➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[BantyChooks]

Congratulations.


Most commercial brands have a high percentage of milo. My birds don't eat milo.
My mix is used for calling birds back to the coop at night, to develop weight before breeding season and for winter warmth since I don't heat my coops. I make my own...mix equal parts by volume of hulled wheat, oats, cracked corn, boss, and calf manna. I mix into a 32 gallon metal trash can. Right now I have 150 + chickens and each adult gets a teaspoon when I'm feeding this. I add 2 teaspoons of RedCell to a gallon of this mix and shake to distribute it...nice extra vitamin. The birds come running when I call. In winter this mix helps the birds keep warm in the coop as they process this grain mix.


What a lovely family photo! Merry Christmas!


Did you ever figure out what caused the blood...his own or another bird? Perhaps a blood feather?


I liked this version.


I'll bet you have a crumble mix.
I can buy my 18% Layer ration in a crumble or a pellet.
If you make fermented mash the crumble is consumed.
A lot is wasted otherwise.
For chicks, I do feed a crumble.

Looked like his own from a small wound. No blood feathers, he isn't in moult or growing back bare patches. Either way, he's fine now.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Congratulations.


Most commercial brands have a high percentage of milo. My birds don't eat milo.
My mix is used for calling birds back to the coop at night, to develop weight before breeding season and for winter warmth since I don't heat my coops. I make my own...mix equal parts by volume of hulled wheat, oats, cracked corn, boss, and calf manna. I mix into a 32 gallon metal trash can. Right now I have 150 + chickens and each adult gets a teaspoon when I'm feeding this. I add 2 teaspoons of RedCell to a gallon of this mix and shake to distribute it...nice extra vitamin. The birds come running when I call. In winter this mix helps the birds keep warm in the coop as they process this grain mix.


What a lovely family photo! Merry Christmas!


Did you ever figure out what caused the blood...his own or another bird? Perhaps a blood feather?


I liked this version.


I'll bet you have a crumble mix.
I can buy my 18% Layer ration in a crumble or a pellet.
If you make fermented mash the crumble is consumed.
A lot is wasted otherwise.
For chicks, I do feed a crumble.

Yeah, it’s crumble. This was chick feed. Purina Start & Grow. The unmedicated one. The Flock Raiser is pretty dusty/crumbly too but nothing like this. It’s ridiculous. The crumbles definitely waste a ton of food cause it’s soooo much powder but the chicks needed a crumble and the adults I like to feed Flock Raiser in the winter when they are not laying and my TSC only carries the crumble version of it. I have fed Nutrena All Flock (pellets) before but it’s not usually as fresh at my store and it’s a smaller bag. Although I bet that extra 10 pounds is all powder anyway.

Usually I feed a local feed that’s in between crumbles and pellets. It’s like a mini pellet. And I’ve gotten my best eggs feeding it. It’s Poulin Grain Egg Production Plus. It’s 18% protein instead of 16% as well as soy free and the yolk color is amazing when I’m feeding it even if they haven’t free ranged in a bit. But it’s just in winter I don’t like feeding layer to the non layers so I am forced to suck it up and deal with the dust and waste.

I wanted to sift the chick food tonight because it was all powder and they couldn’t even eat it but sifting 7 pounds of it for the adult feeder is kind of a pain so I didn’t bother.

I will eventually though and think I will start fermenting the powder or maybe just the food as a whole so it doesn’t go to waste. Cause otherwise it’s wasted cause it’s too small for any of the birds to eat and they won’t bother trying.

 

[muddy75]

Looked like his own from a small wound. No blood feathers, he isn't in moult or growing back bare patches. Either way, he's fine now.

how’s the eggs?? i may have missed your update

 

[BantyChooks]

how’s the eggs?? i may have missed your update

They are in an, ahem, suitable incubator. They all seem alive still, but none are internally pipped. They're looking quite full.

 

[muddy75]

They are in an, ahem, suitable incubator. They all seem alive still, but none are internally pipped. They're looking quite full.
View attachment 1984209

My buttons this time were a bit delayed hatching (day 18). So you’ll see some action soon!!

 

[BantyChooks]

My buttons this time were a bit delayed hatching (day 18). So you’ll see some action soon!!

A tiny part of me hopes I don't. It's not chick season and I'm SO not set up for them....but, babies.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Just found these guys and I.... WOW!!! His voice!

This one too. Damn this boy can sing

 

[Tesumph]

What a lovely family photo! Merry Christmas!

Thanks nana. Our family gets a little bit bigger every year, and the photo gets a little bit harder to see lol.

 

[Sara L]

Are these pets?

I want a rabbit, but I haven't decided what kind I want yet.

Meat rabbits, but the breeders are more like pets. I have mixes and purebred Rex, these new kits are half Rex. The kits that are due next should be purebred Rex.

 

[NanaKat]

They are in an, ahem, suitable incubator. They all seem alive still, but none are internally pipped. They're looking quite full.
View attachment 1984209

A plastic bin or cardboard box lined with foil and paper towels and a cookie cooling rack for a top with a 75 watt light suspended above works pretty good for a short term brooder.
My grandmother would use an old wash tub (round tin) with 1" hardware top next to her wood stove. Sometimes put a tea towel over the top to hold the heat.