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

[Kansas Prairie]

Well I havent opened them but whole they dont smell like anything. No soft spots or anything. Gourds here are like squash

Yes, gourds in our part of the world grow wild in the ditches, they smell so bad if you drive down the road near them you have to roll up the window. The gourds you speak of must be different. That's great!

 

[Kassaundra]

That is ingenious. And it works. I used to have a shade just like that. Now I wish I wouldn't have thrown it away.

Not sure about that yet, haven't put any chicks in it, it does hold temps that is all I can say right now about how well it works.

 

[Folly's place]

I looked up the ivermectin dose to be sure; it's in a formulary, but probably no actual research data to back it up.... 0.2 mg./ kgm body weight, orally or subcutaneous injection. That's about 0.1 mg. per pound body weight. of the injectable drug, NOT the pour-on product. I have 30 to 35 birds, so I give it orally. They are not pleased!! Mary

 

[Attila the Hen]

Well Bee and the OTs...
I've learned alot tonight.
1. don't trust the feed store guys.
2. I've been agonizing over why my hens haven't been laying because I was afraid I was not doing something right. Seems the more likely reason is they are inferior stock and they may well be short on eggs for the rest of their lives. I have no intention of breeding them so that's the end of their story.

Here's a third realization I've had. The rooster I bought (I know--no one buys roosters) may have been an old guy when I got him. Since age is determined by the size of the spurs and he recently shed both spurs he may have shed them before and been passed off as a juvenile. I always wondered why he was so large. Can you believe it? I bought him from a feed store guy.

I do have a serious question related to the rooster though. He has had runny poop for a couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to stop. I bought some electrolytes recommended by the feed store guy and it hasn't changed anything. Any suggestions? The rooster seems well enough.
thanks so much

 

[Kansas Prairie]

I do have a serious question related to the rooster though. He has had runny poop for a couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to stop. I bought some electrolytes recommended by the feed store guy and it hasn't changed anything. Any suggestions? The rooster seems well enough.
thanks so much


Here's a good site to help specifically describe poop. http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[coloradogal]

Some hens never lay at all. The longest I've waited for a hen was 9 mo. but I knew when all the other hens of her breed were well into lay by 5 mo. and she didn't that I might have a non-layer on my hands...but hope springs eternal...and I usually only cull once a year, so I fed the barren hen all winter. I'd give her another month but it doesn't sound good....

The chicks that were born in July of last year didn't start laying until March. I just assumed it was the cold weather.

 

[Lazarus718]

Might try putting a little light, (flashlight) in the coop before dark, then as it gets dark they will usually head towards the light. After they are in go shut off the flash light. They will usually get the idea after a few nights. Do you have a roost in the coop for them? If you have the yard light on to watch them, they may not go in the coop.

Looks like I won the bet with the wife, they're all in that house cuddled up on their own tonight. Didn't do the flashlight thing, guess they approve of the construction. Definitely have some poles in there, took a 2" dia. wooden dowel and ripped it in half. Have plans to grab a couple branches from the mountain and screw them into the enclosed run to get them some vertical space. Just gotta make time to drive up to the mountain! Here's a pic of the inside after some final touches this past weekend:

 

[Lazarus718]

I know a lot of you are thinking I'm nuts to worry about these gals already and it's not even winter or the middle of summer, but look at the max/min temps the pullets have to deal with when the seasons change. Those temps at the bottom both happened since about 4 o'clock this morning. We have some big temp swings out here.

 

[normanack]

How do you decide what to wear in the morning? Sounds like you need a down parka and shorts. Yikes!

 

[Fred's Hens]

The chicks that were born in July of last year didn't start laying until March. I just assumed it was the cold weather.

Pullets hatched in July reach maturity in November, but without artificial light, they often cannot get started. Chickens are photo reactive, and need light on their retina to trigger ovarian production. One's choice with such pullets is to provide a few hours of pre-dawn light therapy or just wait it out until Spring. Cold has virtually nothing to do with it.