Consolidated Kansas

[Dani4Hedgies]

Danz,
Thanks I have had quite a few other birds,before getting my chickens ans cuttlebone/cuttlefish were a requirement but I hadn't seen anything on it in my books or online look forward to picking your brain as I pick my chickens on Sat see ya then.

 

[sharol]

I normally use 2X4s for roosts. They seem plenty large for them and are comfortable. I have used some 2 X6s cause I had them in scrap but when I had mixed sizes the birds preferred the 2 X 4s. I was looking at some old time chicken houses and they used to make a large platform with 1 x 2 welded wire for the surface. The chickens roosted on the wire platform and all the poop went underneath. They would have a separate room or rooms with the nest boxes and the whole group would go to the roosting room to sleep. I imagine that probably kept the poop in one area a lot better. I don't round edges on roosts either. The commercial nest boxes have that fold up roost in front to prevent the birds from sleeping in them. Unless you just had one set of nest boxes though it seems that would be a lot of trouble to fold them up every night.
HEChicken I rarely get my vining plants out much earlier than that, but I have read a lot about the swarm which is obviously when they come out of the ground to do their damage. The trap plant might work if the growing season was long enough. If we have an early spring this year as it looks so far, then that might be an option. I would think you'd have to plant your trap plant outside of your garden and burn the whole thing including the earth below it for it to work.

On the advice of this forum and the getting started thread, I used 2x4's from the start and they work well for the very large English Orpington rooster as well as the tiny Araucana. Wide enough for feet but unless they roost sideways (which they do sometimes), the poo stays off the roost.

 

[HEChicken]

I would think you'd have to plant your trap plant outside of your garden and burn the whole thing including the earth below it for it to work.

I was thinking the same thing. I considered planting a trap plant elsewhere on my property, some distance from the veggie garden, to draw them away from it. Then remove/burn the trap plant and hopefully all the bugs with it. And THEN wait until mid-June to plant my real crop. Of course, that would only work for summer squash, since winter squash really need the whole season. I may still do that though - we'll see. Right now my garden plan is full so I don't know where I'd put them anyway but I do like to have fresh zucchini on hand at least.

Do chickens like cuttlebone?

The best calcium supplement I've found is to recycle their own egg shells. Every egg we eat, we keep the shells. I just put them on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and once they're dry, I crush them up and keep them in an old coffee can. When the can is full, down to the coop it goes, and I give them a few handfuls a day. Much better for them than oyster shell and they like it a lot more too. We lose some shells when I sell the eggs but many of my egg customers actually save the shells for me and give them back to me so I get a surprising amount back, even selling eggs.

 

[Trish44]

@chicken danz the chickens do actually go in the backyard & like digging under the cedar trees for bugs & worms. They pretty much go all over except to the other side of the hill, they do stay on the house side of the hill. There really isn't even a good place back there where I could plant anything. I may just have to plant some up where my old garden was & hope for the best I guess. I do have some of that orange plastic fence I was given so I may try fencing it off if there is enough. I really would like to have something like that for the birds to eat because they love it so much.

I use 2x4s for my roosts as well but not rounded off. They need the flat surface to sit on their feet & keep them warm in the winter. I have never used anything wider because like others said I think you would just end up with poop on the roost instead of below. I use the 2x4s even for the bigger birds, I just put them lower to the ground because the big Orps can't get up there otherwise & you have to worry about bumble foot.

I feed my egg shells back to my laying flock as well from the eggs we use. I used to bake them but since my surgery I haven't wanted to mess with it so I just let them dry out & crumble them. I take them out then after I get a batch & put them in their trough & they get them there. I do have some limestone I need to give my birds in the pens if I can remember to do it.

I candled my eggs in the first batch I had put in the incubator & only had about 50% out of 192 eggs that were developing. I pitched a bunch of eggs out to my cats & dogs & loaded another load in. My incubator is full now except for one dozen eggs I have coming for myself I saved room for so we'll see in another 9 or 10 days how this 2nd batch is going. I know which roosters aren't doing their job yet at least, I hope they get with it soon & some of the hens that aren't laying need to get busy too. I always feel kind of anxious when I have orders waiting to get things moving. It's totally out of my control though.

 

[chicken danz]

Well it was quite a busy day. First off though, when I went to the co-op to get my feed today I asked the boss if they had any lime that didn't have additives in it. He said yes we do. I told him I wanted some Calcium Carbonate to give to the chickens. He showed me what he had. It is 50 pound bags of food grade lime formulated for animal feed. The brand is CCL which stands for Carthage Crushed Lime. It is little pellets and perfect for what I want. On top of that it was only like $3.50 a 50 pound bag. You could mix this in their feed or feed separately. I wish I'd asked sooner. I bought 100 pounds of it. It is very concentrated so you get about the same size bag you would if you bought 50 pounds of grit. I am elated! And so so cheap. I certainly won't be wasting my money on oyster shell in the future. I would think any co-op that mills feed would have this on hand. He said most people use it for cattle.
I feed back egg shells to my birds as well. I do no special prep. I use the ones from hatching and just throw them in the pens. I have also fed back eggs that weren't fertile. As long as I break them they don't bother their eggs they lay. I never make it back to the building with eggs or egg shells though so I've depended on what I have around to supplement those girls.
There was moisture drawing into the feed mixer and they were having trouble getting my feed to come out the shoot. Instead of my normal 2000 pounds I only got 1820. The next customer in line was my brother in law and he was getting cattle feed. He'll be getting chicken feed with his corn for cattle. A lot better bargain for him for sure. Unfortunately that is going to put me driving back to the co-op for feed at least 2 days earlier next time.
I got out today and tilled some of the new area where I want to put the garden. I was trying to beat the rain. Then I went and loaded up some sand but there wasn't even enough to bother tilling in yet. We've had some sprinkles already and it's very cloudy. I am sure it will turn into a mud pit before I can get back out there and finish getting it ready for plants. I need to clean out my hen houses and add that to the soil as well. DH said someone he works with was coming for chicken poop this week. They'll have to wait. Most of mine goes to my Chinese friend who cleans my houses and loads it himself. I'm certainly not going to shovel for someone else and I need to get some for myself first.
I took a couple dozen duck eggs to town and sold them for hatching. I few more dozen chicken eggs sold for eating. I spent some time with my sister, and put some money in the bank.
Then when I got home I shoveled off my load of feed. I am toast at this point. I almost hope for a rainy day tomorrow so I can find some time to work on things in this awful house.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Well it was quite a busy day. First off though, when I went to the co-op to get my feed today I asked the boss if they had any lime that didn't have additives in it. He said yes we do. I told him I wanted some Calcium Carbonate to give to the chickens. He showed me what he had. It is 50 pound bags of food grade lime formulated for animal feed. The brand is CCL which stands for Carthage Crushed Lime. It is little pellets and perfect for what I want. On top of that it was only like $3.50 a 50 pound bag. You could mix this in their feed or feed separately. I wish I'd asked sooner. I bought 100 pounds of it. It is very concentrated so you get about the same size bag you would if you bought 50 pounds of grit. I am elated! And so so cheap. I certainly won't be wasting my money on oyster shell in the future. I would think any co-op that mills feed would have this on hand. He said most people use it for cattle.
I feed back egg shells to my birds as well. I do no special prep. I use the ones from hatching and just throw them in the pens. I have also fed back eggs that weren't fertile. As long as I break them they don't bother their eggs they lay. I never make it back to the building with eggs or egg shells though so I've depended on what I have around to supplement those girls.
There was moisture drawing into the feed mixer and they were having trouble getting my feed to come out the shoot. Instead of my normal 2000 pounds I only got 1820. The next customer in line was my brother in law and he was getting cattle feed. He'll be getting chicken feed with his corn for cattle. A lot better bargain for him for sure. Unfortunately that is going to put me driving back to the co-op for feed at least 2 days earlier next time.
I got out today and tilled some of the new area where I want to put the garden. I was trying to beat the rain. Then I went and loaded up some sand but there wasn't even enough to bother tilling in yet. We've had some sprinkles already and it's very cloudy. I am sure it will turn into a mud pit before I can get back out there and finish getting it ready for plants. I need to clean out my hen houses and add that to the soil as well. DH said someone he works with was coming for chicken poop this week. They'll have to wait. Most of mine goes to my Chinese friend who cleans my houses and loads it himself. I'm certainly not going to shovel for someone else and I need to get some for myself first.
I took a couple dozen duck eggs to town and sold them for hatching. I few more dozen chicken eggs sold for eating. I spent some time with my sister, and put some money in the bank.
Then when I got home I shoveled off my load of feed. I am toast at this point. I almost hope for a rainy day tomorrow so I can find some time to work on things in this awful house.

Thanks for teh tip on the co-op carrying calcium carbonate. I'm gonna have to call mine and see what they've got, as I'm almost out of oyster shell for my ducks/geese! I'm sure I'll need a bunch more as soon as my chickens get to laying age! Speaking of which, I've been about ready to bounce out of my chair today with excitement. I've been checking my e-mail every free second, trying to see if I've gotten the shipment notification for my birds yet. I finally got a notification at 4pm, but so far, no updates on WHEN it will be here. I'm seriously hoping for Wednesday, but our USPS is really slow, so I'm also planning for thursday. EEEK! Can't wait!

Final preparations are under way! My DH got the latches put on the doors today (so we don't have to put blocks of wood in front of them to keep them closed). He also finished the divider between the two halves (so I can put waterfowl and chickens in the same building without causing problems). Now, all I've got to do is get the brooders ready. Straw for any waterfowl and kiddi pool with cardboard around the outside and wood chips for bedding for the chicks. I also need to get food and water bowls ready and wait for the phone call!

 

[chicken danz]

Yay! If those chicks shipped today you should have them on Wednesday. It's overnight shipping but I'm sure like me you only get things in two days if they are over-nighted. Expect an early phone call to go pick them up at the post office. Hope your DH will be home that day so you don't have to wake up E. and get him ready to go to town with you. I'm so excited for you!!! I had some eggs due to hatch today and I've been so busy I haven't even looked in on the incubator today.
That reminds me of my customers that came Sunday. They had a little 4 year old boy. The older siblings were getting chickens to show for the fair. I said we needed to get him an older bird he could handle without endangering it. His Mom said, "Do you want your own chicken." He just started sobbing and shaking his head yes. I got him a young pullet and he was holding her like she was gold. I have a feeling even though he is young that is going to be one chicken that is carried around for life. Warms my heart to see a young child take so much value in an animal of any kind.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Yay! If those chicks shipped today you should have them on Wednesday. It's overnight shipping but I'm sure like me you only get things in two days if they are over-nighted. Expect an early phone call to go pick them up at the post office. Hope your DH will be home that day so you don't have to wake up E. and get him ready to go to town with you. I'm so excited for you!!! I had some eggs due to hatch today and I've been so busy I haven't even looked in on the incubator today.
That reminds me of my customers that came Sunday. They had a little 4 year old boy. The older siblings were getting chickens to show for the fair. I said we needed to get him an older bird he could handle without endangering it. His Mom said, "Do you want your own chicken." He just started sobbing and shaking his head yes. I got him a young pullet and he was holding her like she was gold. I have a feeling even though he is young that is going to be one chicken that is carried around for life. Warms my heart to see a young child take so much value in an animal of any kind.

I keep hoping they'll arrive on Wednesday, but the tracking says Thursday. I want to call the PO this morning and ask what time the truck comes in so I'll know what time to be up and ready by. I'll be keeping a close eye on tracking and probably taking the phone to bed, just in case they come in tomorrow morning.

that is such a sweet story about the 4-yr old boy and his new chicken! I bet they'll be best buds! I can only hope that E will treat our new chickens that nicely! I am really hoping that there will be a few that will be friendly so he can handle them.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Lizzy,
I can't remember where in KS you are at butwhen I ordered my chicks back in Nov After I got the text that they were at my local PO I found out that they had arrived at the KCMO distribution center at 7pm the night before which is like 15 mins from my house and I now know to contact that center so that I can get my chicks without them waiting until 6Am the next morning. I'm in Merriam/Mission area

 

[lizzyGSR]

Lizzy,
I can't remember where in KS you are at butwhen I ordered my chicks back in Nov After I got the text that they were at my local PO I found out that they had arrived at the KCMO distribution center at 7pm the night before which is like 15 mins from my house and I now know to contact that center so that I can get my chicks without them waiting until 6Am the next morning. I'm in Merriam/Mission area

Thanks for the tip, but the KCMO distribution center is like an 8 hour drive for me. I am in Northwest KS, not far from the CO border.