Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Mskayladog]

I called my feed mill and was told they test for aflatoxin. So it might be a good idea to call your feed mill.

 

[Loghousemom]

I will also keep suggesting that newbies read the whole darn thing....if I were a newbie I'd sit down and devour this thing in one setting, if I could.  Then I'd burp loudly and go back for seconds.... 

Exactly what I did! Going back and re-reading the parts I noted as important... Though I do catch myself just continuing on.... It ain't easy since I want to try and stay caught up, but feel there is so much to learn here and even with my notes I am sure I missed something. Hence, the re-reading.

 

[chicken curious]

And yet ANOTHER question for our sages: Can you feed TOO much cayenne pepper to chickens? I mean, can it hurt them? I ask because my gals absolutely love the stuff, so I tend to top dress with it pretty often. The Mr. thinks I might be giving it too often and that it could have adverse effects on them. I didn't think it could as, the way I understand it, it doesn't actually worm them, it just makes their system unattractive to worms in the first place, is that correct? What say the OTs?

Newbie, but I thought birds didn't have the taste bud receptors for the cayenne. I know it's healthy for humans to have in our diet, but as far as the birds...not sure. I know people use it on their chicken (or wild bird) feed because the squirrels and rodents won't eat it (they DO have the receptors). Anyway, I could be wrong. Maybe you heard about top dressing with it to avoid sharing the food with other outdoor animals?

 

[JeffOeuf]

I don't know whether his chickens like it or not, but they do not have receptors for capsaicin (what makes chile peppers hot). Pepper seeds will not survive a mammalian digestive tract, but will survive (in fact thrive in) an avian digestive tract. Capsaicin makes chiles unattractive to those animals who cannot distribute the seeds viably.

All that said, I grow a lot of chiles, and my girls didn't go after them in the garden at all. They destroyed my Swiss chard and ate more tomatoes than I did, but didn't even peck at the chile peppers.

 

[Gargoyle]

but didn't even peck at the chile peppers.

Are you really telling us that your chickens didn't pick a peck of pickled peppers?

 

[JeffOeuf]

Nope, they didn't. I picked umpteen pints of pickled peppers this summer, none of which were chicken pecked. And just so you know, all those pints of unpecked pickled peppers are put away in the pine pantry.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Are you really telling us that your chickens didn't pick a peck of pickled peppers?

 

[bruceh]

Are you really telling us that your chickens didn't pick a peck of pickled peppers?

cute response

i am still here lurking. if i am using windows computer program, does that mean i am lurking in windows?

 

[Gargoyle]

cute response

i am still here lurking. if i am using windows computer program, does that mean i am lurking in windows?

You need to open the windows to provide ventilation, but close them to avoid drafts.

Microsoft has developed their products for just that purpose- to randomly open and close windows whether you like it or not. It's a feature, not a bug.

 

[loanwizard]

cute response

i am still here lurking. if i am using windows computer program, does that mean i am lurking in windows?

It means you are a peeping Brucie.....