California - Northern

[Honora]

Hi all,

All the chicks are doing great, trying to get the new pen ready to move the broodies & outdoor chicks. I've been a bit delayed because I've had the flu for the last week and have spent a lot of time in bed with a fever. I need to treat the hens for mites again too, cause I have seen them scratching a lot. I let them out of the coop today for the first time & they went straight to dust bathe. I am going to have them sleep in a plastic dog crate in the new run; will this be more resistant to mites?

The 2 indoor chicks are doing great too. I want to feed them some treats but I don't have any chick grit; can I just give them dirt instead?

The chicks are almost a week old now, some are getting wing feathers growing in. If I can remember back to when I had the bantam Orp chicks last Spring, the pullets usually feather in faster, right?
Hopefully the ones getting their wing feathers are pullets, cause it looks like at least half.

 

[Lynn Manes]

anybody have chickens stop laying already for winter? this is my first year with my girls most are young pullets not laying except 1 she has been laying everyday for about a month and suddenly the past week no eggs? ive wondered if she wasnt eating enough but made sure food was never empty! provided extra calcium daily for when she wanted or needed it and they get enough but not too many treats. today my total daylight hours was 11hours 8 mins, are my eggs gone for winter? if so how would i add additional light to continue egg production?

my egg production has slowed a little but we still get a minimum of 2/day from our 5 hens. We do have a light inside our coop. It's set on a timer to come on just after dark, but it is only on for a couple of hours each night. I have learned that it takes very little to change the egg production. If weather changes or the daylight diminishes, the chickens especially will stop laying or lay less for a few days, light or no light.

 

[KernH]

my egg production has slowed a little but we still get a minimum of 2/day from our 5 hens. We do have a light inside our coop. It's set on a timer to come on just after dark, but it is only on for a couple of hours each night. I have learned that it takes very little to change the egg production. If weather changes or the daylight diminishes, the chickens especially will stop laying or lay less for a few days, light or no light.

I have lights that come on at 4:00 in the morning and go off at 7:00 AM. I worry about the girls being caught off their perch when the lights go out. Kern

 

[prizepete]

Does anyone here have seramas?

 

[curious chickee]

My daughters buff brahma bantams arrived safely

 

[ronott1]

My daughters buff brahma bantams arrived safely

That is good news!

Are they a 4-H Project?

 

[curious chickee]

Yes, but will also be used for the poultry shows

 

[8machines]

Anyone use Game Bird feeder for molting birds with the higher protein? Thank you.

 

[8machines]

Since I was TS I got one of both!

 

[ronott1]

Since I was TS I got one of both!

Another option is Nutrena feather fixer: http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/poultry/naturewise-poultry/feather-fixer/

Quote: From the nutrena website, you can find feed stores that sell it. Higby's in Dixon has it in 40# bags. My local TSC in Woodland has little 10# bags.