Consolidated Kansas

[RoosterLew]

ok i switched to layer with my birds... it seems they are suddenly eating ALOT more. 50 lbs lasted 10 days. 20 birds??? is this right. Can I cut layer with crimm corn/milo mix to cut cost? right now the run is 16x16 so it will not support them food wise. planning on extending this summer. Thoughts?

I'm not sure how old they are, but they POUND the food until they are filled out, and once they are fully grown, they don't eat as much. I go through at least 50# a day, though, so a week would be nice! You have them on significantly less space in the run than what is recommended, however, and they will decimate it very soon if you don't expand it. The recommendations are generally 4-10 square feet per bird in order to retain grazing space. You can also give them a secondary run so that you can rotate between the two and allow recovery or plant ground cover in the fallow run.

One way to preserve it and give them a more nutritious supplemental feed is sprouting wheat and oats for them. You can do a set every day and then feed one several days old, so you always have one for them ready to go. Sprouted grain has better nutrition and they really enjoy it. You can also sprout chia and mung beans, etc. Good stuff!!

OK...I keep getting confused on the topic of "run space" - ChooksChick I hope you dont mind me using your post as an example of something i keep seeing over and over throughout the forum.

jhammet mentions: 20 birds and a 16X16 run which is 256 sq feet or 12.8 sq feet per bird...

As you said Chook..."The recommendations are generally 4-10 square feet per bird..."

SO I don't understand why you say: "You have them on significantly less space in the run than what is recommended"

Again..I'm not picking on you, its just that over and over i read "4-10 sq feet per bird", and then see posts where people say " I have X number birds " and list a coop size that figures well above "4-10 sq feet per bird" and invariably someone tells them their run is to small?

Can anyone shed light on this? I am completely cornfuzzed!

 

[prairiepearls]

Help! One of the 3 new "pullets" I got in March started CROWING yesterday! And the city of Wichita doesn't allow roosters! I'm not opposed (in theory) to a chicken dinner, but I don't think I can do the deed myself. He's 8 weeks old, a beautiful California Leghorn (which I was told are tamer than regular Leghorns), and I handle him every day, so he's tame. I'd be happy to give him to anyone, to keep or eat -- but not to fight!

Greta in Wichita

 

[cherwill]

We sound so alike! I also feed my dogs and cat a higher quality feed. I figure by doing that on a regular basis, I am possibly avoiding expensive vet visits down the road, if it keeps them healthy and prevents some of the illnesses they can get from poor nutrition. Like you, I spent quite a bit of time researching ingredients and brands, and what I've found is that you really have to look at the ingredients, because just spending the most you can on a bag of feed doesn't necessarily mean you are getting the best. Since I am not very good at retaining ALL of the dietary requirements in my head over a long period of time, I came up with a few simple rules for choosing a dog or cat food, so that even if I'm at a different store that doesn't sell their "regular" brand, I can still find something I'm happy with. Meat has to be the first ingredient, and I prefer that it be the first few. Some of the really cheap feeds, like Alpo, the first ingredient listed is usually corn, followed by several other grains and by the time you get to the middle of the list, there might be some reference to something resembling meat, though it will probably be a "by-product" - whatever that is. So as long as meat is the first and preferably the first 3 ingredients, its a good start. I also prefer that corn not be an ingredient at all, mainly because corn has very little nutritional value, except for the fiber. I have found several brands that won't break the bank but meet these simple requirements.

I also try to stay away from too much beet pulp, which is largely just filler and results in more yard cleanup, and I look for foods which are preserved with natural vitamins instead of strange chemicals. It means the food won't last for years on the shelf, but we only buy a bag at a time anyway.

 

[HEChicken]

OK...I keep getting confused on the topic of "run space" - ChooksChick I hope you dont mind me using your post as an example of something i keep seeing over and over throughout the forum.

jhammet mentions: 20 birds and a 16X16 run which is 256 sq feet or 12.8 sq feet per bird...

As you said Chook..."The recommendations are generally 4-10 square feet per bird..."

SO I don't understand why you say: "You have them on significantly less space in the run than what is recommended"

Again..I'm not picking on you, its just that over and over i read "4-10 sq feet per bird", and then see posts where people say " I have X number birds " and list a coop size that figures well above "4-10 sq feet per bird" and invariably someone tells them their run is to small?

Can anyone shed light on this? I am completely cornfuzzed!

Rooster, you are right. 16x16 didn't sound as large as it is (I had to get out the calculator after your post to check) and I think maybe Chooks was thinking of it as smaller too. Maybe we both read 6x6....

Generally what they recommend is 4 sq feet in the coop plus an additional 10 sq feet in the run. In reality, I have never seen a run with 10 sq feet per bird that actually had anything green still growing in it, so I guess it depends on priorities. If safety is the primary consideration, they will have to be in a pen and since building secure pens is expensive, it will almost never end up being big enough to support both birds and vegetation at the same time. And if being able to forage for greens is the primary consideration then it will have to be so big that it can't also be completely secure. Everyone has to make their own decision based on their own circumstances.

 

[KNHKLUCKERS]

I'm also glad I found an active Kansas thread. I live in north Central KS. I currently am the proud owner of 92 chickens which consist of 10 different breeds. I am really beginning to love my buff orps. We are planning to butcher (for the first time) 12 ST Cornish. They are 5 weeks old and are getting so fat that they lay in front of the feeder and eat, sleep and poop without moving. Their so lazy that it's as if you can tell that it aggravates them to have to get up and waddle their chunky butts to get an occasional drink. Does anyone have any advice for a first time butcher? My wife and I are both nurses and avid outdoors enthusiast, neither blood nor a little poo concern us much. I have cleaned fish, deer, rabbits and really just about anything that one can hunt or trap in Kansas that is edible. I guess my concern is making sure that the plucking doesn't take forever and that we don't do anything to ruin all the $$$$ that I have spent on having farm raised fresh chicken. Everyone advised me to feed the medicated chick starter. I switched them Monday to a non medicated feed because I didn't know if they should be butchered and eaten with the antibiotic still in their system. Can anyone shed some light on this for me as well??? Thanks in advance for the support and advice!!!

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Came inside from chores to this! You can see how tiny the kittens are when compared to 3-day old chicks...So adorable and sweeeet!! This was about 30 minutes after they ate pretty decently for the first time... I hated to disturb them to take them out of the house brooder and back to the chicken tractor...

Those are some cute fuzzies...

We sound so alike! I also feed my dogs and cat a higher quality feed. I figure by doing that on a regular basis, I am possibly avoiding expensive vet visits down the road, if it keeps them healthy and prevents some of the illnesses they can get from poor nutrition. Like you, I spent quite a bit of time researching ingredients and brands, and what I've found is that you really have to look at the ingredients, because just spending the most you can on a bag of feed doesn't necessarily mean you are getting the best. Since I am not very good at retaining ALL of the dietary requirements in my head over a long period of time, I came up with a few simple rules for choosing a dog or cat food, so that even if I'm at a different store that doesn't sell their "regular" brand, I can still find something I'm happy with. Meat has to be the first ingredient, and I prefer that it be the first few. Some of the really cheap feeds, like Alpo, the first ingredient listed is usually corn, followed by several other grains and by the time you get to the middle of the list, there might be some reference to something resembling meat, though it will probably be a "by-product" - whatever that is. So as long as meat is the first and preferably the first 3 ingredients, its a good start. I also prefer that corn not be an ingredient at all, mainly because corn has very little nutritional value, except for the fiber. I have found several brands that won't break the bank but meet these simple requirements.

I have turkeys hatching and didn't set any tutors for them so started to get a little concerned about keeping them alive after hatch. Last night I was passing Atwoods, and decided to see if by chance they still had chicks and they did, through the end of May, they told me. So I picked up a couple of tutors and don't even know what breed they are. They were in a bin of assorted "heavies", though since it included BO's and Cochins, I think by that they just meant LF. I told the woman I like a good mystery so came away with two chicks neither of us could identify. It will be fun to see what they grow up to be. So far they have two tutees in with them, and a third just hatched an hour ago so is resting in the incubator. Other eggs are rocking. This is turning into a very slow, drawn-out hatch. They were due Sunday, the first hatched Monday afternoon, the second Tuesday morning and now the third this morning. The rest haven't even pipped yet. One of the turkeys developed spraddle leg and I asked DD to put a band-aid splint on, and she did a great job. By this morning it is standing and walking normally.

I agree on feeding dogs with good nutritiously balanced food, same with chickens. I didn't use to research dog food when I had my first dog, a miniature schnauzer. He died at 9 yrears of age... too young for a small breed dog. So when I had my first sheltie after the schnauzer, I researched a little bit and fed him better dog food. I continued to research further and realized that what I had considered good food really wasn't that good after all. It had mostly meal and corn and other stuff in it. Meat wasn't even on the first 5 ingredients! So I switch him to a grainless food which caused him severe diarrhea even though I mixed his old food and gradually switched him over. So even though grainless is what lots of expert touted as the way to go for our dogs, in my case, it just didn't work out and caused my dog to suffer GI problems. I then changed him to another dog food with meat listed on the top ingredients with brown rice. He is still on this food until now and he is 9.5 years old. My vet said he doesn't look more than 5 years of age and his blood work all came back awesome from his last visit (which was just over a month ago). I think our animals' health reflects what we feed them. I sure hope that by changing my dog to a better food (balanced and nutrition wise) that he is healthier, live longer, have better quality life and in turn save me some major vet bills. Agian, this is just my humble opinion. Sorry for the long novel... didn't mean to write a book on it.

Kuan

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Rooster, you are right. 16x16 didn't sound as large as it is (I had to get out the calculator after your post to check) and I think maybe Chooks was thinking of it as smaller too. Maybe we both read 6x6....

Generally what they recommend is 4 sq feet in the coop plus an additional 10 sq feet in the run. In reality, I have never seen a run with 10 sq feet per bird that actually had anything green still growing in it, so I guess it depends on priorities. If safety is the primary consideration, they will have to be in a pen and since building secure pens is expensive, it will almost never end up being big enough to support both birds and vegetation at the same time. And if being able to forage for greens is the primary consideration then it will have to be so big that it can't also be completely secure. Everyone has to make their own decision based on their own circumstances.

HeChicken, while we are on this subject, a friend of ours who lives 4.5 hrs East of Wichita owns tons of chicken (as in close to 100 if not more). Yet her coop is just the same size as mine - 10'x12'. She does let them free range during the day which is several acres. When I asked her if she has any chicken issues inside the coop, she said no because her chickens only come in to sleep at night and out all day. So is it true that chickens who free range all day and only go to the coop to sleep at night don't really need 4 sq. ft. each inside the coop? I'm just curious.

Kuan

 

[KNHKLUCKERS]

Sorry rookie mistake....see below...I haven't figured this all out yet....

 

[KNHKLUCKERS]

If you lived any where closer to NC KS I would definatly take you up on your offer. Any chance you would enjoy a little road trip with a rooster?? I have 11 California white and 7 brown leghorn pullets that are 5 weeks old and as for roosters I only have two, 2 week old Buff Orp roosters. I would like to be able to hatch out some chicks in the future.

 

[HEChicken]

HeChicken, while we are on this subject, a friend of ours who lives 4.5 hrs East of Wichita owns tons of chicken (as in close to 100 if not more). Yet her coop is just the same size as mine - 10'x12'. She does let them free range during the day which is several acres. When I asked her if she has any chicken issues inside the coop, she said no because her chickens only come in to sleep at night and out all day. So is it true that chickens who free range all day and only go to the coop to sleep at night don't really need 4 sq. ft. each inside the coop? I'm just curious.

Actually, I agree with this, as I also don't follow the 4 sq ft rule in the coop and haven't had any issues. My coop is 10x10 and over the winter housed 2 turkeys, 6 ducks, 2 Seramas (who don't need more than 1 sq ft), 8 bantams (about 2 sq ft apiece requirement) and about 30 LF hens. If you add it all up:

30 LF = 120 sq ft
8 bantams = 16 sq ft
2 Seramas = 2 sq ft
2 turkeys = ? I dunno - shall we say 5 apiece, so another 10 sq ft

So, I should need a minimum of about 150 sq ft but 100 not only didn't cause problems but didn't seem crowded. Some of that is the way I have my roosts:


The roost set up like this allowed everyone who wanted to be on the roost a place, with lots of room to spare. The silkies and most of the ducks sleep on the floor so that makes for additional space for everyone too.

During the day they have a really large yard to roam in, and when I am here in the afternoons, I open the gate and let them out to free-range several acres, so I think that is why it doesn't seem to matter that the coop is smaller than the recommendation. As your friend said, the only time they are all in it at the same time is at night, when they are all sleeping anyway. During the day they are in and out to eat and lay eggs but only a small fraction of the total flock is inside at any given time. The only other time size matters is in really inclement weather. We had a couple of large snow storms this winter that kept them coop-bound for several days at a time. I scatted corn for them in the straw and that kept them busy for awhile scratching through it to find the corn. If they were always cooped up like that I'm sure I'd start to see issues but when it is only for a few days and then they can get out again, they seem to just hunker down and wait it out and I didn't have any problems with them bickering, feather plucking etc - the kinds of things you usually see when they are bored. They did each have to go out at least once per day since I don't keep water in the coop so when they got thirsty they had to at least go far enough to eat some snow.

If you lived any where closer to NC KS I would definatly take you up on your offer. Any chance you would enjoy a little road trip with a rooster?? I have 11 California white and 7 brown leghorn pullets that are 5 weeks old and as for roosters I only have 2, 2 week old Buff Orp roosters. I would like to be able to hatch out some chicks in the future.

Regarding processing...before you pluck you want to dunk them in hot water. I usually shoot for a temperature of 150-170 - not hot enough to start cooking them, but hot enough to loosen the feathers. Usually about a minute is good - to test, tug on a wing feather and when it slides out easily, they're ready. After that the feathers come of in handfuls so it usually isn't too bad. The worst is the little pin feathers that you have to pick out one by one. Some birds just have more of those than others. If you are going to be doing large numbers on a regular basis, you may want to invest in a plucker. The real pluckers are pretty expensive but I recently purchased one that attaches to the end of a drill and it works pretty well and does save some time.

Are you sure they are straight cornish birds you have? The behavior you are describing where they sit around at the feeder and can barely walk sounds more like Cornish X which are a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Straight Cornish are usually pretty mobile and relatively normal acting birds.