Basic Care & Maintenance

[stormhasit]

If these little feathered friends of mine had 4 feet & fur - I would know exactly what to do!!! With all my dogs I have to worm them periodically/ get their shots/ I know all the correct supplements to give to keep them healthy and make them "shine". But now with the chickens, I don't have a clue other than feed & water.

What kind of "maintenance" do the chickens need? Are there supplements they should be getting? They are almost 3 months old - I am feeding them the Starter and giving table scraps. I have 9 Austrolorpe (8 hens & 1 rooster) & 12 Sex Links (all hens) + 1 Game Rooster & Hen. They all appear healthy and happy - I just don't want to be missing something. Also - I have heard that here pretty soon I need to change the feed from the Starter to Crumbles and start adding Scratch (in a feeder like the food??) - when do I do this??

 

[speckledhen]

Technically you never have to give them scratch. If I put that in a feeder, mine would only eat that and ignore their regular food. I only use it for a training tool and to call them home from ranging by shaking a can. A good quality feed is really all they need, but adding dark leafy greens will make their eggs a better quality. You dont need to worm them unless they're showing signs of having worms. And a good supplement like AviaCharge 2000 is great in times of stress, but I dont give it to them all the time. When you get the first egg, change them over to layer pellets.