Dominique Thread!

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Do you mean they abandon effort to hatch eggs?

Yeah it was once but after a day of doing it when she was 7 months old.......they 10 monthes right now.......I expect a few.

Older is better in my experience with broody hens. Will you be allowing free range rearing this early in year? I have to supplement forage a lot with such early hatches.

 

[BarredBuff]

Quote:
Yeah it was once but after a day of doing it when she was 7 months old.......they 10 monthes right now.......I expect a few.

Older is better in my experience with broody hens. Will you be allowing free range rearing this early in year? I have to supplement forage a lot with such early hatches.

If she broods and is commited for a few days they are all going to free range because I want my chickens SS and I have found there is a way to help that along is early foraging. But she will be hatching Buff Orps that I can get from my cousin......

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Older is better in my experience with broody hens. Will you be allowing free range rearing this early in year? I have to supplement forage a lot with such early hatches.

If she broods and is commited for a few days they are all going to free range because I want my chickens SS and I have found there is a way to help that along is early foraging. But she will be hatching Buff Orps that I can get from my cousin......

Going for quality versus quantity. With such early hatch, I supplement with mealworm treats. Begins socializing processs that makes them interactive with judges for show. It is also how I begin training process for later behavioral trials.

 

[BarredBuff]

Quote:
If she broods and is commited for a few days they are all going to free range because I want my chickens SS and I have found there is a way to help that along is early foraging. But she will be hatching Buff Orps that I can get from my cousin......

Going for quality versus quantity. With such early hatch, I supplement with mealworm treats. Begins socializing processs that makes them interactive with judges for show. It is also how I begin training process for later behavioral trials.

Mine will get worms from my bins hopefully. But Im just an Self Sufficent person Im not trying to be SQ. I culled a DOm hen today. She was small, has not layed and isnt hardy. While her 13 sisters were laying wonderfully and fairly large.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Going for quality versus quantity. With such early hatch, I supplement with mealworm treats. Begins socializing processs that makes them interactive with judges for show. It is also how I begin training process for later behavioral trials.

Mine will get worms from my bins hopefully. But Im just an Self Sufficent person Im not trying to be SQ. I culled a DOm hen today. She was small, has not layed and isnt hardy. While her 13 sisters were laying wonderfully and fairly large.

Do you now species of worms cultured? Some in my experience do not go over well as food, especially the pinkish ones that produce the white mucus when handled. Have you though about allowing hen with chicks access to the vermiculture beds? More than just worms there for eats.

 

[BarredBuff]

Quote:
Mine will get worms from my bins hopefully. But Im just an Self Sufficent person Im not trying to be SQ. I culled a DOm hen today. She was small, has not layed and isnt hardy. While her 13 sisters were laying wonderfully and fairly large.

Do you now species of worms cultured? Some in my experience do not go over well as food, especially the pinkish ones that produce the white mucus when handled. Have you though about allowing hen with chicks access to the vermiculture beds? More than just worms there for eats.

They have acess to supurb range so I doubt I will have to feed worms. My chickens get most of their food from range, I hardly ever have to feed them in the winter. Mine are super red worms from Uncle Jims Worm Farm........they are regular red worms that get big.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Do you now species of worms cultured? Some in my experience do not go over well as food, especially the pinkish ones that produce the white mucus when handled. Have you though about allowing hen with chicks access to the vermiculture beds? More than just worms there for eats.

They have acess to supurb range so I doubt I will have to feed worms. My chickens get most of their food from range, I hardly ever have to feed them in the winter. Mine are super red worms from Uncle Jims Worm Farm........they are regular red worms that get big.

Reads like you raise your birds like we use to raise games when I was a kid. Minimal input other than warm dry place to avoid weather. We still supplemented with hog feed otherwise hens with chicks would have to range too far resulting hens winter hatched being stressed. Some bitties would survive to weaning but number reduced relative to March and April hatched broods.

 

[BarredBuff]

Quote:
They have acess to supurb range so I doubt I will have to feed worms. My chickens get most of their food from range, I hardly ever have to feed them in the winter. Mine are super red worms from Uncle Jims Worm Farm........they are regular red worms that get big.

Reads like you raise your birds like we use to raise games when I was a kid. Minimal input other than warm dry place to avoid weather. We still supplemented with hog feed otherwise hens with chicks would have to range too far resulting hens winter hatched being stressed. Some bitties would survive to weaning but number reduced relative to March and April hatched broods.

No Im not that hardcore. That have an 8 by 8 house for the 21 of em. I dont put up with slackers. I make them a custom grain mix that is 16 percent protein, they get oat, wheat and alfalfa sprouts, and free range constantly. They are also laying supurbly Tuesday I got 12 eggs wednesday I got 11. Thats from 17 hens also. I just do mine for self reliance and I always have bedding in the coop.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Reads like you raise your birds like we use to raise games when I was a kid. Minimal input other than warm dry place to avoid weather. We still supplemented with hog feed otherwise hens with chicks would have to range too far resulting hens winter hatched being stressed. Some bitties would survive to weaning but number reduced relative to March and April hatched broods.

No Im not that hardcore. That have an 8 by 8 house for the 21 of em. I dont put up with slackers. I make them a custom grain mix that is 16 percent protein, they get oat, wheat and alfalfa sprouts, and free range constantly. They are also laying supurbly Tuesday I got 12 eggs wednesday I got 11. Thats from 17 hens also. I just do mine for self reliance and I always have bedding in the coop.

My broody hens will range further to get more protein rich feeds for chicks, otherwise only 2 or three chicks per hen seems to survive. I do not think 16% crude protein high enough for little guys. Can you cheat for bitties by supplying higher protein feed in a creep feeder like used for calves?

 

[BarredBuff]

Quote:
No Im not that hardcore. That have an 8 by 8 house for the 21 of em. I dont put up with slackers. I make them a custom grain mix that is 16 percent protein, they get oat, wheat and alfalfa sprouts, and free range constantly. They are also laying supurbly Tuesday I got 12 eggs wednesday I got 11. Thats from 17 hens also. I just do mine for self reliance and I always have bedding in the coop.

My broody hens will range further to get more protein rich feeds for chicks, otherwise only 2 or three chicks per hen seems to survive. I do not think 16% crude protein high enough for little guys. Can you cheat for bitties by supplying higher protein feed in a creep feeder like used for calves?

Yeah I will make it 20% percent protein IF I get a broody. I supplement alot to with scraps and such. I wont let them things die.