SufficientSelf's Chicken Thread!!!

[the funny farm6]

I can get boss at the local farm store by the pound (and a pound is a lot). I also get mealworms at cost from my friend who ouns a pet store, but only do it when I have extra money to spend.

I can't let my chickens out to free range, found out that the guy who bought the 20 acers behind us was shooting my hens becouse they were in his hay feild- eating bugs. This guy lives in town, and comes out 2 times week just to make sure no one is on his property. He and his kids were shooting roman candles at my horses this 4th of july! So the girls stay in their coop all the time now.

 

[Beekissed]

Electric poultry netting is not as expensive as you might imagine....if you really want to free range and want to avoid this crazy guy, come spring you could maybe look into some? It is easy to relocate from place to place, easy to take down and put back up, etc.

 

[the funny farm6]

We have a wooded gully behind our house, and then we own about 30-40 feet into that field. It is all clover with a little alfalfa. If I can learn about keeping bees I am going to use that spot to put my bees. And this spring the pig pen is going out on that property line.

 

[BarredBuff]

I hadnt thought of that but I didnt fill it tonight, I will have to in the morning. I will check it when I get home and see if thats where it is going..........

 

[BarredBuff]

Well after switching from Dumor feeds to Kalmbach. Laying has increased a bit, the moulting ones have suddenly gained their feathers back , and I actually have some feed left in the feeder

 

[BarredBuff]

As I posted earlier my new feed is working wonders! Production is getting better, I got 13 today, and everyone is looking pristine again

 

[deb4o]

Glad to hear the new feed is working well. I also find that during the winter months when free-ranging doesn't benifit the girls to much, that if I "cook" for them, my egg production goes WAY up.
Today they got butternut squash, a lilttle rice with beef drippings and fat .

I try to get this kind of stuff cooked for them at least every 3 days.It varies as to what I find cheap in the produce section of the grocery store.or what I have extra at home.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Gotta keep those girls happy!! So far (knock wood) my girls laying hasn't slowed down. They get table scraps almost daily and lentils and soaked split peas 2-3 times a week in addition to layer pellets free choice. I have also been giving them a handful of scratch in the late afternoon to help keep them warm overnight. I love my little egg machines!!

 

[BarredBuff]

Thats about my feeding schedule cheerio. When they are let out to range, they get a 6 lb. can of whole grain mix, then at evening feeding they get scraps (usually everyother day) and then 6 lbs of layer crumbles in the feeder. If we get a bad, cold, snowy or icy winter, I will sprout wheat and alfalfa for them. It helps a lot but now we have greens outside so I should be good.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Glad to hear that the feed switch helped!

I lost two chickens a few weeks ago on the same day. I think the two incidents are unrelated, though. One just dropped dead as the girls were running to greet me as I got out of the car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one by the HUV fall over. When I walked the 10 feet to check it out, she was dead. This pullet had a wry tail due to severe spine curvature. I haven't seen her in the nest boxes in quite a while, and that morning I noticed that her comb and wattles looked ashen and dry. Almost white. She may have had a bad heart, or she crashed into HUV and broke her neck. Or it was something else, but all the other girls are fine. I've never done a necropsy, so I didn't do one as I don't even know what normal insides look like. This is my first layer flock.

The other one disappeared without a trace during range time and never came home. So the three I lost first were the ones I named. I have learned my lesson.