California - Northern

[zooweemama]

Quote:
Isn't he handsome!! Hope someone needs a good blue egg gene roo! I growing two now or I'd be tempted to snap him up. Good luck!

 

[zooweemama]

One last post for now...lol. I happened to look at eggs in the grocery store. I honestly had not realized how cheap they are. In Target you can get a several dozen for less than $5. I charge a measly $4 and every 5th dozen I give a free one plus random but extra banty eggs for fun. ALL my previous customers have gotten chickens. LOL So now I have to find new people to take my excess off my hands. People on my local CL are selling them for between $2-3 a dozen. I can't compete with that. So for now- I give them randomly to people struggling with their grocery bills or when we go to someone's house for supper. (like a gift lol)

Anyone really bummed! The average person in my area either wants dirt cheap or eggs from chickens that eat all organic, no corn, so soy etc etc and I can't afford that either. I'm eyeing my crew to see who I can cull to get my numbers down so I don't have so many eggs.

Random but there I am! LOL

OH and also - our top roo is little banty boy. He is a good boy. A great roo. Never aggressive to people. BUT he seems to really dislike one of my Buff Orp hens. If she cackles he comes running from far and wide and flogs her. She has a saddle on now because he has been so rough with her. The back of her head is bald. He doesn't even mate her- he just stands on her back and scratches and looks around. He doesn't like it when she makes sounds or if she has been away from the group and comes back. I have 3 other Buffs and he does NOT treat them that way. Should I be concerned about her? Otherwise he is a REALLY nice rooster! Lovely to all the other ladies, shows them treats, protects them...

 

[lawatt]

Yes, it could be molting. The first molt is often very easy without too many feathers lost.

EEs also stop laying when it is hot. Forget the rehoming post, give her more time.

mine were not molting -- they just stopped for a while, then re-started.

 

[lawatt]

hehe How fun to read how many you have now! You started with a handful. Hooray for chicken math! Sounds like you have a bevvy of broodies and babies! FUN!

yes, things have certainly multiplied here -- thanks to five broodies back in april, and now another round of four! (one is a repeat offender) i really should even give the two newest ones any eggs, as i have more than enough chicklets to deal with as it is -- but can't resist, & there should be some marans eggs arriving later this week.

 

[Ali707]

I give mine a mixture of Boss, Kamut scratch and Kirkland cat food in the evenings. They eat it all!

I am sure you must have mentioned this at some point, maybe before I joined the group, but what's up with the cat food? It is a rather stinky addition to the normal food choices for chickens but you have me wondering.

The meal worms are getting stinky so they are going to have to go to the garage........ they like the dark anyway.

Edited to say: Never mind... I see you answered. Still meal worms not quite as stinky as the cat food...... they aren't much work at all.

 

[zooweemama]

yes, things have certainly multiplied here -- thanks to five broodies back in april, and now another round of four! (one is a repeat offender) i really should even give the two newest ones any eggs, as i have more than enough chicklets to deal with as it is -- but can't resist, & there should be some marans eggs arriving later this week.

Wow look at you go!

 

[zooweemama]

I am sure you must have mentioned this at some point, maybe before I joined the group, but what's up with the cat food? It is a rather stinky addition to the normal food choices for chickens but you have me wondering.

The meal worms are getting stinky so they are going to have to go to the garage........ they like the dark anyway.

Edited to say: Never mind... I see you answered. Still meal worms not quite as stinky as the cat food...... they aren't much work at all.

I'm curious too! I've read some people are doing earthworms too!

 

[Ali707]

One last post for now...lol. I happened to look at eggs in the grocery store. I honestly had not realized how cheap they are. In Target you can get a several dozen for less than $5. I charge a measly $4 and every 5th dozen I give a free one plus random but extra banty eggs for fun. ALL my previous customers have gotten chickens. LOL So now I have to find new people to take my excess off my hands. People on my local CL are selling them for between $2-3 a dozen. I can't compete with that. So for now- I give them randomly to people struggling with their grocery bills or when we go to someone's house for supper. (like a gift lol) Anyone really bummed! The average person in my area either wants dirt cheap or eggs from chickens that eat all organic, no corn, so soy etc etc and I can't afford that either. I'm eyeing my crew to see who I can cull to get my numbers down so I don't have so many eggs. Random but there I am! LOL OH and also - our top roo is little banty boy. He is a good boy. A great roo. Never aggressive to people. BUT he seems to really dislike one of my Buff Orp hens. If she cackles he comes running from far and wide and flogs her. She has a saddle on now because he has been so rough with her. The back of her head is bald. He doesn't even mate her- he just stands on her back and scratches and looks around. He doesn't like it when she makes sounds or if she has been away from the group and comes back. I have 3 other Buffs and he does NOT treat them that way. Should I be concerned about her? Otherwise he is a REALLY nice rooster! Lovely to all the other ladies, shows them treats, protects them...

That just sounds like a dysfunctional abusive relationship there......

 

[ronott1]

I am sure you must have mentioned this at some point, maybe before I joined the group, but what's up with the cat food? It is a rather stinky addition to the normal food choices for chickens but you have me wondering.

The meal worms are getting stinky so they are going to have to go to the garage........ they like the dark anyway.

Edited to say: Never mind... I see you answered. Still meal worms not quite as stinky as the cat food...... they aren't much work at all.

It is dried cat food and I kind of like the smell of it. I keep it in the garage in a lidded garbage can and toss it out as scratch, a couple of cups full each evening. It is a great distraction too--Gets me to the nest box area without stepping on them. Silly chickens!

It is hard to find animal protein for them in quantities that work for my 6 chickens(Chicken math). I use Ultra Kibble too. If I had them in a pasture I would not worry about animal protein so much.

 

[zooweemama]

It is dried cat food and I kind of like the smell of it. I keep it in the garage in a lidded garbage can and toss it out as scratch, a couple of cups full each evening.

It is hard to find animal protein for them in quantities that work for my 6 chickens(Chicken math). I use Ultra Kibble too. If I had them in a pasture I would not worry about animal protein so much.

Ahhh gotcha! My crew roam over about 1-2 acres so they are likely fine in regards to this right?