California - Northern

[ronott1]

Going to tractor supply tomorrow to pick up some feed for my 6 week old chicks. What should I be getting?

Feed them starter\grower until they are 18 weeks old. Some wait to start layer feed until they get the first egg.

Either way is fine though.

 

[anthrogirl]

Feed them starter\grower until they are 18 weeks old. Some wait to start layer feed until they get the first egg.

Either way is fine though.

2x and make sure to read the label carefully, I ended up with 24% grower for turkeys and game birds by mistake (I was new to chickens and just bought what the employee said to get...) you want the Dumor 20% poultry grower.

 

[h2oratt]

Here is my 7 week old Chocolate EE I hatched from @h2oratt . We are calling her Junior, since her Dad (that I hatched) is also chocolate. I was told that, since the father is chocolate, any chocolate chicks will be female, so I guess she is a keeper! She hatched out of a green egg, so hopefully she will lay green eggs also. She has a calm personality & fits in great with the rest of the flock.

Awesome, so glad you at least got one keeper. My girls are going through their first molt. No eggs but I the orps I hatched July 1 look good. I have a lavender girl, a couple of Columbia orp girls. A lot of cockerels though. I hate to eat my full blooded cockerels but no on seems to want them. Both my polish that hatched are boys. I would like to have a little breeding pen of polish but I need some girls.

 

[QueenMisha]

Going to tractor supply tomorrow to pick up some feed for my 6 week old chicks. What should I be getting?

As everyone above said, starter/grower. Should be anywhere from 18-22% protein and about 1% calcium. Personally I do medicated starter (with Amprolium to prevent cocci) until 8-10 weeks and non medicated grower for another 8-10 after that, but different folks have different opinions about medicated starters so whether or not to use medicated will be a choice you have to make on your own. Personally I use it, because I'm aware coccidiosis is in my soil and it keeps my chicks healthier; cocci isn't always present, so it may or may not be something you choose to use.

 

[Honora]

Awesome, so glad you at least got one keeper. My girls are going through their first molt. No eggs but I the orps I hatched July 1 look good. I have a lavender girl, a couple of Columbia orp girls. A lot of cockerels though. I hate to eat my full blooded cockerels but no on seems to want them.

Both my polish that hatched are boys. I would like to have a little breeding pen of polish but I need some girls.

Why are the chicks always mostly cockerels? All of the EE's I bought this Fall turned out to be cockerels. The 4 I hatched from you turned out to be 2 boys & 2 girls but one of the girls had to be culled, so I girl left.
And I also have 3 orpingtons that I'm not sure about yet. If I have only 1 Orp pullet I will try to sell her with a cockerel, so really could be only 1 chick that I'm keeping out of 13.

That's awesome that you have a Lavender girl, such a pretty color. Do you have a picture?

 

[ronott1]

Why are the chicks always mostly cockerels? All of the EE's I bought this Fall turned out to be cockerels. The 4 I hatched from you turned out to be 2 boys & 2 girls but one of the girls had to be culled, so I girl left.
And I also have 3 orpingtons that I'm not sure about yet. If I have only 1 Orp pullet I will try to sell her with a cockerel, so really could be only 1 chick that I'm keeping out of 13.

That's awesome that you have a Lavender girl, such a pretty color. Do you have a picture?

When you hatch eggs, the odds of male or female are fifty fifty, like flipping a coin. You will sometimes get more of one than the other, but over time you will get an average close to 50%.

I have had all pullets and have had all but one cockerels hatch before.

 

[Honora]

When you hatch eggs, the odds of male or female are fifty fifty, like flipping a coin. You will sometimes get more of one than the other, but over time you will get an average close to 50%.

I have had all pullets and have had all but one cockerels hatch before.

I think I am just unlucky, cause the most pullets I ever had was 3 out of 13! Usually I just get one or two. I have only hatched like 5 times though. I wonder if the males somehow do better in my cheap incubator.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi,

I'm new, and trying to figure out if I would like to have silkie chickens. I think that they are super cute, but I have never met one before. Does anyone around the Bay Area have silkies, and if so, could I meet them?

Thanks!

It is very easy to get hooked on Silkies. I started my backyard with 2 Silkie chicks but had to re-home one that turned out a cockerel. Then we added a 2nd Silkie pullet to take his place. I've had the 2 Silkie hens for almost 6 years now and they've outlasted/outlived the other 12 chickens/breeds we've had with them. Since Silkies are only 2 to 2.5 lbs I don't keep any assertive large or dual purpose fowl and only keep under-5-lb docile breeds with Silkies like Breda or Ameraucana. Our visitors that are scared to death of chickens can't help warming up to holding a cuddly Silkie. We have to educate visitors on not holding chickens by their reproductive sides.


Our two comical old Silkie hens. They pick up cobwebs and the toe feathers wear down but they are happy foraging.


If you decide on the gentle Silkies there should be 2 or more in a mixed flock and not mixed with heavy or dual purpose breeds that eventually get tempted to chase or peck on the docile Silkies -- I didn't heed this good advice and learned the hard way. Silkies are also very broody. They will go broody at the drop of an egg and once one Silkie goes broody the other Silkies seem to also. And I let them brood an empty nest after laying so many eggs to give their little bodies a rest and to replenish body nutrients from so much egg-laying - suprisingly Silkies are very good layers when not broody or molting. Good luck on researching if Silkies will suit your situation. They are not high maintenance as some think -- just a different kind of maintenance from standard breeds. i.e., I can't let my Silkies out in the rain since mine don't have the good sense to keep from getting their fluffy fur soaked to the skin -- standard breed chickens have better feathering to repel water. Muddy soil is not good for any feather-legged breeds and I have Silkies and Breda both with feathered feet so I don't release them from the pen in heavy downpours. Hope you can find a local owner to see grown Silkies in person!

 

[ronott1]

I think I am just unlucky, cause the most pullets I ever had was 3 out of 13! Usually I just get one or two. I have only hatched like 5 times though. I wonder if the males somehow do better in my cheap incubator.

This was an all pullet hatch:



There were 7 of them. The Three in front are Cream Legbar by Crele Penedesenca. The one on the right is a barnvelder x cream legbar. The cl x cp are Olive eggers. The other one was supposed to be on too but lays a dark brown egg--missed the blue egg shell gene.

 

[Honora]

This was an all pullet hatch:



There were 7 of them. The Three in front are Cream Legbar by Crele Penedesenca. The one on the right is a barnvelder x cream legbar. The cl x cp are Olive eggers. The other one was supposed to be on too but lays a dark brown egg--missed the blue egg shell gene.

Pretty pullets! I love the color of that blue one. Maybe someday I will have a hatch like that!