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

[Beekissed]

What do you old timers think of the following ideas 2 self confessed old timers gave me this week?
1. for worms: give a little strip of horse medication. I chickened out and didn't buy it. It seemed too draconian to me to give a little chicken something that you would give a horse. In my consternation I didn't see what the product was. It said Gold on it.
2. for shelless eggs give the hens access to a bowl of Hydrolyzed Lime. Now that seemed like a great idea since it is mostly calcium, the girls won't eat the oyster shell and it has gone on for too long (problems with shells) The guy said his father did that for dozens of years with success.
I don't recall ever seeing either of these suggestions posted anywhere on BYC. Just wondering if you old timers share these secrets.

I don't think much of either of those suggestions, ATH....but then, you probably already knew that!

 

[Attila the Hen]

Have you ever heard of either? The horse one put me off because the guy started off by explaining it is really hard to poison a chicken. Good grief!......

 

[bruceh]

@ath no way would i ever give horse medication to a chicken. no way. i don't use meds any how. not saying i would not just never had the need. how much does a horse weigh now think about your chicken. i would not even now how to figure out the dosage .

calcium up take simple solution and won't cost a thing.

1. use a layer mash
2. feed them back their shells.
3. crush up the oyster shell to a powder dump it in their food and mix the feed up.

now if it is a particular layer or related layers. it could be a genetic issue.

my 2 cents

 

[Nancygardens]

I was at W-mart today and a 20-25 lb. sack of BOSS was like $26.99 is this what it usually goes for or is it up b/c of the dry year? {I did not get it as don't have chickens yet.}

 

[fowlman01]

Have you ever heard of either? The horse one put me off because the guy started off by explaining it is really hard to poison a chicken. Good grief!......

It is not terribly hard to poison any small animal........like a chicken. lol This sounds like one of those "experts" in a feed store.

Walt

 

[bruceh]

It is not terribly hard to poison any small animal........like a chicken. lol This sounds like one of those "experts" in a feed store.

Walt

 

[Beekissed]

I was at W-mart today and a 20-25 lb. sack of BOSS was like $26.99 is this what it usually goes for or is it up b/c of the dry year? {I did not get it as don't have chickens yet.}

Yep, getting more expensive. Don't bother wasting money on expensive grains like BOSS in times of economic strain. They really aren't needed when it's all said and done in the chicken world.

 

[Nancygardens]

The last three times I've been to the store they have been out of layer feed, no grower / developer flock mgt. or what ever it's called and just had scratch. So I called the other feed stores in the area. Contacted my cousin on the other side of the country he used to grow chickens commercially. Hubby & I decided we might just take a bucket and shovel to the grain terminal and get some old grain.

Chicks are not hatched out yet. So much to learn. I'm on pg. 500 on this thread.

We used to have RIR when I was a kid but all I did was gather eggs, did not pay attn. to stuff like feed except oyster shells.

 

[loanwizard]

I haven't tried the fermented feed yet.... again one of those read and it crosses my eyes, but I did buy 2 small bottles of Braggs ACV with the mother yesterday so I suppose....

Debating going back to the Layer feed rather than the 16% protein hog feed supplemented by oyster shell to see if the extra 2-3% protein will have an effect on egg production.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Trading an old blazer for a hay rake. Don't have a baler, but thought I could take the grass clippings, hay rake them, pick it up either with the loader or a wagon and pitchfork and feed directly, undried or only partially dried to the chickens and hogs.

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[galanie]

Honestly, I did the Fermented Feed with my layers for a while, and even did my own mix with fermented scratch, adding other grains to bring the protien level up. They did well on it, but it was just so much work and bother I no longer do.

I will though do this on my next batch of meaties.