I'm going to buy food for my mixed flock tomorrow or Monday, and I can't decide what to buy. I have 11 layers, 1 broody (not laying) 3 7 week old chicks, 1 rooster, and 3 2 week olds that will be joining the flock in the next couple of weeks.
Should I get Flock Raiser (18% protein) or chick starter (unmedicated) for the whole flock since they will be eating together. I got Flock Raiser last time, but it rang up as meat chicken feed, and I'm not sure if that is the right way to go. Of course they are getting oyster shell and their own eggshells on the side.
Sharol if it were me I would buy the flock raiser. It won't hurt them as it is formulated to raise all kinds of birds. It probably has a higher fat content but that won't hurt them in the long run. I assume that your girls get some kind of calcium supplement as well. Layer feed would give excess calcium which isn't good for the growing chicks. Chick starter would be great but it's an unnecessary expense especially since it is spring and the birds are getting excess protein from bugs and stuff.
I am so far behind I'll never get caught up. I went on a trip with my DH to pick up a farm truck in Nebraska. We were gone at total of 30 hours and spent most of that time on the road. I drove from 10am yesterday until 8Pm last night getting home and I am exhausted. The day before I let him drive but we made much better time because we could take the interstates etc.
I was following him in the feed truck on the way home which was slow going and it was raining almost non-stop. He had no working windshield wipers so that made it even worse. I am so road weary. This has been the longest time I have been away from home in probably the last 5 years other than to be in the hospital. I was so worried about my birds. I only had three casualties. One valuable chick and two others that had just hatched before I left. My incubators were full of chicks when I got back.
I had my first two guinea keets, a duck, and a ton of chicks to get put in brooders when I got home.
I was so worried about the chicks in the brooder house and trailer and the baby geese but they did really well. The birds in the brooder house were out of feed and water which didn't surprise me. That is where I lost the valuable chick, but the others seemed to be doing okay.
Of course the baby geese were ready for fresh water and feed but they were all okay.
I didn't have time to clean the brooder bin for the chicks last night before I put the babies in so I need to clean one up and get those new kids moved to cleaner quarters.
I sold 90 orpingtons to this guy in Nebraska who just happened to call the night before we left. It was a nice payday and helped me move some excess birds. I sold pretty cheap but I needed to move them and cut some of the feed bill so it worked out well. I still have tons more and hatched that whole new bunch while I was gone. I assure you listening to a group of chicks that large for at least 6 hours who were hungry and thirsty isn't something I want to repeat often. But they all arrived in perfect condition which I was really worried about. I think he wants to buy some other birds from me and wants me to ship them the next time. He was interested in turkey poults. He is wanting them for eating. It really seems a shame to sell girls to someone who wants eating birds but I don't have any way of sexing poults.
Unforetunately family matters and another dental appointment is going to keep me busy the next several days as well. I think by mid week I will probably just collapse.
