Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

Can you link me to any studies youve bookmarked about sunlight being important to hatching eggs? I wonder if full spectrum lighting would boost my incubation hatch rates

I'll try to dig out some other studies when I fixed the hard drive they are on.
Meanwhile....
This study was the springboard for further studies on all aspects of incubation. It was a bit of a shocker given the prevailing attitudes annd practices in the incubation and hatcheries industries.
Bear in mind that getting chicks to hatch is far from the end of the story. There are other studies that suggest that hatching conditions effect the long term physical and mental health of the chicken. Mention mental health problems to the industry, and the backyard keepers and they generally roll about laughing. Sad but true.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1516-635X2016000600001&script=sci_arttext
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0093691X87900458

 

[ValerieJ]

Give them some meat!

What kind of meat? I have been joking about the cockerels getting so ornery I might just stay out of their pen and toss red meat over the fence. I'm kidding. I wouldn't do that. I spend more time in there now, just so they learn they cannot challenge me.

 

[Shadrach]

What kind of meat? I have been joking about the cockerels getting so ornery I might just stay out of their pen and toss red meat over the fence. I'm kidding. I wouldn't do that. I spend more time in there now, just so they learn they cannot challenge me.

Bits of human if the cut isn't too fatty.
I give the monsters here meat at least twice a week. It's usually cooked wild boar.
You may find fish is easier. Tinned sardines cooked works here but make sure you drain the oil or brine before cooking.

 

[ValerieJ]

Bits of human if the cut isn't too fatty.
I give the monsters here meat at least twice a week. It's usually cooked wild boar.
You may find fish is easier. Tinned sardines cooked works here but make sure you drain the oil or brine before cooking.

I think I'll skip the meat and give them some berries. I have some in the freezer I could pull out. I don't cook for the dog or cats...not likely I'll be cooking for the chickens.

 

[Ribh]

What kind of meat? I have been joking about the cockerels getting so ornery I might just stay out of their pen and toss red meat over the fence. I'm kidding. I wouldn't do that. I spend more time in there now, just so they learn they cannot challenge me.

Salmon or tuna straight from the tin works here. My girls love it ~ but it is a very very special treat because I loath & abhor all seafood.

 

[RoyalChick]

Bits of human if the cut isn't too fatty.
I give the monsters here meat at least twice a week. It's usually cooked wild boar.
You may find fish is easier. Tinned sardines cooked works here but make sure you drain the oil or brine before cooking.

My work had left over steak stew sort of thing from a group lunch that had been left out all day and they were about to throw it away and I grabbed it all for my Princesses and cats. I can tell you chickens devour steak faster than cats! My conclusion from this experience is never to fall down in the chicken run because it wouldn't take them long to pick my bones clean!

 

[Shadrach]

My work had left over steak stew sort of thing from a group lunch that had been left out all day and they were about to throw it away and I grabbed it all for my Princesses and cats. I can tell you chickens devour steak faster than cats! My conclusion from this experience is never to fall down in the chicken run because it wouldn't take them long to pick my bones clean!

Yup, they love a bit of meat or fish. It's very good for them too. Meal worms are okayish but they have a very high fat content.

 

[RoyalChick]

There is nothing out there right now at all. Supplementary food is key. I love the sprouts idea. Where do you get your seeds?

I have been using 'hard red wheat' - which is readily available on line and in health food stores. I might experiment with other kind of sprouts because the hard red wheat is a tad bland to my taste (the chickens seem to like it). Maybe I will try mustard and cress which goes well with eggs in sandwiches which feels satisfying somehow. The key is to get seeds for sprouting for human consumption because the ones that are for sowing in the garden are often coated with chemicals to preserve them and I don't know how the chickens will handle that.

 

[ValerieJ]

Salmon or tuna straight from the tin works here. My girls love it ~ but it is a very very special treat because I loath & abhor all seafood.

I have some canned tuna that will probably never get eaten by us. Perhaps I can give them some of that. I'm especially worried about the cockerels because they are upset right now and I don't think they are eating enough. They are pacing and crowing all day. It's only been a couple days, and I think they will calm down, but if they don't I'll have to move them out of site of the girls for a while.

 

[ValerieJ]

My work had left over steak stew sort of thing from a group lunch that had been left out all day and they were about to throw it away and I grabbed it all for my Princesses and cats. I can tell you chickens devour steak faster than cats! My conclusion from this experience is never to fall down in the chicken run because it wouldn't take them long to pick my bones clean!

I have actually tried to make a nice fish soup for my cat who is getting old and sometime prefers the Purina broths to any sort of food. His tummy has gotten very finicky. Anyway, like every other attempt to share real foods with my cats, he wouldn't eat it. I should put that out for the chickens.