Recent content by Cindy in PA

  1. Cindy in PA

    Purina Farm to Flock feed?

    I have never had a problem with this type of feed either with pellets or mash vitamins. If you feed them the correct amount they will clean up everything. What did the birds eat before pellets? YMMV
  2. Cindy in PA

    brooding chicks in coop with 50 degree temps at night?

    You should be fine. I have 7-week-olds that have been in the coop since day 1 under a brooder plate. I am in SE PA & in early April I had temps in the mid 20s at night with highs only in the mid 30s. This is as cold as I have had yet since brooding in the coop. They have been fully feathered for...
  3. Cindy in PA

    Is this a wattle at only 2 weeks?

    Three years ago, I got an oops rooster in my bunch of 10. He had wattles & a comb from 2-3 weeks & his sisters & surrogate mom all bit his wattles. The severely injured one never redeveloped. Full name is Kookaburra One Wattle & he is a 3-year-old Blue Australorp.
  4. Cindy in PA

    Chick crumbles not ok for adult chickens?

    I agree that it may be easiest to feed all flock or chick starter. 30+ years ago no one was so into the feed stuff & most people I know fed layer feed year-round. There was no internet where every subject was beat to death. I normally cycle out my hens every 2-3 years but early on the kids had...
  5. Cindy in PA

    Where'd the 'Brood chicks 6-8 indoors then move outside' method come from?

    I have almost 5-week-olds that are just about integrated with the hens. They have survived in the coop since day 1 & had temps as low as 26 at night their first week. They have a brooder plate but have survived some really low temps this year! They are all but fully feathered & healthy so far.
  6. Cindy in PA

    Do I need more heat in the coop tonight?!?!

    My 8 almost 4-week-old chicks went through temps down to 26 degrees in my coop the first week & came through fine with their brooder plate. This was by far the coldest I have had for the 6 times I've brooded in the coop. They have gone through many windy 35-degree nights also. I am amazed at...
  7. Cindy in PA

    Advice on Buying First Chicks

    I get everyone's points. I have done fine with hatchery chickens for 32 years. I have nothing against local breeders, I'm just saying they are not readily found everywhere & many are just chicken owners selling chicks. I don't have anything against barnyard mixes, it's just not what I am looking...
  8. Cindy in PA

    Advice on Buying First Chicks

    Don't agree. Just like dogs, if you get a good breeder & an appropriate breed, you know pretty much how the dog will grow & behave. The stuff about being genetically stronger etc. is the same stuff said about dogs. It's mostly BS. If you get two dogs of any breed with many negatives in their...
  9. Cindy in PA

    Advice on Buying First Chicks

    Most local breeders are resellers here or only have barnyard mixes. Just like dog breeders, buyer beware, YMMV
  10. Cindy in PA

    Advice on Buying First Chicks

    I love Meyer, but the 8 chicks I ordered for this week had shipping costs of $65 not $15. Don't know any place that is only $15. I hadn't ordered online for a few years & ended up canceling as I got what I wanted from my local feed store.
  11. Cindy in PA

    when can I get my chicks out to their coop

    I have 8 chicks just over 1 week old in the coop since last Friday with a brooder plate. Night temps since Sunday have been 37, 32, 25 & 38 overnight. They have gone under the plate at dusk & come out at will during the day. Their crops appear to always be full even though I don't always catch...
  12. Cindy in PA

    Why We Use a Welcoming Coop Instead of a Garage Brooder

    My area in the coop is not as elaborate as the ones above, but I've been raising in the coop for 5 years. My chicks that were hatched 4/1 have survived our 38-degree days & 26-degree nights this week with their brooder plate. This is the coldest period I have had to raise chicks in so far.
  13. Cindy in PA

    Is this a roo?? ~6 weeks old

    Red on the shoulders says probably, LOL.
  14. Cindy in PA

    What should I use for grit?

    I was instructed many years ago to salt the chick's food from day 2 with chick grit. They may only be eating starter, but you can't keep them from picking up bedding etc. Chick grit is insanely small & I'm still using the 10lbs I got probably 25 years ago. You would never want 50 lbs. of chick...
  15. Cindy in PA

    Feed Price Outlook

    I bought 12 chicks in 1993 after reading an 8-page story in Organic Gardening Magazine. All the basics were there. Good food, clean water & a secure coop. I have seen the buying of chicks in 2009, 2020-21 & now. Each time I think these people will give them up pronto, but I have never seen it...
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