I feed my chickens the spent grain from a local brewery. I have around 60 chickens and feed nearly 20 lbs per day. the grain does not have the hops in it as that is added after the removal of the grain(i think that is how it works). the protein level of the grain is between 20 and 30 percent...
I would leave them with the friend. Even though we all love our chicks and the rest of our barnyard friends we should always remember that family comes first. Don't miss Easter dinner your chicks will still be there when you get home. Reading how prepared you are with getting a sitter already...
I partitioned part of the run with chicken wire and 2"x4" welded wire fence. Inside that I put the small coop for the "teenagers". This way the girls can be beak to beak for a couple months. I usually put the new pullets in with the old hens when they are about four months old. An easy trick...
The aquarium will work short term. You might have issues with heat. because of the glass the tank will retain heat. there is not a lot of space for the chicks to move around if they do need to cool a bit. Monitor the heat closely till you know how it will circulate. I usually use a couple...
Stick with the pellets. If you can get your girls to eat them you will like them more from a quality perspective. When I buy crumbles the bottom 1-3 inches are dust most of the time. My girls don't like the dust and that seems wasteful. If you think your pullets aren't eating the pellets...
Mine eat the potato peels too. Its the "eye" you have to worry about. You don't want them to eat the new sprouts from the "eye" of the potatoes. Just like for people.
I heard that even though dog food is 33% (or so) protein that it is not the kind of protein that is for the chickens. However the high protein that you find in cat food is.
Use the scratch as a way for the chicks to turn the bedding. Layer feed by itself is fine. I mix a little corn with my layer pellets because it is a little cheaper. But be careful. An overweight hen is not a productive layer.
We don't have a garbage disposal so all table scraps go to the dog, chickens or cows. I would say not to give them moldy food but they can digest anything.
Sounds great but the heater may burn out quickly. Aquariums heaters are designed to bring the temp of the water up to the degrees you have set. When its this cold the heater will continue to draw amps to bring the temp up. On our farm we have to heat chickens, cows and the dog water. For the...
chickens can eat just about anything. We don't have a garbage disposal, so between the dog, cat, chickens and cows, all scraps go to something. Chickens will pick bones clean. The dog gets a little jealous when that happens. If you want to get more protein to your chickens in the winter...
The shavings work like litter does in a cat box. Absorbs moisture and some smells. Put some scratch on it and the chickens will stir it up. the pine shavings will continue to dry the droppings and cleanup is easy with a shovel. I clean out my coop 3 to 4 times a year but continually add more...