Kristine Keeney

Thekla McDaniels wrote:One thing I heard was that branches are better than uniform sizes of dimension lumber and dowels is that varying diameters support feet health more flexibility and range of motion …

Ever since that has been my preference.  But I think logs with bark would provide the same benefits.  If anyone knows a chicken podiatrist we could get a professional opinion🤣.

I've been using natural branches and small trees as roosting material and the birds love it.

I noticed that given the choice between 1.5 inch PVC and branches that were at least 2 inches across, they prefer the branches. As I do not debark any of the wood I'm using for roost/perches, I haven't compared barked vs. debarked wood other than who might be in the A-frame that uses milled lumber as perches.

I've started replacing a lot of my old perches and roosting areas with natural branches hung from the top of the shelter. The flock very quickly learned to maneuver around the hanging wires. My spare cockerels enjoyed their hanging natural branches so much that they packed onto one of them and bent the metal arch support that partially held it up. Apparently, that pipe was not enough to hold approximately 70 pounds of chicken!

In answer to some of the questions:
While 9 inches is something you do see, I have experimented; my flock seems to like a solid 12 inches per bird. Sometimes they'll all pack together to save heat, but they like to have the space to sit apart. More space is never a bad thing.

I've seen a "2-foot rule" being mentioned in perch spacing. The perches need to start at least 2 feet from the ground, and have rungs spaced about 2 feet apart if you're making a ladder-type perch, or a 2-foot space between perches to allow the birds a chance to sit without their heads in someone else's tail.
You could probably get away with less space between perches if your birds are smaller than the average full-sized chicken, but 2 feet seems reasonable for my flock.

It's also suggested that you stop perches somewhere below 2 feet of the top of your shelter, too.
I have made perches that were too close to the wire. My poor cockerels, who tried to roost there, just looked sad, all hunched over trying to avoid smushing their feathers and combs into the top of their shelter.

The 2-foot rule, or its equivalent in meters - .61meters, is a good one, even if it's very generic.

Yeah, I think it's mostly used as a treat, but I have seen some homemade feed "recipes" that call for certain amounts. I'm not sure how good it is as a major source of protein.

It's nice to know that roadkill/compost gone wrong could help create something that helps with calcium, protein levels, as well as possible other things.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579126000544
This is a study on black fly larvae and their effect on Salmonella in chickens. From what I've read, it indicates that, while the effect of living black fly larvae to suppress the presence of Salmonella in chickens is known, there seems to be evidence that the same effect extends to *dried* larvae. So, those of us who don't yet raise our own larvae, or who do so seasonally, can reap the benefits of feeding them to our flock dried for long-term storage.

Anything that makes it easier not to develop horrible infections is a good thing!
I hope y'all are as excited about the possibilities as I am!

Howdy!
It's been a bit since I've been back to Permies. Just ... Life stuff going on and trying to get through all the chores and whatnot. I found an article to share with all the chicken peeps, but this thread popped first, so ...

In the past couple of years, I've switched up my plans a bit. I have breeding pens for Black Dorkings, Black Red Dorkings, and a lone Light Grey Dorking pullet that I hope I can pair off with a Light Grey cockerel later this year.
I plan on adding breeding pens for Cuckoo Maran, Ameraucana, and Silver-grey Dorkings this year. I have the start of my Silver-grey breeders and Ameraucana breeders, but need to build the pens and do some culling.
(If you're an East Texas Permie willing to drive here, I will happily share "pet quality" (stew quality?) Dorking cockerels with you.) I have something like 8 birds needing a new home - probably being sent to Freezer Camp.

Deciding on the Ameraucanas was new, as was the addition of the Cuckoo Maran. Maybe I got really lucky with good roos, but I have two good roos of those breeds and want to make more chickens with them.
The Dorking flock is great and they are as pretty and personable as ever. I still love Dorkings. Fun birds.

Anne Miller wrote:I have always heard that geese make great guardian companions.

They're noisy and Very Large birds - they tend to make themselves look bigger by spreading wings and standing as upright as possible.

They're great guardians for any critter smaller that can dodge a bully, and will make a horrible ruckus if something happens that they think you (or the world) should know about - like the UPS man arrived; or there's a low flying helicopter; or the mailman has arrived; there's a strange critter of any sort in or near "their space"(a fluid measurement that can mean a space they're in, something they can see, or space they think should be theirs but the law says belongs to the neighbor); it's Tuesday; they have once again discovered their feet.

My geese have no qualms about yelling at me if I wear something different that they don't approve of, I'm showing up at night or a time they don't think I should be bothering them, or I have neglected to offer them treats.

Unlike many dogs, they can't be bribed into good behavior by strangers - they regard corn offered by me as a treat, but my husband has to scatter it and walk away before they even think about nibbling. I've tried to have someone they didn't know at all approach with corn, but they were seen as a Bad Thing and threatened.

An angry adult goose can break a bone in an adult human if there's a situation that would drive things to a physical confrontation. There are plenty of warnings before that happens, though. They use the same ferocity to protect their spaces and the less aggressive members of my flock, so I'm fine with it. I'm thinking about getting a "warning-guard geese" sign, but haven't decided if it's necessary.
They make great guardian animals and they can be socialized with other critters and will regard those other critters with special favor.  My favorite goose guard was Pat who thought of himself as a Very Large Chicken and slept with the flock.

Even a happy or sleepy hen is going to make noise. I don't think there's a reliable way to, long-term, keep a hen quiet. Short term - any of the things you mentioned would do.
Keeping her in the dark, as long as she's had some time to run around beforehand, would make her more inclined to be quiet.
Making scary (to a chicken) noises would work, too. She knows she's very edible - but that's mean.

I would hope she has water available all the time as well as food. You're using a living critter as a prop.
Holding her and making sure she's involved (as much as a held chicken can be) will, as long as she's well-handled to begin with, keep her quiet. If she's not well handled, she's more likely to get extremely noisy with being held.

Other than temporary things, there isn't really a good way to keep individual chickens quiet. If you had two chickens in a cage, you could keep them occupied with each other by giving one toy or treat and they'd play tag to see who got to keep it most.

Sitting in the dark, being held, being given something to do, are all things you can try. They'll all work for short periods of time.

Last year I set out a baby pool for the geese. The chickens enjoy it too. It's in the shade of one of the oaks, and I dump it daily/rinse/refill a couple of inches.

It's been hotter than usual, but we're going through some pop-up showers which cool things off (while raising humidity). The birds are spending most of their time trying to stay dry instead of escaping the heat - it's damp enough it keeps them coolish.

Lots of shade and lots of water. Fermented damp feed keeps their hydration up.

I still toss out cracked corn.
Scratch doesn't make them hot - burning off the complex carbohydrates makes them hot by boosting their metabolism - so I don't worry about it and do my best to make sure everyone is behaving and eating well.

The geese have made it very clear that their continued good (for goose) behavior is dependent on being fed a portion of corn by hand daily. The surprise goslings have started eating from my hand, too. It's good training for coming when called and being handled, but I get a very noisy Angry Goose Gang chasing me around the yard if they don't get their corn portion.

I'm going to agree with what seems to be the majority vote.
I do feed eggs back to my chickens. I will toss a number of raw eggs onto a concrete block at feeding time before I give them their feed. When they stop being excited about the number of eggs and waiting anxiously for the next, I stop. The number of eggs given to them in this way will vary based on their excitement level which varies based on whatever is going on in their lives. Different weather conditions, different seasons, different activity levels, and different ages all act differently.

I have also given them broken raw eggs mixed with their feed. It's messier, but they enjoy it.

I don't bother to scramble them first, though I understand if you do. In theory, cooking would kill any potential bugaboos that me be part of the eggs and change the proteins enough that they wouldn't seem to trip the chicken brain trigger that identifies them as "egg". It's a safety measure.

I put no stock in the belief that chickens fed raw egg will develop a habit of eating their own. I'm not sure chickens have that much upper-level thought about it. Egg-eaters learn from other chickens that their laid eggs are delicious, but mine haven't made the connection between the eggs I give them and the eggs they lay.

So, short answer? Feed an egg per hen per day. Or feed intermittently as a treat until they lose interest. Fill in the gaps with other offerings - processed bagged feed, home-mixed feed, grass, fruit and vegetables, kitchen scrap, whatever you'd normally offer them.

Nancy Reading wrote:We used to dart each other with wall barley. The flower spikes come apart at the nodes and will stick in your clothes.

I have it on very good authority that kids in Texas still play that game with "spear grass" a wild grass that's very common, has very long awns and a burr-like tip. It gets stuck in fur frequently and can cause some nasty problems, but is very definitely spear-shaped and pretty aerodynamic. (Andropogon gerardii - big bluestem and its relative little bluestem)

Found some today that will probably get mowed back as soon as the ground dries enough for mowing.