Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

I know your feeds are quite different down there… so many more options, can you find a non-vegetarian feed? That’s what I do to avoid excessive amounts of soy. I have to be more careful about the goats and cows trying to get into it, because of the animal proteins in it, but I far prefer the smell and texture over the locally available vegetarian ones.

I cheated on Tuesday m and didn’t pick up my usual brand, I got the vegetarian one… just to get me through until Monday, because I didn’t want to stress my mom out with yet another stop in town and figured the chickens wouldn’t really mind. Well the free Rangers on the shorter rations didn’t seem to mind much, but the two tractors I fed the vegetarian feed had mixed reactions. Barney’s girls tossed most of it out of the feeder and ate about half. Mr Marans ladies were far less impressed. They tossed it out of the feeders completely and hardly touched it. The tractor chickens get unlimited pellets because they have more limited access to forage. It could be a very long weekend…

I will look into this. Do you have a picture of a label off your feed with animal protein? I’m not sure what to look for.

I think I will go back to non-soy and let their little bodies adjust to the sesame meal.

 

[micstrachan]

Quick update: my little wet peep didn't make it. I suppose the other chicks were bullying him/her and was at the bottom of the chick pecking order.

Awww… so sorry.

 

[featherhead007]

It’s Friday

 

[RoyalChick]

I Wonder......

This hen slept on these eggs last night.
View attachment 3054479

She sure has bed-hair!

 

[RoyalChick]

I'm so sorry. I was afraid I would see a post like this. I was guessing it fell in the water because it was unwell. I fear that losing one that young is not uncommon.

Very sad. I was wondering exactly this - did it die because it got wet (it was under heat so it can't surely have got cold)? Or did it fall in the water because it was unwell or weak? Somehow the second seems more likely to me, but what do I know?!
So glad the others are looking good and healthy.

 

[featherhead007]

When I bought the chicks to add to my tribe, I also had six, but one died the next day. I asked the feed store why this might have happened, and the owner said “sometimes it just happens. I’m sorry”
So, I love the remaining five all that much more. I have a portable Rock garden (moves from one place to another all day)

 

[featherhead007]

When I bought the chicks to add to my tribe, I also had six, but one died the next day. I asked the feed store why this might have happened, and the owner said “sometimes it just happens. I’m sorry”
So, I love the remaining five all that much more. I have a portable Rock garden (moves from one place to another all day)

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Quick update: my little wet peep didn't make it. I suppose the other chicks were bullying him/her and was at the bottom of the chick pecking order.

I'm sorry you lost you little one. Please do not blame yourself, sometimes in the first few days you will loose some for no rhyme or reason. My cousin who hatched her first chicks from my eggs went through this heartbreak as well recently. She had 8 hatch and sadly in the first 2 days lost 5 of them. When she picked up her 2nd batch of hatching eggs she told me she knew now why when I hatch chicks I like to keep them for the first few days before I offer any for sale. The 3 that survived are thriving though and growing like weeks.

 

[fuentemoon]

Some of the papers suggest that animal products rather than soy would be healthier for chickens - so fish meal for example.
Apparently that is what used to be in chicken food, but then with mad cow disease animal products were taken out of feed for cattle and sheep and chicken food was sort of a by-product of that process so it got taken out of chicken feed too even though that is not required.
It left me wondering how to get more meat into their feed - either by feeding them meat and fish (which I do a bit already) and/or by sourcing fish meal. Haven't looked into that yet.

I have switched to Grublies feed, it is black solider fly larve based. It is expensive but I only have 3 hens and they free range all day. I go through about 1 cup of food a day.

 

[Ponypoor]

Quick update: my little wet peep didn't make it. I suppose the other chicks were bullying him/her and was at the bottom of the chick pecking order.

That's sad, chicks can be just as bad as the big ones, it always surprises me that the chickens can be so mean!