A Bielefelder Thread !

[Sylvester017]

I tried adding it to wet crumbles but she wouldn't eat it! I think that fruity smell isn't attractive to them, I broke it into pieces, and then opened her beak and dropped in a piece at a time... She is a pretty good natured hen so it wasn't all that difficult!

My hens don't like the oyster shell. I have everyone in the house rinsing their egg shells and dropping them into a container on the counter. I crush them a couple of times a week by just crumbling them in my hands until the pieces are about 1/4" at the most. They absolutely love the crushed egg shells. They vanish almost overnight. The reason that you need to make the pieces small is that you don't want them to know that they are eating an egg shell because they might begin eating their eggs.

I am going to try to find liquid calcium. I'll let you know the info when I find it.

I use a Magic Bullet to grind the egg shells to a powder. I used to just smoosh them inside a baggie with a smooth rock but discovered the blender method was faster and smoother eggshell pieces. I heat the eggshells in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to get rid of any possible bacteria and collect the toasted eggshells to use in one blender-full. The powdery eggshell in the blender is good to add to the raised garden bed soil too.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Ok, my girl is going to be 5 months next month, is there a teensy tinsy possibility that she could start laying next month..at 5 months of age? Looking forward to some large eggs I've been hearing about. She is still a very sweet girl! Getting prettier, and bigger, lol..than my other laying hens. Well, most, most are started pullets. But still, she is going to be big, I can tell!

Hi @Cynthia12

I don't know if there is hard and fast rule about this. I got my Bielefelder hens as 1 week olds last June 21 (my husbands birthday! The Buff Orp, Black Australorp, and Silver Lace Wyandottes started laying in October. Jessica (Biel) started laying in Mid December, and Schnitzel laid her first egg in Mid February. It was a tiny little thing, about the size of a grape. Jessica laid a normal large egg.

I am thinking that possibly the larger the breed, the longer to maturity? It doesn't seem to apply to the Roos, because my roo is 20 weeks old and his first batch of chicks was hatched last week. He was getting frisky at 15 weeks, so I decided to see if the eggs were being fertilized.

Be patient, It is worth the wait.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Ok, I am guilty as well. But I think we have gotten way off topic for this post. Most of these post would be very beneficial to all users if posted in the appropriate category.

@CrowHollowFarm I was confused at first, but have found out that on this thread we discuss all kinds of things that we encounter, both with our Biels, our Biel crosses, and our others. I have found kindred spirits here, and can rely on them for information that I don't get on other threads.

Hope I haven't offended you! I asked the same question a few months ago when there was a discussion about mixed breeds. Not everyone has Bielefelders, and there are some problems specific to them that may or may not be encountered in other breeds.We just cover everything, including cats, dogs, horses, and the occasional goat!

 

[CrowHollowFarm]

No offense taken. I just thought that some of the things you discussed will be missed by other users who may need the info. If it were in the correct catagory it would be more useful.

 

[Coop de Grass]

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I totally understand. The things is that if they use the search function, the information shows up even if it is a completely different thread.

 

[Coop de Grass]

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Great idea to use the Magic Bullet and do it all at once. Also, heating the eggshells to kill bacteria. Especially interested in adding it to the garden bed - do you think it would work in a straw bale garden?

 

[Coop de Grass]

Schnitzel update:

She had two soaks today, together with 2 olive oil massages. She laid an egg earlier this evening. I am wondering if I should check her again this evening to see if there is another egg lurking up there... She is still in the crate, but now she is grumbling quite a bit. While she was in the bath, we had a wonderful conversation. Almost like talking to my babies!!!

I am definitely a crazy chicken Momma!

 

[DesertChic]

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It did for me. In powder form it was easy to sprinkle atop the straw bales and then water so it would penetrate down to the plant roots.

 

[Red Banks]

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It did for me. In powder form it was easy to sprinkle atop the straw bales and then water so it would penetrate down to the plant roots.
I roast my egg shells wrapped in aluminum foil at 350 for 15 minutes. Then I just mash them in the aluminum foil take them outside and throw them like scratch. They are gone in minutes.

 

[Coop de Grass]

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Nice idea. I like giving them the crushed stuff. I think they like the crunch, but I like the idea of the powder for the garden