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

[StormyMoon]

Chickens will eat of the ground anyway....it is what they do.

Walt

I agree

 

[StormyMoon]

I feed off the grass a lot, when I have a high quality scratch or complete pellet, which isn't all the time. I'm frugal and some times, pellets and scratch, even the basic 3 grain stuff, is grossly over priced. I also like to toss vegetables garden odds and ends and other scraps onto the ground and they come running.

My basic staple feed for chicks is an 18% crumble and for layers, a 17% complete mash from a local mill. I do wet it and/or mix in any table scraps we've collected during the day. I still prefer the old time trough feeders, pretty much unchanged from when I fed chickens as a boy over a half century ago. I also make low, mounted box trough feeders out of 1x4 or 1x6 scrap lumber. These wooden troughs work well too, but I still love the old, long, metal troughs.

Tell me about it 13 - 15.00 per 50 lb bags when I first started it was 9.99 per 50 lb chick feed crumble. Not any more even Crack corn has gone up 10.00 - 11.00 per 50 lbs depending where yous shop. Its easier to let them free range for me with my budget.

I do have a wooden trough but the baby chicks use that in their pen.

 

[Kikiriki]

I'm new to having chickens. I have 10 that are 6 weeks give or take. My intent when getting them was eggs. I believe I have 4 cockerels that aren't going to give me any eggs, I plan to keep one, not sure how to pick which one. I know t would make sense to eat the other 3, but I don't know if I can do that. I do have a friend who. Said she would take my extra boys so I have that option. With all that being said I've realized that I have the responsibility to be able to kill a chicken if the need arises. If one of my birds becomes injured, the last thing I want to do is be online looking up "how to kill a chicken". I have no doubt that if there is a need I will be able to kill one of my chicken. My question is how to do it. I know there are threads about it , but I've seen some bizzare methods. What is the simplest way? I don't own a hatchet, is that something I should buy along with my other chicken necessities? Is there a less messy quick sure way to do it? I've heard both of my parents talk about chickens running around with their head cut of. I'm a nurse, I've seen some pretty nasty stuff, but I don't think I can handle that. I saw something that you can use to break their neck, but have only seen it available in the UK. I've heard descriptions of nails and cones and trussing and towels and bags and baby socks.

I did search this thread and couldn't find this topic. I would like to hear OT opinions of the best way to kill a chicken so I can be prepared ahead of time, even if that means I need to buy a hatchet. Thanks!

My sister tried the hatchet method...not so successfully. The rooster moved, sis did not strike with enough force, and she then had to dispatch the wounded bird while crying. She did not know about the body motion and yes, her headless chicken ran a short distance spewing blood from the neck. This happens because some reflexive muscle control commands are from nerve bundles in the spine and do not need the brain.

It took my sis years to build up the courage to do it again. She borrowed a cone and had an experienced friend help her. Very smooth for both sis and the chicken.

For me? I discovered I could not do it when someone mowed down three mallards in the road... I knew they were injured, frightened, and suffering, yet I could not bring myself to just finish the job and end it...i stood by like a ninny, yelling at the man who ran them over to just kill them. He couldnt do it either...

But if I was going to do it, I would give the animal the best treat in a bag and fill it with nitrogen...two breaths and life is gone. No pain, stress, or fear. It completely displacess all oxygen in the body.

 

[fultzie]

1x4 troughs? they kick the feed out of it? i been using the haning ones but i dont hang it lol ..more just for the feeder ..seems to work for me ..i was thinking for making some troughs about 12" sides and about 4' long ..and about 14" wide ..think that would work?

 

[StormyMoon]

I ran outside to get a picture lol this is what they do to our trough

I don't have a fancy chicken coop it is just meant to keep rain off their heads and give them safety at night
during the day its wide open for the grown chickens.

Me and My daughter built this one.





Recycled wood , and left over fence wire, some chicken wire around the baby pen.

 

[Beekissed]

Just place some 2 x 3 in. welded wire over the trough and they can get their heads in but not their bodies. They can even stand on the wire while they eat but no more scratching, no more flicking.

I've been feeding out of just such a wire covered trough for years and it really eliminated all the feed waste and mess.

 

[ldutch123]

Can anyone give me some advice on a baby turkey who walks in circles and jerks his head back and forth?

 

[fultzie]

wow never thought about that ..thats awesome ..ty so very much ..im gonna do that one for sure

 

[fultzie]

Just place some 2 x 3 in. welded wire over the trough and they can get their heads in but not their bodies. They can even stand on the wire while they eat but no more scratching, no more flicking.

I've been feeding out of just such a wire covered trough for years and it really eliminated all the feed waste and mess.

so just build like the 1x4 , than put the wire over it ..i have some 2x4 wire left over ..suppose thats to much space ..prob work better with the 2x3?

 

[Beekissed]

No, that's fine...at least they still cannot get down into the feeder.