- Mar 18, 2014
- 39
- 7
- 26
Hello everyone,
I got told to introduce myself and so I will do.
We live in Alberta, Canada on a 1 Acre property surrounded by Wetlands and lots of Trees and shrubs. We are not just new to have Chicken we are in the process of building ourself a homestead. One of the first step was getting chicken. The Plan for this year is to get more chicken (actually I go and pick them up tomorrow) and also Rabbits and maybe two Nigerian Dwarf Goats. We also will have a Garden with lots of Veggies, Berries and Fruits this Year. We own 3 wonderful Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and as far as I know myself I will get more animals as I plan ;-)
So far we have 14/1 Sex Sale Link Brown
Tomorrow we will get 5/1 Barred Plymouth Rock and 10 Ameraucana (unsexed)
We possible (actually I now we did) did start with our SSL in the most terrible time to raise chicken ever. We got them October 28th 2013. We kept them in a Brooder in the Basement till Christmas, than they had to go outside, no way to keep them longer inside. So they went in there coop and we supplied extra Heat by a Headlamp. This Year we will get a more secure heading source for the coop. But I have to say that they did way better than we hoped. We couldn't find any sings of chilling during the cold time of the year. They got every evening a extra Handful of Corn and Grains to make sure they have enough energy to get through the cold night. We have a self-made Water header so the water does not freeze. And I was surprised that they not really went under the headlamp. It was just like they don't need them even when we had - 40C. So I am very happy that we got through our first chicken winter without any lost. Now we are hoping and waiting for the first egg. They are 23 Weeks old now and first sign of Laying are shown by the chicken.
Now we have to be a little more patient, we just need to wait a little longer so we will be able to fence the area where they can range and enjoy the outside and sun. (We have to fence because we have lots of Coyotes, Fox and other predators at our place)
Also we will build a second Coop for our new arrivals tomorrow.
Maybe one more word about the food we feed to the chicken. We mix our Grains ourself and we do have good success so far. They do get a Whole Grain mixture mixed after a recipe from my Grandparents. Also free choice of Grit and Oyster Shells. Lots of Kitchen scraps, Fruits, Veggies, also we have a few trays of Sprouted Wheat, Cat Gras and Herbs which are covered by Chicken Wire so they can't scratch and kill it. As treats they get Mealworms, Red Wiggler, Peanuts, and so on. Of course everything in a well controlled amount not to much. We also hang treats in the coop to keep them busy like, Cabbage, Pumpking, Apples, cooked Potatoes and so on. We think it is just fair to give them something to do as long as they can't get outside, so they are not getting to bored.
This year I will plant lots of Sunflower and Pumpkin and good things that chicken like to eat so we do have a supply for the next winter. And keep our food cost a little more down.
Oops this got way longer than planed, sorry.
Best greetings
Kueken
I got told to introduce myself and so I will do.
We live in Alberta, Canada on a 1 Acre property surrounded by Wetlands and lots of Trees and shrubs. We are not just new to have Chicken we are in the process of building ourself a homestead. One of the first step was getting chicken. The Plan for this year is to get more chicken (actually I go and pick them up tomorrow) and also Rabbits and maybe two Nigerian Dwarf Goats. We also will have a Garden with lots of Veggies, Berries and Fruits this Year. We own 3 wonderful Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and as far as I know myself I will get more animals as I plan ;-)
So far we have 14/1 Sex Sale Link Brown
Tomorrow we will get 5/1 Barred Plymouth Rock and 10 Ameraucana (unsexed)
We possible (actually I now we did) did start with our SSL in the most terrible time to raise chicken ever. We got them October 28th 2013. We kept them in a Brooder in the Basement till Christmas, than they had to go outside, no way to keep them longer inside. So they went in there coop and we supplied extra Heat by a Headlamp. This Year we will get a more secure heading source for the coop. But I have to say that they did way better than we hoped. We couldn't find any sings of chilling during the cold time of the year. They got every evening a extra Handful of Corn and Grains to make sure they have enough energy to get through the cold night. We have a self-made Water header so the water does not freeze. And I was surprised that they not really went under the headlamp. It was just like they don't need them even when we had - 40C. So I am very happy that we got through our first chicken winter without any lost. Now we are hoping and waiting for the first egg. They are 23 Weeks old now and first sign of Laying are shown by the chicken.
Now we have to be a little more patient, we just need to wait a little longer so we will be able to fence the area where they can range and enjoy the outside and sun. (We have to fence because we have lots of Coyotes, Fox and other predators at our place)
Also we will build a second Coop for our new arrivals tomorrow.
Maybe one more word about the food we feed to the chicken. We mix our Grains ourself and we do have good success so far. They do get a Whole Grain mixture mixed after a recipe from my Grandparents. Also free choice of Grit and Oyster Shells. Lots of Kitchen scraps, Fruits, Veggies, also we have a few trays of Sprouted Wheat, Cat Gras and Herbs which are covered by Chicken Wire so they can't scratch and kill it. As treats they get Mealworms, Red Wiggler, Peanuts, and so on. Of course everything in a well controlled amount not to much. We also hang treats in the coop to keep them busy like, Cabbage, Pumpking, Apples, cooked Potatoes and so on. We think it is just fair to give them something to do as long as they can't get outside, so they are not getting to bored.
This year I will plant lots of Sunflower and Pumpkin and good things that chicken like to eat so we do have a supply for the next winter. And keep our food cost a little more down.
Oops this got way longer than planed, sorry.
Best greetings
Kueken
and Welcom To BYC! Sounds like you have a wonderful set up, hope you get those first eggs soon! And good luck with the new chicks. You might want to post about your chicken feeding regime on the Feeding and Watering Your Flock forum, it is especially good to see proven and well tested whole grain recipes since so many people are trying to get away from the processed feeds 
