My backyard flock now consists of three pullets and one cockerel. Not sure which of the gals laid it, probably Dirty Dottie. It was so pretty that I hated to eat it, but did anyway.
protector of the flock? I had bantams before and the roo was mature when I got him. He called the girls to him and gave them choice tidbits, he led the girls in the coop when it was time to roost and was definitely the protector. I've switched over to standard chickens with one cockerel and...
You say Hazy is the smallest, but where is she in the pecking order? I've always let my bantam broodies raise their chicks but have found that if the broody is at the bottom of the pecking order it can be a little tougher to defend her chicks. Hazy has sort of been "absent" for the past 3 weeks...
I'd say better safe than sorry. I feed Purina Flock Raiser (for mixed flock) and have a can nailed to the inside of the coop (out of the weather) in which I put the oyster shell, free choice. The hens seem to know when to eat it. The can is high enough that the babies can't get to it easily...
I told my niece yesterday that she should start checking for eggs in the next couple of weeks. I told her she could start feeding them layer feed after she got her first egg. She said she was already feeding them layer feed. I asked her for how long. She said since a couple of weeks after...