Recent content by Al Gerhart

  1. Al Gerhart

    Rooster doesn’t like feeder

    Well, that feeder belongs to the OP. It is a rent a coop feeder and I am sure they are fairly weather resistant. Or are you talking about the picture in my post? That is the feeder I make and they are weather resistant too if you have a small shed roof over it to help when it storms.
  2. Al Gerhart

    Rooster doesn’t like feeder

    Once again, this is one of the huge design flaws of these pvc elbow type feeders. There is the physical, the rooster's comb is large enough that he has trouble sticking his head down into the feed level without banging into the elbow. Now imagine you had to eat out of a human sized pvc elbow...
  3. Al Gerhart

    Intestines eaten through the vent

    Unless you have left a big opening for a coon, it is more likely either rats or the chickens pecking at each other's vent. Once the blood starts to flow the hen is doomed, the others will continue to attack the bloody spot and eviscerate her in a few hours. Any sign of pecking, hit the vent...
  4. Al Gerhart

    Rats/Mice problem

    Mice are easier to deal with than rats but mice attract rats so deal with them ASAP. Mice chew wiring on cars and houses too, any sort of electrical wiring with plastic insulation is at risks. What attracts them is one of four things, food, water, nesting material that can be shredded for...
  5. Al Gerhart

    No wonder chickens fed cafeteria style select each element in about the same proportion as it is in the old mixed feeds

    Well, the first study didn't quite support the theory, it was instead a major step in the formulation of a scientific and uniform ration. I'd be interested in these other studies, always willing to learn.
  6. Al Gerhart

    No wonder chickens fed cafeteria style select each element in about the same proportion as it is in the old mixed feeds

    Palatability is exactly why they pelletize the ration. With a good grind and thorough mixing the pellet will provide a balanced ration. Putting out containers of feeds and supplement and expecting the chickens to "know" is pretty far fetched.
  7. Al Gerhart

    Mice In The House! Can I feed 'em to my chickens?

    Take care or a chicken might choke on an adult mouse carcass. Chop them up a bit. You really need to deal with the mice though before they get your house wiring or the wiring in your cars or lawnmowers. Sounds like they come in for shelter. Only way to stop that is to tighten up the exterior.
  8. Al Gerhart

    Normal reduction in feed consumption?

    25 hens x .25 pound, 6.25 pounds per day is what you should be feeding. Wild birds? Rats? If you have HC everywhere probably not.
  9. Al Gerhart

    Normal reduction in feed consumption?

    How much are they eating per hen per day in pounds. Ignore roosters unless you have a lot of them.
  10. Al Gerhart

    No wonder chickens fed cafeteria style select each element in about the same proportion as it is in the old mixed feeds

    The source for that 1957 study doesn't appear to be available online other than in some articles that Winter wrote in a ag tech journal but the quotes attributed to the work states that the cafeteria method works only as long as the essential nutrients are all available and it points out that...
  11. Al Gerhart

    RATS!

    Predator urine was looked at in that University of Nebraska white paper on rodent control. It actually brought in more predators and had zero effect on rodents. Rats are after one of four things, food, water, nesting materials, or a safe place to build a nest. Food is the most common draw...
  12. Al Gerhart

    Rats living in soon to be Coop..

    Palm tree nuts.... sounds like they have a ready source of food already but they will prefer the chicken feed. I am not privy to the nutritional value of these palm nuts but you can bet they are sufficient in protein and carbs and fats being that they are a nut. So, you need to focus on...
  13. Al Gerhart

    Let's talk Oregano Essential Oil for Chickens... Uses? Dosing? Benefits? Can it be used daily?

    An old thread for sure. But I enjoyed reading U Stormcrow's replies and the sputtering that results and then the wholesale ignoring of excellent advice and wisdom. When it comes to feeding nutrition and things of a medicinal or chemical nature, U Stormcrow is the godfather of those topics...
  14. Al Gerhart

    Feeding Chickens iguana?

    Chickens are the mother load of salmonella, no worse than iguanas. Used to do bacterial studies on countertop materials. Our source of bacteria was to grab a Walmart frozen chicken, thaw it in the fridge, use the water that drained off. Contaminated myself twice, got a drop somehow in the...
  15. Al Gerhart

    Squirrels---is there a good food girls will like and squirrels hate? I read that nectarine pits (do not help my cancer...but) contain some poison....

    Squirrels can be stopped by treadle feeders by setting the treadle pressure at least six pounds which might be too much for all but the larger breeds of hens. Leverage has a cost, meaning that if the treadle pressure is at six pounds, the pressure needed to just push the door open without...
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