Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Mine are on Purina crumbles right now. I give mostly the dry feed, but will give wet when it's really hot out there or windy. The wet helps to get a bit more water into them, or also helps to keep the feed from blowing away. I'm thinking about starting to give them the pellet's though if I keep having this ant problem. Maybe the pellets will be too big for them to carry back to the hills.

 

[BlueBaby]

I give mine feed wet and they seem to enjoy it. I just bought a 20 bag of dumor starter and not impressed. Lots of powder. The two boys went through a molt so I got them some feather fixer. On loves it the other won’t touch it. I give the fruit and veggies some they eat some they don’t. Just very picky.

Yes, chickens seem to be like humans in that respect.
Old saying : You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

 

[meetthebubus]

My hens get Nutrena country feeds layer crumble. That's what they have been eating since I switched them off of the chick starter long ago, and they love it. I have two feeders that hang about 6 inches off the ground so bugs and mice can't get into it. Also the chickens can't scratch it out.
They also get yogurt, fruits and veggies and garden herbs. They are obsessed with basil. They have a favorite treat from the feed store called Chickie Garden Picnic, that they have been enjoying since they were chicks. It's just a fancy seed and herb mix, they get that maybe once a week. And I save their eggshells, dry them out, and crush them down to offer a calcium supplement if they want that.
Some days I think they might eat better than I do I love going through the produce while grocery shopping thinking, "what will the girls want this week?"

Yup! Now I don't feel so weird grocery shopping with my human AND feather family in mind lol grapes for bubus, peaches for us, kale for bubus, jalapenos for us.... lol

Molly McMuffin here: Not touching basil. Not us old girls, not egg laying chatter boxes, not the teenagers and not those annoying two youngsters! I'm sure I was never 9 weeks old!
Love oregano - as long as its in wet feed - We all love and beg for wet feed.
garlic is okay but don't show it to me - put it in wet feed too - did I tell you we all love that wet food.
Greens in the morning okay - not too many times with the turnip or collard greens. Curly mustard yum - lettuces yum - swiss chard and spinach double yum.
okay with the sunflower seeds.
Really - just don't bother with all that other stuff and just give me scratch - you know chicken crack followed by mealy worms!
Dreamingly yours, Molly

Yes, sounds like my buffs

I give mine feed wet and they seem to enjoy it. I just bought a 20 bag of dumor starter and not impressed. Lots of powder. The two boys went through a molt so I got them some feather fixer. On loves it the other won’t touch it. I give the fruit and veggies some they eat some they don’t. Just very picky.

That dumor Always has at least half powder, always.

I cannot remember how young yours are but young pullets under 5 months are pickier with how they receive treats, they arent skilled with breaking up food and aren't used to scratching and hunting for food as much

I always break or prepare the treats before spreading it out so that they are bite size and...

I also enjoy hand feeding ALOT where they come and just pull off as I hold the big piece of food

 

[DesertChic]

Question about broody hatching eggs. She's in a box about a foot off the ground. Mini ramp? Build a nest on the ground for after hatch? Or will she do it?

Once I knew my broody was truly devoted, I always moved her to a separate, isolated pen with a nesting box directly on the floor. (I find that moving them at night gets the best results, as if you move them in the daytime they can see the box they were moved from and get VERY cranky.) A cardboard box filled with pin shavings works really well for me.

Once she's settled in to her new digs I make sure to keep both water and a small dish of high protein chick feed near her at all times, within reach if she chooses to merely extend her neck a bit while still setting.

Keeping her low to the ground prevents any chick tragedies once they hatch.

 

[igorsMistress]

Once I knew my broody was truly devoted, I always moved her to a separate, isolated pen with a nesting box directly on the floor. (I find that moving them at night gets the best results, as if you move them in the daytime they can see the box they were moved from and get VERY cranky.) A cardboard box filled with pin shavings works really well for me.

Once she's settled in to her new digs I make sure to keep both water and a small dish of high protein chick feed near her at all times, within reach if she chooses to merely extend her neck a bit while still setting.

Keeping her low to the ground prevents any chick tragedies once they hatch.

Thanks! I'm going to move her tomorrow night after I bring home eggs.

 

[FeatherPugs]

I too move my broody to an area on the ground and where I can keep her and chicks for a few days. I have one mommy that insists she be able to bring tiny chicks out within the first few days and I have another who is very happy to spend a couple weeks in their brooder area before heading out to see the world. Nothing is totally the same.
On the other subject of crumbles or pellets. I use crumbles. Pellets are a treat. I use the pellets for those times when you need a treat because all of them are hollering at you because - well just because. This seems to work okay.

 

[igorsMistress]

Nope, not going to move. New plans.

 

[meetthebubus]

Nope, not going to move. New plans.

Cryptic what new plans?

 

[igorsMistress]

Cryptic what new plans?

Lol sorry I got busy discussing with the man. I'm just going to let her brood in her box and put litter in the run. Since this is our first experience, mine and Ruby's, I started a thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/our-first-hatch-a-diary.1259637/

 

[SonoranChick]

I can't tell if I am over reacting and just being a worry wort or if something is wrong...but my brown leghorn has not laid in about a week or so. She also has watery number twos. When I researched online, I read that she could be egg bound with her symptoms. But, she is walking regularly, her comb is bright red, and she is eating and drinking. When I pick her up she does not feel hard in her backside and her vent looks ok. Could this just be due to the heat?