not really a difference in the eggs but since our hens are free range feed is not the main part of their diet, and I could probably feed them crap feed and their eggs would still be awesome. Mainly I get organic/non GMO for economic and environmental reasons.
I removed the heat at 3 weeks, moved them from the kitchen to attached but unheated garage at 4 weeks and outside at 5. Here they are at 6 weeks outside their grow out pen. As you can see it's just a roof and a little windbreak and they are fine. I wouldn't go straight from an indoor brooder...
ours were in the kitchen with a Brinsea heater. At 3 weeks I unplugged the heater, at 4 weeks I moved them to the unheated garage, at 5 weeks they went out to a grow out pen which just a tunnel with a tarp on top and perches to get them a few inches off the ground. Doing fine.
i know those bins, we used to use one and they only work if you turn the contents which s a lot of work. Much easier to let the chickens do it, and they get a lot of food from the worms.
Here's our bin. This took us about an hour to build. Two days ago we dumped a five gallon bucket full of...
do you let your chickens turn your compost? We built a two stage system of concrete block - just two open bins about 4x4 each - and fill one side while using the other. The chooks do a fabulous job turning it over. Pine shavings disappear in a few days, even big woody stuff breaks down fast.
Why not make a proper compost bin? It breaks down faster and will smell a lot less than spreading uncomposted material over a large area. Better for your plants too.
I haven't had any bumble. The floor of our coop is the ground, but the chickens don't get on it - they stay on the perches which are about 1 foot off the ground. I roll it a few feet once a week or so to keep the grass from dying and rake the spot to break up the poop piles. It's easier IMO than...
we don't have any discernible parasites either, not on the chickens or the dogs. We don't use any treatment whatsoever, or special "bio security" measures aside from trying to provide a healthful natural diet and as natural an environment as we can manage. Where does your friend live and what...
try Del's (tractor supply). We get a big bale of pine shavings there for about $5. Lasts us over a year but we only use it in brooder and nest boxes. We start chicks on paper towels in a bus tub for the first 2-3 days before putting them on shavings in the brooder. Never seen them eat shavings.
I have blue and green mutt eggs EExBCMx? which so far have been 100% fertile. I'm in Shelton, can take them to Olympia if someone heading north can meet me there.
Rain doesn't hurt chickens. They like to get under cover for heavy downpours and hail like anyone else, but are happy foraging in lighter rain. That structure looks ok as long as you only keep 2-3 chickens in it and clean it daily. 6-8 if the door is left open so they can free range during the day.
What TC said, also, no one is allowed to make you go anywhere against your will, especially not to a little room away from witnesses. If anyone tries to force or coerce you that is kidnapping. The ACLU might be interested in this especially if it's happening to a lot of people.
See...