Got Chicken?

[Doyle]

Hello my name is Doyle, I started raising chickens about 5 months ago, some are younger. I just started feeding them scratch and adding a little oyster shell. I havn't been round chickens since I was a kid back in the late 40s. Back then the chickens fend for them selves except for what table scraps they got which wasn't much. I was at a friends house for a BBQ and he had chickens. I kind of made the remark I ought to get me a few chickens and the next thing I knew, a few days later he brought me 4 white Leghorn chicks. I raised them for a couple of months and told another friend about getting some more chickens. I'll be darned if he didn't pull out some money and said get me some while you are at it. I had them ordered that evening and they showed up less than 2 weeks later. That give me a total of 28 chickens. I only wanted about a dozen. Anyway my friend got sick and changed his mind about chickens, so I gave 10 away. I have 18 now and not knowing for sure if I need to add anything to the scratch. It's supposed to have everything in it, and I don't know if I need to slowly switch feeds or what. Thats why I joined this group so I can get some answers. Any information you can share with me to help me out would be appreciated.

Doyle Price
Ford City, Ca.

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

I give my young hens grower pellets and some scratch in the mornings as a treat (along with whatever chicken safe table scraps we have - nothing too salty!). As they are near laying age and one of them started laying this week, I also offer them oystershell on the side. If your hens are nearly 5 months old you can start feeding them layer mash/pellets. It will give them all the nutrients they need for body maintenance and to get the eggs going (which'll be around the time they reach 20 weeks of age). Oystershell is a great calcium supplement.

Leghorns are fantastic egg layers! What other breeds have you got?

 

[Doyle]

Just white Leghorns. I got them the eggs and as hot as it gets in the summer months here.
I'm located on the west side of the Southern end of the San Joaquin Vally. Thanks for answering.

 

[redsoxs]

Hello from Kansas, Doyle, and

! Great to have you in our community! As sumi stated, I feed different feeds depending on the age of the bird and what they are destined to become (layers or dinner). Good luck to you!!

 

[Kevin565]

 

[Sk8inChick(en)]

I wish you luck with your birds! If your girls are Leghorns, they are sure to repay you for taking care of them.

As for the food, I started mixing my chicks' starter 50/50 with layer feed at about 18 wks, and did that until we ran out of starter feed.
Our birds get supplemented with some vegetable scraps (no potato peelings or avocado), and they also get stale bread once in a while. They love the bread, but could take or leave the vegetables. Some people give them cooked eggs (not raw), and some even give cooked chicken.

I personally wouldn't do the latter, but that is just me.

Have fun with your flock!

 

[weimarmama]

& from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[liz9910]

from Modesto!

 

[Doyle]

Hi you all, Doyle here, in my first post I introduced my self and I have 18 white leghorn and most of them just started laying. But some of my eggs are bloody. Its been kind of cold here in the 20 to 30 degree range. That coupled with being young hens just stared laying could be the problem. There tails look a little baren, no feathers and a few look a little bloody. I'm even thinking about cutting back on there feed. I feed them scraps and vegies from around town given to me by some of the stores and Cafes and scratch. I don't know if I'm kind of forcing them to lay to soon or what. any information again would be helpful. Thank you,
Doyle Price
[email protected]

 

[sourland]

Early eggs are frequently blood tinged - the 'equipment' has to stretch to handle the production.