Eastern Tennessee Thread

[Contrastphoto]

See! Told you, Daph....

Guess that lady will be bothered tomorrow.

Or maybe Tuesday..... tomorrow is a holiday. Maybe if I vaccinated all of my birds first it would be extra safe?

 

[itsthelaw37801]

itsthelaw.... have I met you before? I cannot stop thinking I have seen you somewhere before. TSC in Athens? Sweetwater? It is haunting me... help me out.

I was at the poultry show Sunday. I'm new to TN (a year and a half) so I couldn't find Sweetwater and Athens, much less TSC. lol

 

[bairo]

@Amy

This information jives with what I have seen with my flock in the past. When I had 30 something chickens, I was hitting 50 lbs a week in feed (about 1.5 lbs per laying hen/per week) depending on how often they free range.
http://www.nutrenaworld.com/nutrena/knowledge-center/poultry/how-much-does-a-chicken-eat/index.jsp


On the mouse traps, it is hard to say where to set them without knowing your set up. My feed is in tubs in the front part of the shed that is closed off. So I set the traps up there so the birds can not get to them. There is usually some spilled grain up there and that is where the field mice come to usually. I am sure they are eating out of the feeder as well, but I can usually catch them up by the feed bins.

P.S. That light is amazing BTW. I have not tried really dark eggs yet, but on the Plymouth Rock eggs It makes them look like they are white. I candled last night and can see the blood pulsing through the arteries.

 

[bairo]

I'm in a discussion on grain feeding if anyone is interested and wants to skim through the posts

Terry...I was laughing at your post on oats because as you were posting it I was posting back and forth on this other thread. I like the info though. I have been reluctant to try it because I thought it would just be toooo much work. I may though this winter. I love what Daphne is doing with that salad bar design also...I am definately going to build a few of those beds in the spring for the run. It will be nice to see some green in the run again.

I am also going to whole grains in the spring. I think I have it worked out now so I can spend 20 per 50 lbs of mixed feed and avoid soy. With flock raiser up to near that now...even if it works out to be 25 per 50, I think I can do it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rocery-store-for-this-winter/120#post_9923640

 

[Talbott Poultry]

Stacy,

Thank you for the meal worm farm.

The beetle last night were very active.

I love the setup you made for me.

If the estimate of 30 eggs per day per beetle for 2 months are accurate,
Then I will have an AWESOME farm in just a few weeks.

Again THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

 

[itsthelaw37801]

I had some pretty good photos from the show. Love those silver girls.

 

[tnchickenut]

Stacy,

Thank you for the meal worm farm.

The beetle last night were very active.

I love the setup you made for me.

If the estimate of 30 eggs per day per beetle for 2 months are accurate,
Then I will have an AWESOME farm in just a few weeks.

Again THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

You are welcome. I have come to LIKE my mealworms. Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I think I just like the challenge of breeding them and getting the most. Kinda addicted... have to admit.

 

[tennesseeckn]

Contrast, I will definitely find out about testing. I wouldn't worry about vaccinating if you weren't planning on doing it already anyway. The vaccine needs a booster in 10 weeks and then it's only good for a year.

I really hope there's a test. I would do it right before selling. I don't think testing and then isolating would work because I could carry the virus between pens, even though I'm very careful.

Itsthelaw, I love my SLW. I think I'm going to mix in some hatchery stock to make them a little more fertile and hardy. Hopefully I'll have some pretty, useful birds here in a couple of years.

 

[Contrastphoto]

Thanks, just keep me posted. I totally understand if it isn't cost effective to do the testing. I just can't believe that I finally hatched my first splash pullet, only to loose my only blue male a few months later.

PS: I just had to share this. They finally have the Egg Skelter available for sale in the US. I have been wanting one since last year, and just got to order one finally.
www.mannapro.com has them. Use the code SAVE2 and save $2. Once I get mine I will update everyone on if it was worth it or not. Also please send good hatch vibes my way... I have my Cream Legbars set to hatch tomorrow along with a few others. I am down to 5 eggs from the orginal 12.

 

[tennesseeckn]

That stinks! I'm sorry you lost her. I'm only keeping one blue pullet out of this spring's hatch. I posted a picture of her on the English orp thread. The blue cockerel in the picture on this thread is the on who has feathered shanks. He's still not outgrown it, so I knew he wasn't a keeper from the get go. So, he never had a name. I just wanted to give him a happy, if short, life.

Colin is the splash cockerel and he is such a great guy. Super calm and nice to the girls. If I wouldn't have to get rid of Blue or Thor I would absolutely keep him. The test would have to be awfully expensive for me not to justify it.