I put the shells out as soon as I use the eggs -- Not enough time for bacteria to proliferate. My chickens only eat flaked oyster shell, so that's what I buy for them.
Well, a few days turned into a few weeks. I'm not sure if I was overzealous with the crack or if the egg exploded in the container. But, somehow, the egg innards were outside of the egg.
It smelled rotten to me, so I took it to the far end of the yard and dumped it out. A chicken promptly ran...
I feed my eggshells back to the chickens without washing or baking. They enjoy the protein residue.
Calcium + Vitamin D3 would be the way to go, but I have too many chickens to administer individual pills. Hence the desire for vitamin-enriched feed. I suppose I could grind up calcium pills and...
I have 40 hens, about half of whom are over the age of 6 and still laying. Many of the older hens lay thin-shelled eggs, and I suspect they are having trouble absorbing calcium due to their age.
Right now everyone gets generic 16% layer pellets, with 2 different kinds of oyster shell free...
Okay, I did two experiments. First, I took a swig of calcium hydroxide water. A little bitter, but not something that can't be masked in a chocolate cake. Mouth felt soapy afterwards.
Second, I put a mildly cracked egg in calcium hydroxide. I'll let it sit for a few days and then cook it into...
Dang, 10% is a lot. When the eggs crack, do they rot on the inside? Or does the calcium hydroxide prevent bacterial growth? Could I theoretically use the cracked eggs to make a Mexican omelette smothered in jalapenos to hide the taste of calcium?
In another thread, someone asked whether waterglass eggs could survive a long drive. OP never responded, so I did an experiment: I put half a dozen eggs in yogurt container, topped it up with water, then shook it around violently to simulate driving conditions. Also rolled it back and forth on...
@sassione Did your eggs arrive intact? I'm in the same situation. Not so worried about normal vehicle speeds, but the acceleration and deceleration that may happen along the way.
I have a mixed flock with both large breeds and bantams. The smallest bantam is the size of a dove. It's fine if they have lots of space with places to hide.
In my experience, the males will force the girls to submit whether they are ready or not. Especially with multiple males, they will take...
Against my better judgement, I agreed to take in two bantam roosters whose owner couldn't keep them. They had previously lived together in a bird cage for 5 years and were best of friends.
My plan was to quarantine them in a rabbit hutch for 30 days, but as soon as I set them down, they started...
Does anyone know of a pet carrier that would be suitable for carrying an adult turkey? Eg, if I need to take one to the vet.
(Now that I think about it, how on earth do people transport peacocks?)
@GodLovesU Never tried it, but the diapers I've seen have enough capacity that you don't have to change it every time. They're similar to the manure bags that horses wear.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-diapers-instructions-how-to-advice.97738/page-2