AAHHHHHHH! THE FIRST EGG FINALLY!

[dai2dao996]

I still have plenty of grower left, but I can use it once the spring chicks I will get are old enough...

See... I wasn't planning on any more chickens. Lol. But, I've got 3 more coming soon!

 

[The Backyard Bantams]

See... I wasn't planning on any more chickens. Lol. But, I've got 3 more coming soon!

I started with 6...one died of a spider bite of something, the other had to be put down because she’s had a stroke. People say chickens live like 9 years, but they are very vulnerable. I have 4, we have to rehome one, he’s a cockerel. He is a sweet boy, but unfortunately I am not allowed Roos. So this spring I will get 6-8 little bantam chicks! I am very excited! Maybe next year I will have a shot at having a broody mama....

Ps. Had my first egg EVER tonight! SO exciting!

 

[The Backyard Bantams]

I feel like a chicken expert and hatchaholic, but in reality I’ve only had chickens for a few months, and I have never even hatched anything lol....

 

[B40chick]

I transitioned my girls from grower to layer at 18 weeks. Some people don't use layer. They use all flock and supply oyster shells

 

[dai2dao996]

I started with 6...one died of a spider bite of something, the other had to be put down because she’s had a stroke. People say chickens live like 9 years, but they are very vulnerable. I have 4, we have to rehome one, he’s a cockerel. He is a sweet boy, but unfortunately I am not allowed Roos. So this spring I will get 6-8 little bantam chicks! I am very excited! Maybe next year I will have a shot at having a broody mama....

Ps. Had my first egg EVER tonight! SO exciting!

We got 5 at the end of last year. I love all the different breeds so they are different. 1 Delaware, 1 light Brahma, 2 barred rocks, and 1 Rhode island red. They are such interesting pets. We spoil the rotten also. Lol.

 

[The Backyard Bantams]

We got 5 at the end of last year. I love all the different breeds so they are different. 1 Delaware, 1 light Brahma, 2 barred rocks, and 1 Rhode island red. They are such interesting pets. We spoil the rotten also. Lol.

I made a thread on how many chicks to get....people said I should get POL hens bc I am not allowed roos...but I want bebe chicks

They told me to get sex-links... but tbh

THEY ARE THE MOST BORING CHICKENS EVER!

I LOVE BANTIES!

My fav breeds I want to get this spring:

Dutch bantams
Silkies
Bantam ameraucauna
Bantam australorps!

 

[dai2dao996]

I made a thread on how many chicks to get....people said I should get POL hens bc I am not allowed roos...but I want bebe chicks

They told me to get sex-links... but tbh

THEY ARE THE MOST BORING CHICKENS EVER!

I LOVE BANTIES!

My fav breeds I want to get this spring:

Dutch bantams
Silkies
Bantam ameraucauna
Bantam australorps!

I thought of getting a couple sex links, but read that they are not too healthy as the get older. I'm not sure, but I didn't want to deal with that.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

I was reading through this thread and YES, layer feed will hurt the non-laying chickens. Layer feed should only be given to chickens that are actively laying. I would hold off on the layer feed completely until they are all laying, but since you have a cockerel you might never be able to feed layer feed. The excess calcium is horrible for their kidneys and such. If you only feed pullets close-ish to laying eggs layer feed for a few weeks, it would probably not hurt them. A cockerel however, would have the highest chance of getting kidney failure or something else along those lines.

I would just feed flock raiser or all flock to everyone, and you can start now, with a little thing of oyster shells or crushed up eggshells on the side.

 

[dai2dao996]

I was reading through this thread and YES, layer feed will hurt the non-laying chickens. Layer feed should only be given to chickens that are actively laying. I would hold off on the layer feed completely until they are all laying, but since you have a cockerel you might never be able to feed layer feed. The excess calcium is horrible for their kidneys and such. If you only feed pullets close-ish to laying eggs layer feed for a few weeks, it would probably not hurt them. A cockerel however, would have the highest chance of getting kidney failure or something else along those lines.

I would just feed flock raiser or all flock to everyone, and you can start now, with a little thing of oyster shells or crushed up eggshells on the side.

Purina instructions say to switch to layer feed at 18 weeks though.

Oops... Sorry, I see what you said. Lol.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Purina instructions say to switch to layer feed at 18 weeks though.

Yes, but not all breeds or chickens start laying at 18 weeks. They don’t need the excess calcium until they are laying. I bet probably half of the people who helped write the Purina instructions have never even seen a chicken, and don’t understand that not all breeds lay at 18-20 weeks.