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

[fultzie]

1x4 and 1x6 referred to the dimension of the lumber piece used in making wooden troughs, not their size, LOL

I make them about 24" long and have multiples of them.

sorry fred .i knew that ..i was curious how you kept them from kicking the feed out, but bee gave me some incite on that ..

 

[Leahs Mom]

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.

But.....don't they poop in there when they decide to stand on top of it???

 

[Beekissed]

Not very often. I only fed once a day and there were too many at the feeder hogging down for anyone to stand up there and poop. I don't know that I ever had to clean poop out of the trough for my layer hens but when the meaties came along, it was another story.

I finally didn't worry about their poops in the feeder, sometimes I'd take them out, sometimes I wouldn't. Sometimes they would just eat them right along with their food...something I've never seen a layer breed do.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Essentially, what I build is a narrow trough, that attaches to the wall, about 4" off the floor. It isn't wide enough for a bird, older than 9 weeks, to fit into, so there's no problem with them getting in them and scratching feed out. As for poop, well where doesn't a chicken sling a turd every now and then? It's fairly rare with hens.

 

[Leahs Mom]

That brings me to another question.

I have been just leaving a feeder out and they eat what they want. It is always full. HOWEVER...I feed a mash-type feed formulated my feed store (I have the formulate without soy. Also organic usually.) Of course, mash is powdery since it has fish meal and a nutrient blend as well. They often pick out all the goodies and there is a good amount of the powdery stuff left in the base pan - although it does still have some pieces in it. About every couple days I take some of what is in the bottom of the pan and mix with either milk & water or whey and give it to them in a pan.

Now to the real question:
If I wanted to only put out a daily ration rather than the full feeder, what exactly IS a daily ration? What kind of measurement per bird? I'm guessing this will change during the summer when they're outside and can scratch up a good amount of their own food.

If I did a daily ration only would you recommend it be fed wet?

 

[Beekissed]

I always just put out feed and watch how much of they eat in that setting. If only a little bit is left over, that's good. If too much, I decrease it. If nothing is left, this tells me they had to scrape their plates to get enough, so I increase it. Ideally, I feed each evening and there would always be about 1/4 in. of feed in the bottom of the feeder for a quick breakfast if they wanted some before leaving the coop in the morning to forage.

In the winter I feed in the morning and dispense enough that they have a good meal and a snack later before bed.

All that changes with the available forage and the flock's needs. When you don't feed continuously you kind of get a feel for what your flock consumes at any given time of the year and soon you know them like you know your own children's eating habits.

It's also easy to see who is eating more than others...if a hen is the first to the feeder and the last to leave, she is a heavy eater and possibly not a good forager. When you check for laying later on and she is a borderline layer, it makes it easier to cull when you know that she also is not as thrifty on feed. Moderate laying/poor foraging + big eater = cull in my flocks.


In the summer time, if you wet the whole ration it will be more likely to draw flies. I'd just wet the left over powder in the evening and they will eat it for supper.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Ration feeding, or portion control feeding is a whole lot more art than science. The science says 5-6 ounces per laying bird, larger fowl. OK, but the variables differ, as you say. This is where the art of husbandry comes in. Do they need to eat just a smaller supplement because they are successfully ranging? How rich is the range, based on time of year? Is the ground snow covered, or made virtually barren by drought? How much more will a hen take keeping herself warm during the cold winter months?

I portion feed. It just takes experience, observation and flock awareness. I feed both morning and late afternoon, If there is feed remaining, lots of it, as they go to roost, I've obviously over-portioned and I'm just leaving feed out all night for the rodents. How much of the morning's portion is still in the feeders before I add to it in the afternoon?

Portion feeding is fussy. It takes focus and observation. It isn't for everyone.

 

[Zany Chick]

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.

I'm thinking I might not be strong enough for a hatchet and I would probably have no help.

 

[Zany Chick]

Until one of the OT's answer, use the keywords "slaughtering chickens" in the search. There might be some information there until you are helped.

Thanks. I went looking and actually found a thread started by beekissed about raising meat birds that went right through to processing them, with photos. I'm thinking the slit throat might be the method for me. I'm even thinking about getting some meat birds next spring.

Sue

 

[StormyMoon]

Ration feeding, or portion control feeding is a whole lot more art than science. The science says 5-6 ounces per laying bird, larger fowl. OK, but the variables differ, as you say. This is where the art of husbandry comes in. Do they need to eat just a smaller supplement because they are successfully ranging? How rich is the range, based on time of year? Is the ground snow covered, or made virtually barren by drought? How much more will a hen take keeping herself warm during the cold winter months?

I portion feed. It just takes experience, observation and flock awareness. I feed both morning and late afternoon, If there is feed remaining, lots of it, as they go to roost, I've obviously over-portioned and I'm just leaving feed out all night for the rodents. How much of the morning's portion is still in the feeders before I add to it in the afternoon?

Portion feeding is fussy. It takes focus and observation. It isn't for everyone.

Thank you Fred that was actually very helpful for me. I am on a budget so I portion feed also but my chickens free range from morning till sunset right now grass is green and full of grasshoppers and lots of other bugs they love and they have a lot of weeds to pick through.

But I have never fed at night just early in the AM when they come out of the coop i toss their feed in the grass and watch the game of hunt begin its sort of entertaining for me I must be a very boring person lol.

And here I was worrying I was over feeding them 20 hens I was only giving them 24 ounces a day of pellets.
They are standard large fowl. So I guess I been under feeding them but come night fall they are bulging in the crops so I assumed they was getting enough.