Consolidated Kansas

[tweetybaby2005]

Welcome Tweety Baby! Newbie to BYC & chickens myself...

Thanks ramblin. Welcome to BYC!

Kuan

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Thank you all for the welcome. Two weeks ago I bought a dozen Red female chicks from TSC. I can't believe how fast they grow. We spent a good chunk of today getting the coop ready. I think with maybe a hour's more work it will be all ready. I'm already planning a second coop for next summer. I'm thinking about using it for meat birds and turkeys. I'm currently researching fodder. It seems like a good idea. Does anyone have experience with it?
Down the road I'm also wanting to get pigs but I knew the chickens and their future eggs was an easier sell to the DH.

I try my very best to avoid TSC and Atwoods. Just can't bring any more chicks home that's for sure.

I do a small scale fodder for my chickens. I sprout lentils, mung beans, and wheat berries for the chickens. I tried soybeans and black eyed peas but they didn't sprout too well and the soybeans went mush fast. What questions do you have with fodder? I'll try my best to answer them. I think there is a fodder link in one of the BYC forums. Here you go. I found the link.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens

Kuan

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Ahhhhh... all these prepping the soil for planting and what not sure makes me want to plant some veggies. Normally I start the seeds in late Feb or early March. Not this year. We are getting ready to move to the "farm" so I really don't have time to do anything. After moving, we will have to either list the current house or rent it out. So we will have to do some major cleaning. We have been living in this house for 12 years. With 2 kids, we have tons of stuff to move and ton to give away as well. I'm just dreading the move. I also don't want to leave behind my beloved fish in the pond so this definitely adds some stress to the move. There is an existing pond on the property already but it is definitely not ready for pond fish. A new koi pond will have to be built quick after the move so I can cycle the water and move my lovely fish into their new home. You will think that with DH owning a landscaping company that this will be easy peasy but not so. Spring is his busy time so customers always come first. I definitely don't need all the extra stress. It is bad enough that it is tax season and I can't wait till 4/15 for the Individual tax deadline to be over with. Then my work will slow down some what.

Looks like KU just lost the game. So WSU is the only Kansas team going to the Elite 8. Sweet!

Hope everyone has a good evening. I'll see if I have time to post more this weekend since it is Easter. My kids are looking forward to the Easter egg hunt. I'll be taking DD to the Arc of Sedgwick County for egg hunt since they have egg hunt for special needs children. She will be going to YESS camp again this year.

Kuan

 

[mrsdanamiller]

I try my very best to avoid TSC and Atwoods. Just can't bring any more chicks home that's for sure.

I do a small scale fodder for my chickens. I sprout lentils, mung beans, and wheat berries for the chickens. I tried soybeans and black eyed peas but they didn't sprout too well and the soybeans went mush fast. What questions do you have with fodder? I'll try my best to answer them. I think there is a fodder link in one of the BYC forums. Here you go. I found the link.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens

Kuan

I actually bought just some grass seed today to do this very thing! This website is where I found info for it. http://www.dogislandfarm.com/2013/03/what-fodder.html

 

[mrsv10]

I try my very best to avoid TSC and Atwoods. Just can't bring any more chicks home that's for sure. [/COLOR] [COLOR=0000FF]I do a small scale fodder for my chickens. I sprout lentils, mung beans, and wheat berries for the chickens. I tried soybeans and black eyed peas but they didn't sprout too well and the soybeans went mush fast. What questions do you have with fodder? I'll try my best to answer them. I think there is a fodder link in one of the BYC forums. Here you go. I found the link.[/COLOR] https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens [COLOR=0000FF]Kuan[/COLOR] [/quote]

 

[mrsv10]

I will learn how to use the quote thing right darn it. Sorry.

I'm trying to figure out how much I need to grow to feed my 12 babies. I'm thinking it's just going to be a learning process. This whole new experience is a huge learning experience. Thanks so much for offering to share you're knowledge.

These were my chicks 2 weeks ago. Needless to say they are at least twice this size now. It amazes me how they change each day.

 

[Trish44]

Thank you all for the welcome. Two weeks ago I bought a dozen Red female chicks from TSC. I can't believe how fast they grow. We spent a good chunk of today getting the coop ready. I think with maybe a hour's more work it will be all ready. I'm already planning a second coop for next summer. I'm thinking about using it for meat birds and turkeys. I'm currently researching fodder. It seems like a good idea. Does anyone have experience with it?
Down the road I'm also wanting to get pigs but I knew the chickens and their future eggs was an easier sell to the DH.

I haven't done fodder for chickens, I'll have to read up on that. I have raised pigs in the past at one time, they're really not that hard to raise, just keep feeding them & in 6 months they're big enough to take for butcher. That's what I liked about them, that it didn't take nearly as long as growing out a calf does.

The little goose is doing fine. It has a lot of gray on it but I am waiting to see if it lightens up once it gets all cleaned up. It's amazing how those first two have grown. They look like monsters next to this one. This other egg never internally pipped. That is what has me stumped. The air space is plenty big. I was trying to take the advice you gave me and opened more vents and was trying to hatch dryer. I waited until this one pipped to remove it from the incubator but the other one was due the same day so I moved it as well.
My two broody goosey girls just keep building their nests higher and higher. They sit there and pick up a piece of straw at a time and tuck it in just the right spot around them. I need to mark the calendar. One of them has been sitting steady for over a week now. The other one has been pretty steady for 3-4 days.
Quote:
Wow! That is amazing. You do have some weird chickens for sure!
Just talk all you want and discuss anything you want to. I never get over being excited about my chickens...and the other birds.
Quote:
I think a lot has to do where you get them. I absolutely hate it when the stores and or parents allow the kids to pick up chicks. I think TSC is pretty strict about keeping people from handling chicks. Orshlens in Ottawa used to keep people out of them but I was there a couple weeks ago and kids were opening the cages and taking them out and carrying them around. It just thoroughly upset me that their mother was allowing them to do it.
They are cute. Do any of them have feathered legs, top knots or muffs?

Well I spent a good deal of my day out working on my hoop coop. I guess I can't help but make something simple difficult. I got the inside wall for the coop done then decided that it wouldn't be hard to put a floor in for the coop part. So I cut and installed the joists for the floor support. I got the door opening cut as well. I had a lot of trimming and fitting to get the inside wall boards cut to shape. So if it doesn't rain me out tomorrow I think I can get the floor in, get the door made, and maybe get the wiring and netting on. This is a whole new concept of building a hoop coop I think, because I am building a building of sorts in there. Every time I look at it it looks like a big Easter egg to me. If I had the solid back side facing North where people would see it I would probably paint it to look like one just for fun.
I am planning to make a double door so I can open the upper part and go inside myself or leave it closed most of the time for the birds. I'm getting anxious to get this one done and get my exhibition orps moved in there.

Wow, you are really getting fancy with this hoop coop, you have to post some pics when you're done, I would love to see that. I hope I can get my other one built soon. I've been working on cleaning up limbs & debris from all the trees in that area, so it will be ready when I get the wood. That's what I need next is the wood for the framing & wire to cover the livestock panels.

Now that we got all the trash for the most part picked up down on the front 5 we should be able to take the goats down soon to browse down there. I know the little one wants to go out & graze, she runs out the gate sometimes when I open it & starts eating out there. She's not hard to get back in though, she's so tame.

I doubt I get anything done this weekend since my son is coming in tomorrow & we will have him & our granddaughter here. I don't know yet if she is coming back on Sunday for Easter or not. She had hinted to us that she wanted to come because her mom has to work that day. I don't know if her mom already made other plans for them or not though, we'll find out tomorrow.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I will learn how to use the quote thing right darn it. Sorry.

I'm trying to figure out how much I need to grow to feed my 12 babies. I'm thinking it's just going to be a learning process. This whole new experience is a huge learning experience. Thanks so much for offering to share you're knowledge.

These were my chicks 2 weeks ago. Needless to say they are at least twice this size now. It amazes me how they change each day.

For your 2 week old chicks, they will need to have some grid to digest the fodder so make sure to provide them. With only 12 chicks, you don't need much at all. You can try using a mason jar with 2 TBSP of seeds to start and go from there. Just soak the seeds overnight, drain the next morning. Rinse a couple of time and put a cheese cloth over the mouth of the jar. You can put the jar on the kitchen counter. Rinse it twice a day. You should see the seeds start sprouting in no time. Warmer temp helps.

I feed a flock of 30 chickens so I use 1 cup of seeds per feeding. This is a supplement to their feeds. They love it.

Hope this bit of info help answer some of your questions.

Kuan

 

[mrsdanamiller]

For your 2 week old chicks, they will need to have some grid to digest the fodder so make sure to provide them. With only 12 chicks, you don't need much at all. You can try using a mason jar with 2 TBSP of seeds to start and go from there. Just soak the seeds overnight, drain the next morning. Rinse a couple of time and put a cheese cloth over the mouth of the jar. You can put the jar on the kitchen counter. Rinse it twice a day. You should see the seeds start sprouting in no time. Warmer temp helps.

I feed a flock of 30 chickens so I use 1 cup of seeds per feeding. This is a supplement to their feeds. They love it.

Hope this bit of info help answer some of your questions.

Kuan

This is a related question, so I'll quote ya

Do I need to give grit and oyster shell to my chickens if they don't eat 100% layer feed? I have seen a lot of ads for it lately. I feed them lots of kitchen scraps and grass, and they pick around in their run all day. They always have access to the layer feed though, which has grit, maybe...right???? I have been wondering this for awhile and thought I'd finally get around to asking.

 

[bbsnooks]

Danz.. I was glad you called that salmon Favorell in the photo -
I ordered some of those in my chick order. I think they are pretty and have heard they have a great personality.. It looks like there are several here that have them..


RamblinH .. I'll look forward to your chick water photo's.. and if you needed any plumbing tape or not.

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all those chick and duckling photo's are pretty cute.. !!!! thanx for posting