to compost heat, the plastics and glues will end up right into my compost which in turn would go in my garden. No way! So what can I use? Any suggestions? I'm also looking for stainless or glass food and water containers. My chicks are only 3 weeks old, but I'm having a hard time finding something that I can put in their run when I move them out in a few weeks. Would love any suggestions!