About my coop and questions

[cheythatfarmgal]

My coop is in a dog lot with plenty of shelter. I feed and water my chickens twice a day. Is that enough? Also, if you have any tips for me about chickens laying eggs please let me know. My chickens are not laying yet but I would like to be prepared.

 

[Pyxis]

! Actually, it's best to feed your birds free choice, meaning you always keep food available to them. They won't overeat. Water should also always be available - I'm not sure if you meant you change their water twice a day or you're only providing water twice a day, but if it's the latter, you definitely need to have a water source available to them at all times.

 

[KatieHoyle]

Early in the morning I always throw some feed around in each of my coops for my chickens. Each coop has 24/7 water access for my chickens. Around 2 or 3 every day I usually give my chickens treats too. You don't have to do this I just like to spoil my chickens

Whether it be grapes, raisins, lettuce, mealworms, etc. One of my hens, named Olive, she LOVES tomatoes

Good luck to you and your flock!

 

[aart]

Agrees a balanced feed and water should be available 24/7.

'Treats' should not be more than 10% in volume of feed.

 

[cheythatfarmgal]

My chickens have water 24/7. I just give them fresh water twice a day. I feed them twice a day too. I have a question about them laying. I have had them since March, when should they start laying?

 

[Blooie]

Welcome! It would help tremendously to know how old your chickens are and what kind they are. Some varieties can lay as early as 17 weeks (all of my Red Sex Links have done this) and some don't even think about it until they are 6+ months old. And within that span, you need to take into consideration that, like people, they are all different as individuals, so there is no hard and fast "date on the calendar" to expect your first eggs from them.

I trust you are feeding a good quality food in addition to the treats. As the others have said, treats should always be just that - occasional snacks or training aids. Those treats come in mighty handy when trying to round them up to go back into the coop for the night or to teach them to use ramps up into the coop, etc. I don't want to sound judgmental, but often when I hear the words, "I feed them twice a day" what it ends up being is tossing some scratch in for them and calling it good. Scratch is not food. I'm going on the assumption that you are feeding them the correct food for their ages. They need a clean container that holds enough food for the entire day so they can feed when the urge hits instead of waiting for it. They should be able to wake up first thing in the morning and have food and water right there. I told my grandkids when they first started helping me with the chickens, "If you want breakfast from them, they need breakfast from you."

Let us know how old your little ones are and what you are actually feeding, and we'll be so much better able to help answer your questions. Welcome to the wild wacky world of chicken keeping! It's a roller coaster I wouldn't have missed for the world!