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

[Miss Lydia]

I bought a bale of Timothy hay for my geese to nibble on during the winter, My chickens are eating it, is this okay? This is the first time buying hay for the geese so I was surprised whenIi saw the chickens eating on it too.

 

[delisha]

My chickens like to nibble on hay too. I line nest boxes with it during the summer. During the winter I purchase a bale and keep it in the duck pen. Everyone comes in and eats it. This year I purchased three bales to last the whole winter. They like the greens.

 

[delisha]

Just watch how much they eat..Alfalfa is better than Timothy for chickens. I heard some people have had crop issues with chickens on Timothy. I have only used Alfalfa with clover mix.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just watch how much they eat..Alfalfa is better than Timothy for chickens. I heard some people have had crop issues with chickens on Timothy. I have only used Alfalfa with clover mix.

Thanks, and I hear the opposite about geese and alfalfa with geese that they aren't fond of it so thats why I got timothy. Well hopefully with everything else they have to eat they won't eat much of it, I've never had a chicken have crop problems and sure don't want to start now.

 

[Sally8]

Unfortunately I am a smoker. I throw my butts in a coffee can with water. After a while it is a pretty nasty mess. I strain it out and use it on the outside of the coops and the edges of the garden.

lol. Since I'm probably going to burn the coop down, you might be the ticket. My hubby is a volunteer fireman and all 3 fireman will come down for experience. (Not really but we live in a very small community. I joke that one drives the rescue truck and the other peddles the fire truck.
Mites are nasty little critters. On another site I was reading where someone had them in their house and had a hard time getting rid of them there. If I followed everything I read to the letter, I would boil my hands to rid samanella, change all my clothes and bathe to rid the Mites, slather all my chickens legs for scales, wipe their butts for paste, dust the feathers for bugs, go through the poop for worms, ferment their breakfast, sprout their seeds and put vinegar in their water for health.Makes it sound like having chickens isn't worth it. My hubby feels very neglected.

Actually, I do do some of these! lol

 

[delisha]

My DH feels neglected sometimes too. He has nothing to complain about. He does not clean, cook, laundry, pack a lunch, or get out his cloths. Every SO should have it so bad.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Okay went out to give the flock their ff for the day and found some of the chickens had most likely killed a male cardinal, hadn't been dead long still warm to touch, but they were pecking on it. Do I need to worry about them catching something? He looked healthy other than his eyes were already gone. yuck. The wild birds do try to sneak feed when they get a chance I'm thinking this one tried at the wrong time.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I have never had that problem either. I think it all starts with cooked food and excessive bread. You have nothing to worry about. You feed your birds correctly. They are not going to fill up on hay.

 

[Fred's Hens]

lol. Since I'm probably going to burn the coop down, you might be the ticket. My hubby is a volunteer fireman and all 3 fireman will come down for experience. (Not really but we live in a very small community. I joke that one drives the rescue truck and the other peddles the fire truck.
Mites are nasty little critters. On another site I was reading where someone had them in their house and had a hard time getting rid of them there. If I followed everything I read to the letter, I would boil my hands to rid samanella, change all my clothes and bathe to rid the Mites, slather all my chickens legs for scales, wipe their butts for paste, dust the feathers for bugs, go through the poop for worms, ferment their breakfast, sprout their seeds and put vinegar in their water for health.Makes it sound like having chickens isn't worth it. My hubby feels very neglected.
Actually, I do do some of these! lol

My DH feels neglected sometimes too. He has nothing to complain about. He does not clean, cook, laundry, pack a lunch, or get out his cloths. Every SO should have it so bad.

See post #10854

 

[delisha]

Should not be a problem. Birds have been surviving without a bunch of stress and worry from humans for a long time. If you go out tomorrow and find a bunch of unhealthy looking wild birds dead in your coop it is time to worry.