California - Northern

[zooweemama]

I have about 25 chickens. I go through about 50# feed every 2 weeks. Does that sound about right? Too much, too little? I cannot gauge by how much they 'don't eat' because the only way they don't eat it all is if I fill their feed bucket clean full. (10 pounds of feed fits into it) I do not put that much in their but I tried and what ended up happening is that although they didn't finish it all- I went through feed lightening fast. I have heritage dual purpose breeds so I know they consume more than the hatchery egg layer strains. I also go through the same amount of feed every 2 weeks with duck food as well (14 ducks and 2 geese). My food bill for them is about $120 a month. I honestly never realized how much it cost to feed birds for eggs. Definitely not a cost effective endeavor. LOL I hope they lay well so I can sell extras off and try to help off set the feed costs a bit. I know to some of you that's nothing- but it is a lot to us (like I had to skip groceries last week so I could buy the feed this week lol. good thing I keep a stocked pantry!). I hope I am not going through feed to fast and shooting myself in the foot but neither do I want to be underfeeding them.

Free ranging- does that help off-set the costs a bit?

 

[zooweemama]

I was down with a headache today. i am just going outside to do evening chores that in the day. I was hoping for more then 5 eggs today. after all the cleaning i did yesterday i was hoping for more today. i know still a little warm but out of 20+ laying hens I only got 5 eggs. Better then nothing.

@ Ron, i saw on a earlier post you lived on a prune ranch. I lived and grew up and lived on my families prune ranch with til after my kids were born. On 65 acres in Yuba City. it is that time of season now and i have 1 prunes tree and love to eat them and kids to, hubby can't

There is such thing as a prune tree? My husband works farmers equipment (he's an electrician) and they grow plums and then dry them. Is there a special tree that you leave the prunes on so they dry on the tree? (man that would be cool. we leave prunes just to eat over here)

 

[ronott1]

Hey Ron! That BCM trio is amazing! I'm going to talk to my ma and pa about getting them. I have a empty pen, waiting to be filled. Oh and Karen gave me a dozen hatching eggs of some Marans. Hope they are gonna hatch.

Thank you!

Hi Lucas,

It was nice meeting you today.

Let me know if you can get them and we will figure out where to meet.

Ron

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
Prunes are a special variety of plum that is ripe with 30% Sugar, so a Purne is a type of plum that is deyhderated. You cannot dehydrate a regular plum and get a prune. It would be a dehydrated plum. It is easier to call them Prunes since most people do not care. To be completely correct, ours were French Plums. I do not remember the scientific name any more. Prunes are littler than plums too.

Sunsweet is trying to call prunes plums as a marketing ploy but trust me, they taste very different. I like prunes when they are still on the tree and are about 20% sugar(yes, we had to measure the sugar content before we harvested them).

If you can get the farmers to give you some dried prunes, you will be amazed at how different they are from the ones they sell at the store.

Ron

 

[Meg2000000]

I do use the spiral bands sometimes. When I need to remove them, I just clip them with a pair of small wire snips. If you clip them in two places, they just fall off.

Deb

That's what we planned to do, but their legs grew too big too fast and now the bands are too tight to do that. I used a credit card edge to slip it under the band edge and then used my hands to take it off. Whew that was a lot of work!

Phew! I was gone again for a while.

I was the Chicken Queen in the parade yesterday with my OEG pair. Rooster didn't like the attention but my hen did!

Chickens are a big hit in parades, and it gets mine used to people.

I hope you all and your chickens are doing well! It was finally sunny 68 degrees outside yesterday!

Welcome back! I just got back on the thread myself. I had to tell myself I could get back on the thread without catching up on all of the posts! LOL I'm definitely OCD like that. How fun that you took your chickens to the parade!! Gorgeous flower arrangements by the way. I can't believe they looked so good 3 days after! You have a real talent!

I have shared this story before so sorry for the repeat. My Mom remembers this one, I don't. I grew up on 40 acres with Prunes on 20 acres. We raised Rabbits, pigs, Beef along with having chickens. When I was about three our cat had kittens. I said They are so cute! When do we get to eat them?

Hahaha cute story, Ron!

 

[ronott1]

I have about 25 chickens. I go through about 50# feed every 2 weeks. Does that sound about right? Too much, too little? I cannot gauge by how much they 'don't eat' because the only way they don't eat it all is if I fill their feed bucket clean full. (10 pounds of feed fits into it) I do not put that much in their but I tried and what ended up happening is that although they didn't finish it all- I went through feed lightening fast. I have heritage dual purpose breeds so I know they consume more than the hatchery egg layer strains. I also go through the same amount of feed every 2 weeks with duck food as well (14 ducks and 2 geese). My food bill for them is about $120 a month. I honestly never realized how much it cost to feed birds for eggs. Definitely not a cost effective endeavor. LOL I hope they lay well so I can sell extras off and try to help off set the feed costs a bit. I know to some of you that's nothing- but it is a lot to us (like I had to skip groceries last week so I could buy the feed this week lol. good thing I keep a stocked pantry!). I hope I am not going through feed to fast and shooting myself in the foot but neither do I want to be underfeeding them.

Free ranging- does that help off-set the costs a bit?

100 pound per week sounds right. Did I post the link to ways to stretch the feed budget? You can mix the layer with Groats or Wheat at 25 to 50 percent.

Free ranging can help with the feed cost. Winter is a problem though since there is not much out there. Certain breeds free range more. Black Australorps for example will almost feed themselves.

Ron

 

[ronott1]

Oh gosh shew! I was like oh snap - a confused rooster! haha! That is very interesting about the combs/wattles! Thank you!

Ok...so maybe I will feel snazzy and let them out of the coop this week. I'd love for them to free range soon. And honestly- I'd rather lose chickens now before all the excess roos go to freezer camp while they figure out the outside thing.

I checked on Copper's incision from the crop cleaning and I cannot find it. That must be a good thing right? Gosh he is every so handsome. Copper around the neck and has his fancy tail coming in with this teal-ish looking tint.

No more talking about Cream Legbars. I mean it! I will be adding on only one breed next year and it's the Basques. I cannot get chicken fever. I can't!

Amy Beth, I can't help it. I moved my Cream Legbars outside today and they are so cute!

Ron

 

[ronott1]

I was down with a headache today. i am just going outside to do evening chores that in the day. I was hoping for more then 5 eggs today. after all the cleaning i did yesterday i was hoping for more today. i know still a little warm but out of 20+ laying hens I only got 5 eggs. Better then nothing.

@ Ron, i saw on a earlier post you lived on a prune ranch. I lived and grew up and lived on my families prune ranch with til after my kids were born. On 65 acres in Yuba City. it is that time of season now and i have 1 prunes tree and love to eat them and kids to, hubby can't

I spent summers working in our orchard and my Grand Parents. One summer I worked with him doing custom harvesting. I love prunes. We would pop them in our mouths and eat them around the pit and then spit them out.

I have an excellent Prune cake recipe if you want it. It is base on an Applesauce cake and was something my Grand Ma used to make.

Ron

 

[CALI CHICK]

Hi Everyone,
Our family is moments away from leaving on a long overdue vacation. We will be going to South Dakota (Mt Rushmore,etc) and Wyoming (Yellowstone). I have a chicken sitter here and just handed him over a long list of instructions...........

I hope everything goes OK while we're away. By the way, my house sitter is from Lincoln and has grown up with chickens and other animals.

I am SO looking forward to sleeping in past 6:30.

What have all of you done with your chickens while you go away? Or, do you just never get a vacation?

 

[Meg2000000]

can't resist taking pictures of the babies, so here's the three-day-old group portrait:

any bets on gender? (besides the CL, of course) -- i'm thinking the rightmost lav orp is looking awfully big, and not sure about the blue... the basques i go back & forth, so am just guessing really...

and i'm pleased to report that the six-week-old light sussex girls are turning out to be *master* foragers -- i let everyone out earlier this morning, and the big girls just idly wandered about nipping at grasses, while the two littles zeroed in on what was apparently some sort of bug bonanza:



these two, despite looking so delicate, eat like horses -- they're going to get big!!

Ahh the chicks are so cute!! Your little Sussex girls are adorable as well. Great pictures!

I'm not sure about the Basque chicks gender. Now that I have boys standing out, I looked back at pictures and I don't see any noticeable difference between them and the baby girls. At 2 1/2-3 weeks you can start to tell by the combs.

Poor roosters lol- they sure get the short stick don't they! LOL

Ok will do with the water! Poor thing it's only the one chicken - the EEs were not with the rest of the flock when they all came down with Cocci. And they were out of their quarantine right after I treated the others. I guess I was doomed to have to repeat treatment huh? I am so glad this is treatable!

Sorry you're having to do it again. At least you have the supplies on hand and the knowledge right?!

I just figured I'd snap a dew pictures to document growth and stuff. These chicks were born on July 11th So their 'closing in on 6 weeks.

Happy Sunday to you too! Great pictures and beautiful flock! Thanks for sharing.