California - Northern

[ronott1]

Should I do it annually as a precaution or only if they get worms?

Mail a poo sample to UCD CAHFS. They charge about $13.00 for the test. Treat if they find worms. You may also be able to get a local vet to do the test--tell them it is from your cat. It is the same test--float test just different poo. Sometimes they will not test chicken poo for some reason.

http://cahfs.ucdavis.edu/

We live in a fairly dry climate so worms are not that much of a problem here. I would test now and in the Spring--right at the season change. In wet places, test at each season, 4 times a year.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Mail a poo sample to UCD CAHFS. They charge about $13.00 for the test. Treat if they find worms. You may also be able to get a local vet to do the test--tell them it is from your cat. It is the same test--float test just different poo. Sometimes they will not test chicken poo for some reason. 

http://cahfs.ucdavis.edu/

We live in a fairly dry climate so worms are not that much of a problem here. I would test now and in the Spring--right at the season change. In wet places, test at each season, 4 times a year.

We have a small animal vet that will see chickens but they make you bring the chicken in and charge a huge office visit. I'll try the link you shared.

 

[caychris]

All the warnings I find on DE (Food grade DE) ) are about inhalation. I add it to the feed as additional calcium supplement whenever I find weird shell issues. Of if Im not feeding layer feed to the flock. I dont add a lot per volume so I would not expect it to be used as a wormer.

 

[ronott1]

All the warnings I find on DE (Food grade DE) ) are about inhalation. I add it to the feed as additional calcium supplement whenever I find weird shell issues. Of if Im not feeding layer feed to the flock. I dont add a lot per volume so I would not expect it to be used as a wormer.

Yes!

Perfect use of DE. I have a bag of it for egg shell issues too since it is like Chelated calcium.

 

[caychris]

Anyone grow fodder for their chickens. I'm trying to cut my feed bill some. I'm currently running about 100lbs a week with about 32 birds.

Im currently using about 5 (2qt scoops of food a day) 3 in the morning and 2 in the evening. I feed it as a wet mash sometimes I can get away with no feed in the evening because the dishes are not empty or I have kitchen scraps enough.


My plan for fodder is to just do the feed in the morning and give them the fodder in the evening.
Im just wondering how much to grow/feed per day. Im thinking approx 2-4 sqr feet per day should be good for 30 birds.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Anyone grow fodder for their chickens. I'm trying to cut my feed bill some. I'm currently running about 100lbs a week with about 32 birds.

Im currently using about 5 (2qt scoops of food a day) 3 in the morning and 2 in the evening. I feed it as a wet mash sometimes I can get away with no feed in the evening because the dishes are not empty or I have kitchen scraps enough.


My plan for fodder is to just do the feed in the morning and give them the fodder in the evening.
Im just wondering how much to grow/feed per day. Im thinking approx 2-4 sqr feet  per day should be good for 30 birds. 

I'm interested as well. We feed about the same amount for probably double the birds though. Feed consumption went way down when we started free ranging. it amazed me how much food they foraged themselves.

 

[caychris]

They have had access to the back yard there just isnt anything really to eat they have cleaned it out. Im sure they get a few bugs but now that I have them penned up Im going to plant forage. (and a garden again)

 

[jenniferlamar70]

They have had access to the back yard there just isnt anything really to eat they have cleaned it out. Im sure they get a few bugs but now that I have them penned up Im going to plant forage. (and a garden again)

Aww I see. Ours have also ate every bug, frog or even snake in sight lol. They are great compost monsters. I just pile it up until the spread it out again lol. Really though so much less work.

 

[Cluck-a-biddy]

Boy, today, a couple of my birds are bein' goofballs. I have 8 hens and 6 have been laying for several weeks now. The two youngest ones (GLWs) are just showing signs of getting ready to lay. Actually one, my favorite Frederika, today started doing the loud "Ba-cack" sounds like the older ones often do before they lay. I had to leave to go to my shop to work for a few hours, but before I left, I tried several times getting her on the nesting boxes that the other girls use. She fluffed the straw a little but would get down, and kept going back up onto the poop boards to scratch around. I know it's not a good idea to let them lay on the poop board, but I figured maybe just today I'd see what she does. So I put a bunch of straw there and I have curtains hanging so I pulled them over the roosting board to kinda give her some privacy. She was in there fluffing the straw like crazy for awhile, but then her sister came up and interrupted her, but then jumped down. Then all of a sudden one of my EEs, Gertie decided to get in on the situation. I didn't think Gert had laid her egg yet today, but then I found a blue egg outside on the ground over by one of the straw bales. But It might've been there since yesterday, because I only got one blue egg yesterday in the communal nest. Anyway.. at first I thought Gertie was trying to show Fred what to do, but she ended up kicking Fred out and starting fluffing the straw herself like she was going to lay an egg there. I have another row of nesting boxes down lower than the other row on the opposite side of the coop. I think tonite I will make new curtains to put over that lower area and see if Fred and any of the others would prefer to lay there. The main nesting boxes are wide open and so far the girls haven't seemed to mind, except that 5 of the 6 who have been laying use the same box and sometimes 2-3 of them try sitting in it at the same time. They're all a bunch of goobers! I do think it will be better if I can convince Fred and her sister Josephine to start laying on the lower row, because the Alpha hen, Elvira also chased Fred off the main nesting box one of the times I put her on it. Some of the older girls still chase and peck at the two youngest ones. It'll be interesting to see what I find when I come home in a little bit here.

 

[ronott1]

Boy, today, a couple of my birds are bein' goofballs. I have 8 hens and 6 have been laying for several weeks now. The two youngest ones (GLWs) are just showing signs of getting ready to lay. Actually one, my favorite Frederika, today started doing the loud "Ba-cack" sounds like the older ones often do before they lay. I had to leave to go to my shop to work for a few hours, but before I left, I tried several times getting her on the nesting boxes that the other girls use. She fluffed the straw a little but would get down, and kept going back up onto the poop boards to scratch around. I know it's not a good idea to let them lay on the poop board, but I figured maybe just today I'd see what she does. So I put a bunch of straw there and I have curtains hanging so I pulled them over the roosting board to kinda give her some privacy. She was in there fluffing the straw like crazy for awhile, but then her sister came up and interrupted her, but then jumped down. Then all of a sudden one of my EEs, Gertie decided to get in on the situation. I didn't think Gert had laid her egg yet today, but then I found a blue egg outside on the ground over by one of the straw bales. But It might've been there since yesterday, because I only got one blue egg yesterday in the communal nest. Anyway.. at first I thought Gertie was trying to show Fred what to do, but she ended up kicking Fred out and starting fluffing the straw herself like she was going to lay an egg there. I have another row of nesting boxes down lower than the other row on the opposite side of the coop. I think tonite I will make new curtains to put over that lower area and see if Fred and any of the others would prefer to lay there. The main nesting boxes are wide open and so far the girls haven't seemed to mind, except that 5 of the 6 who have been laying use the same box and sometimes 2-3 of them try sitting in it at the same time. They're all a bunch of goobers! I do think it will be better if I can convince Fred and her sister Josephine to start laying on the lower row, because the Alpha hen, Elvira also chased Fred off the main nesting box one of the times I put her on it. Some of the older girls still chase and peck at the two youngest ones. It'll be interesting to see what I find when I come home in a little bit here.

You might have a broody there!