Greetings from NC!

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Well you never know, one might surprise you and start laying early. ;)
Definitely worth the wait, though! You will have eggs before Christmas! :)
 
That will be a good enough Christmas present for sure. How are your little chicks doing? Did you hatch some or are they still in the incubator?

My next project is to get the coop all the way finished and get them moved out to the full size coop and run. They get little trips outside and they are wanting more and more so, back to construction.
 
One other question, where do you get your feed, so far Town & Country has been the best price. Of course they're not eating a whole lot right now, but expect that to change as they grow. I can't let them fully free range as I'm sure we would loose some to predators. I've trapped 3 Raccoons and 2 possums already in just the last two weeks. I want to get an electric fence netting, but that is pricy so need to wait until I get some spare cash. Anyway, just wondered if you knew of any other sources around town. Thanks.
 
Yes I did hatch the chickies! I put 15 in the incubator, one was not viable, 13 hatched unassisted and one needed help but ended up not making it after about 10 days, poor thing. His feet and head were a little deformed.
I actually sold over half of them to Town and Country the other day and kept my 5 favorite. I have some hens brooding some guinea eggs for me due to hatch this Wednesday and I accidentally won some Ameraucana eggs on eBay (dangerous game) which arrived today so I think I'll be getting the incubator out again for them.
I've had some issues with random deaths from store bought chicks this year, but it's probably nothing to really worry about.

So far as feed goes, I used to buy all my feed at Town and Country but now mix my chicken feed myself from various seeds, rice and shredded coconut. I also give them a small amount of ground beef, egg yolk, or canned seafood every day to make sure the protein levels are sufficient. I also provide sprouted wheat and rye free ch
 
Free choice* with the feed I mix.

Accidentally pushed send!

You could check Tractor Supply where the old Walmart was for better feed prices but honestly I think it is close to the same.
I do get my pine shavings and pellet bedding at Tractor Dupply along with black oil sunflower seeds and diatomaceous earth.

They may have decent prices on the fencing but also check Town and Country and Craigslist before buying.

Another option is to invest in a guardian dog like a Great Pyrenees if you have the patience for puppy training. :)
A Great Pyrenees is a good investment in my opinion because he's always on guard and if the electricity goes out, he's still there.
Guinea fowl might also be a good option at least for predators from above as they sound an alarm when they see danger or something unusual or out of place.

I've got a neighbor Great Pyrenees that I am sure is to thank for so far never losing a chicken to predators. We have a lot of black vultures around that are known for going after the occasional live animal so that's where the guineas will fit into my flock.
 
Sounds like you've got a good plan going on all fronts. I think once the chicks are a bit I older I will supplement with a lot of food choices and access to the compost pile and yard. They should have lots to choose from. Coconut was one thing I haven't thought of but is a good natural oil source so that makes sense.

Good luck on you new eggs, sounds like you may need more land soon.
 
Good idea with the compost pile and ranging the yard! It's amazing what grass and bugs does for an egg. :)

Yeah, apparently coconut is a pretty traditional food for them in a lot of countries and besides being super healthy, it's cheap at the Asian market so worth it to me. :)
Healthy fats are brain and organ food! Very important for growing. :)

More land has definitely been on my mind.
There's a field adjoining us that I could rent or possibly buy, fence in with six foot fencing and turn into a free range pasture but I have a feeling that's a project for next year. ;)
 
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Some of my chicks pigging out on the sprouted wheat and rye. :)
 
Looks like they are loving it. What do you use for sprouting? I have a multi-layer kitchen sprouted, but can't find it since the move. Do you feed it as soon as it sprouts, or after it grows a few days?

I couldn't agree with you more on the free ranging for good tasting eggs. Just a few high protein bugs make such a difference. My girls' favorite treat so far is crickets. They go nuts eating them up. I found some garden worms, but they were much less enthusiastic.
 
I use pint mason jars with screen mesh over the top cut to the size of the lid. They sprout quickly so I try to feed them once they've germinated so those tiny beaks can eat them, but if they get too big I just feed them to my adult chickens and they don't complain!

I am sometimes surprised at how picky young chickens are! Haha
 

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