All this chicken feed stuff is getting complicated!

[Child of Noah]

Thank you all! I was starting to think about that especially since the ducks are so much younger than the chickens. Then I hadn't even considered how the boys won't need the calcium at all, or that it could be harmful. Very very helpful information! Thank you.

 

[LittleDomMama]

We make a mix of grains, layer pellet, and dog food for our chickens. Baby chicks get grower/starter only until about 3 weeks. We mix in 5 gallon buckets each day. 2 scoops whole corn, 2 scoops rolled corn, 1.5 scoops of whole milo, 1 scoop 21% protein dog food ( small pellets), 1 scoop layer, 1 or 2 scoops wheat. Our chickens are free range but definetly like being fed in the am, and before roosting for the night.

 

[ladymama]

Not sure how to go about this, but here goes. My Buff Orp. has gone broody. Last year an Easter Egger went broody and we dunk, and we dunked, and we dunked. We live in south Texas so getting cold was not a problem, but is this really the best way to break broodiness? No rooster for chicks, not really ready for new chicks anyway, just don't want her to suffer over-long.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I just take my broodies that aren't on eggs, off the nest a couple of times a day, when I'm out there. I take them over to the outdoor water in the yard or the dustbath out in the yard. It gets them out of the coop, gets them some exercise and it's a nice diversion. I also take them over to the food at times. They usually give up after awhile. I've found that a lot of my chickens were the broodiest the first couple of years and then, not as much.

As long as the coop has enough ventilation so that it's not hotter inside than it is outside, it shouldn't be hard on her to be in the coop. If she eats and drinks every day, she should do fine, until she gives up. Even though I keep a little bowl of food and water next to broody chickens, I still take them off the nest a couple of times a day, to encourage them to give up and go enjoy life, when they aren't on eggs.

If your coop is really hot, you could always set up an area for her outside, where it would be cooler. A cage or circle of fencing, with food and water inside it. Moving her out of the coop might help her get over her broodiness.

 

[ladymama]

Thanks Woodland Woman, felt bad about the dunking but didn't have any other suggestions; sounds like a "let nature take its course", no problem with that