Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[devinandfeather]

Also the Goslings going well nice and strong now first time out of the pen today so cute and fluffy let ten in the kiddie pool and they enjoyed the large area of grass

 

[locknest4]

To devinand feather, I am glad you managed to save it

 

[Anniebee]

Hi Anniebee, I find I'm learning all the time on BYC Can you tell me What scratch mix is?
Even though we have had chickens for four years our main sources of info have been a retired man who we bought them from and a book by Jackie French.
We have also been a bit slow on using the Internet as communication tool. So we are still learning chook facts every day

locknest4 ---- Scratch mix is a bag of mixed variety seeds, chosen for chickens, and also contains some whole corn ( my chooks ignore those and leave them to the wild birds ) ... some black oil sunflower seeds ( BOSS ), a sprinkling of tiny sea shells, broken or whole as shell grit - and dried grass --- I cannot identify specific seeds and grains in the packages, but can certainly see the wheat, which is plentiful.

A 5 kg bag costs $8.80 at my local stock and produce store. Lasts quite a long time, especially as I am not giving it to them as much now ( from advice from here - about food etc. ) ... But it is good for them to pick at - and scrounge for. And has reasonable food value - but not near as much as a good layer pellet has ( e.g. Barastoc Layer Pellets - which I use ). Almost all pet food stores, and stock agents, carry scratch mix --- usually shows 'for free ranging hens' on it.

Supermarket 'wild bird mix' is not recommended for chickens, although if they were hungry & you were out of food - it would serve the purpose for a day or two only.

Everybody here learns chook facts every day .... I seriously could not imagine being without BYC. Many many people here, are experts at chicken raising, breeding, and the health of chickens etc., and I would urge you also to do some research on line - ( which many times will bring you back to a former thread on BYC anyway ). There is so much to learn, and right here is the best I have found to teach new things almost every day.

Am 3 years into having chickens, have learned some very hard lessons with 2 losses - and have had tremendous help from so many here.

Good luck, and keep learning.

Cheers ........



.

 

[ChristieB]

Agree with Anniebee, I have learned most of what I know on here. I did grow up with always having chooks so I knew some basics but as I've shared every now and then, some thing's my dad did as taught by his father (who probably learned it from his own father) are head scratchers now I know more, eg I don't remember him ever buying layer pellets, they were raised on what ever grains were available, mostly sorghum being that's what's grown around here. Funnily enough they all lived long lives. Most ended up in the freezer once they were no longer useful, I don't have memories of deaths of natural causes or illness, though it's probable that was hidden from us kids, it certainly wasn't a regular occurance

Every time I search something chicken related the first few results are long lost byc threads or pages. This is definitely the place to be

 

[ChristieB]

In other news I set 15 eggs last night, 10 light Sussex and 5 Australorp , 7 in the incubator and 8 under Fleur, I plan to give what ever chicks I hatch inside to Fleur to raise. My blasted hygrometer has gone haywire this morning, I think the batteries must be going, but having had such success last time with no hygrometer I'm not overly worried, I put as much water in as I did to start last time , still, can't wait for the analog hygrometer I ordered to arrive. Count down to the first candling!!

After all my rearranging of the run it seems my flock has other ideas, the chicks are spending most of the day in the main run. The girls seem pretty accepting of them, just the occasional peck if they are in the way, they still have access to their chick food but the 2 araucana hens are always on the chick side of the run eating it. It's medicated, is that going to be a problem aside from the higher protein (they are still eating layer pellets too)

 

[RodneyRooster]

Have gotten new chooks since I was last here my Marans are growing too

Ohhhhhhh ur LS are gorgeous!! Really beautiful girl that one. I love my LSs

Yep if u research anything on google, usually brings u back here alright lol.

Hmmm something for me to think about! I dont buy scratch mix - that would be too easy lol. I buy the seeds that i want and of course mix into whatever ratio i feel like on the day. Of course wheat being the cheapest for size i always give more of that. Perhaps i feed too much wheat from what ive just heard on here? No one has ever seemed sick or bloated from it but i do give a couple cups of wheat every few of days. Or i used to

Now ive actually started buying crushed wheat and others which come to think about it i figured would be better for them.. guess if its crushed it couldnt blow up as much internally! Now i give the crushed stuff about every second day and the full seeds about once a week.

Best go let them out.. 8am! Theyll be horrified! ;-) oh and i think u should name that black chick lucky how incredible

 

[Deej211]

I've just had my second shock of the week....
A hen just help herself to a small mole on my stomach, two peaks and she'd ripped it from my body and ate it. To all those people paying money for mole removals save yourself the cash of an operation and buy a chicken instead.

omg! Too funny. Cheeky buggers arent they?

 

[Ashburnham]

49 out of 56 eggs hatched on 19/9.
Now 49 healthy little chicks have gone into the second stage brooder.

xxxx M

 

[sjturner79]

In other news I set 15 eggs last night, 10 light Sussex and 5 Australorp , 7 in the incubator and 8 under Fleur, I plan to give what ever chicks I hatch inside to Fleur to raise. My blasted hygrometer has gone haywire this morning, I think the batteries must be going, but having had such success last time with no hygrometer I'm not overly worried, I put as much water in as I did to start last time , still, can't wait for the analog hygrometer I ordered to arrive. Count down to the first candling!!

After all my rearranging of the run it seems my flock has other ideas, the chicks are spending most of the day in the main run. The girls seem pretty accepting of them, just the occasional peck if they are in the way, they still have access to their chick food but the 2 araucana hens are always on the chick side of the run eating it. It's medicated, is that going to be a problem aside from the higher protein (they are still eating layer pellets too)

The medication can be a problem if they are laying because it can cause vitamin deficiency in any mammals that eat the eggs.
If you can afford a non medicated feed such as duck starter that is better for all your flock.

The medicated feed is really only useful for the first 2 weeks of the chicks living outside unless you have a huge amount of cocci in your soil.

 

[ChristieB]

The medication can be a problem if they are laying because it can cause vitamin deficiency in any mammals that eat the eggs.
If you can afford a non medicated feed such as duck starter that is better for all your flock.

The medicated feed is really only useful for the first 2 weeks of the chicks living outside unless you have a huge amount of cocci in your soil.

Thankyou, will go look tomorrow. I have to get a bag of wood shavings anyway