calling any one from missouri

[biddyboo]

Hello, Missourians. We are just west of Ashland, off Hwy 63, between Columbia and Jefferson City. We have about 25 hens, about a dozen of them are spring chicks, just maturing now and beginning laying. We've winterized too, stacked straw bales around the raised base of the coop in the chicken yard, added an electric outlet in the chicken yard for a waterer heater, added pine bedding deeper in both their raised coop and indoor pen inside our metal barn. I cook oatmeal with skim milk powder and any leftovers to give them on cold winter mornings, and they also beg for other handouts when they free range in late afternoon. We love having our flock, great entertainment, a steady egg supply, and something to keep us moving! ~G

 

[mefordz]

sounds like you are setting them up for the winter.

 

[Missy3b]

"messy, eat a lot, drink a lot, not pretty, way to much trouble. i think that covers it."

That pretty much sums up my experience too. But at least I can say that I tried it.

I think the part that bugs me most is just how unenjoyable the cornish cross were. Like all of us on here, I really love my birds. They provide a lot of peace and pleasure for me. These birds did not. I came to quickly resent them because of all the work. Unlike my birds that sit on my lap, run to me when I come outside, etc, etc., the meat birds are too obsessed with eating to do anything worth watching.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
I live in N. St. Louis County, I don't know if you have one but the Handyman True Value hardware store here has 2 gallon ziploc freezer bags in the kitchen department. Perfect size for my broilers.
By the way I'm almost halfway through sending Freedom Rangers to freezer camp. 15 to go.
At 6.5 weeks they averaged 3 lb. 1 oz.. At 8 weeks they averaged 4 lb.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
I have 2 Buff Orps, 2 Blk Jersey Giants and 6 Barred Rocks that are 30 weeks old. All started laying within a week of each other at 23 weeks (1 week after adding 2 hrs. of light. One of the Buff Orpingtons went broody within a month. She didn't know she had never met a man so I had to get to work to break her. Disrupted the flow of things for a few days.

 

[misschickenlittle]

Quote:

Hello, from the Lake of the Ozarks! Sounds like your coop set up is pretty similar to mine. Question... the straw you have around the base of the coop, do they block the North wind? Just wondering because our run heads Northwest from the coop so if I put bales around the base they would be on the Southeast side. No protection from the north winds.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Im pretty close to St. Louis, about 60 miles north of it.

 

[Missy3b]

My eggs from Joplin finally arrived. It took longer to come from Joplin than from Florida. Go figure. I was so impressed with how clearly the box was marked to indicate eggs were inside. Now its time to sit back and be patient for 3 weeks. We have 19 eggs incubating right now. My husband asked how long til the chicks could go outside with everyone else. I didn't tell him-SPRING!

 

[misschickenlittle]

I am done leting my chicks out until spring. Yesterday afternoon, I let them out telling the Roo he had to heard them all up when it was time. I also knew I wouldn't be home when it reached full dark but my DH would be... but I didn't think about the fact he wouldn't care about checking on them to make sure they were all inside... In his defense, he was in the middle of processing a deer he had shot the night before... So wehn I got home I see our white Polish sitting on the red mulch in the flower bed. After herding the kids into the house and dropping all the groceries, my purse and cell phone, I made a mad dash out the door to check on her and see who else was still out. I didn't see nay onther ones but she was acting scared. I took her straight to the coop and pt her on the roost. She barely moved the rest of the night. Then I did a quick head count... 1 - Roo, 5 RIR, and 3 polish... AHHHH!!! Where was my favorite little Polish??? GONE! I was devastated that she didn't come home. I ran inside grabbed a flashlight and started checking trees bushes, etc looking and calling for her. No luck. Thought for sure since she's buff colored she was snatched or would be by a predator.

This morning, hoping for the best, I stuck my head out and noticed the Roo was acting funny. Then I heard another strange noise coming from the OTHER SIDE of the house from the coop. It was little Mendy! Out in the woods freaked out! Sqwaking, I guess, to find here way home!! YEA!!!!

So as much as I want to let them out, I guess I'll wait until it starts staying light longer so I can be home when it's time to shut the gate.

 

[emarble]

Ok my fellow Missourians! I am looking for more info and a place to aquire Keifer grains and Kombucha tea!! Anybody know about it or have any info let me know!! I live in harrisonville Just south of Kansas City!! I have read alot about this and looking for starters!!

Ernie