i have several crele bielefelder hens and two silver bielefelder cocks (no other cocks in the flock). does anyone have experience with crosses of crele/silver bielefelders?
checking on my chickens when i got home around dusk today, i found one of my bielefelder hens in a nest box, and all the other birds on the roosts across the coop. when i checked under her for eggs, she stayed in the nest and made strange chuckling noises. if she's still on that nest tomorrow...
pumpkin seeds aren't exactly grains, but my chickens like them. they also like the flesh. "cushaw" type pumpkins work well, produce generously, (planted with a little aged manure worked in) and are pest and disease resistant. pumpkins properly cured keep for months. to feed them, just whack...
plant some crops in the garden that will feed you and the girls. sweet potatoes - chickens love them, good source of vitanin A. sunflowers - sunflower seeds are about 18% protein.
winter squash the girls will love them, and few things are tastier than pumpkin seeds. most winter squash seed...
NEST BOX LINERS for large (jersey giant, bielefelder...) hens. Dollar Tree has oil change drain pans which are fairly sturdy plastic. approx 14" diameter, 4" deep. easy to clean, just hose them out. only $1.25 !!
limestone is over 90% calcium carbonate - just like oyster shell grit. in fact, limestone is formed by seashells and/or coral being compacted over LONG periods of time. there is a form of small grained limestone gravel called "rice rock." the size is suggested by the name. it can be sourced...
rural north florida, i kept chickens several years ago, but my former dachsund put an end to that. starting again, renoxating fencing, building a new coop. i'll be ready to get some birds in a few weeks.