Hello from Indiana

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BadWolf73

BadWolf73

Chirping
6 Years
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
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2
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Hi first post. We have 17 free range birds, multiple varieties including silkies, road island red, australorp, white leg horns. Starting in March 2016. We have 2 coops. Birds are great although they like to roam across the road (bad chickens) and we have one little girl who's currently sick. Trying to nurse her back to health.

We have 4 kids at home ranging fro 3 to 15 and they love the birds.

Hope to chat with you all soon!
 
Hi and welcome to BYC :frow We're so happy that you've joined us:ya A well balanced grower, all flock or layer combined with free range should be good. Limit your treats to no more than 10% of diet.
 
BadWolf73 said:
I did have a question, does any supplement their free range chicks feed with vitamins or anything?
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We use crushed Oyster Shells to add calcium. We toss a handful into their food esp. for our layers. It helps keep their eggshells harder. Also, If they haven't you may want to buy a round of the medicated layer feed. It's just purine or a generic feed with a dewormed added. That's about all the extras that we do. Except treats like corn on the cob, lettuce and cheerios ;-)
 
Welcome to BYC, BadWolf73 from another Hoosier. Lots of good information and people here. You might want to check out the Indiana thread to communicate with locals.

BadWolf73 said:
I did have a question, does any supplement their free range chicks feed with vitamins or anything?
Click to expand...
I recommend asking questions under appropriate subforums (click Forums above) to get the most/best information.
 
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G’Day from down under BadWolf73 :frow Welcome!

Personally, I do not supplement with vitamins. I too provide oyster shell for calcium but leave it separate [not in their food] in the coop so that they can have some if/when they feel they need it.

I do use ACV [Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother] in their drinking water for the following reasons:
* It apparently maintains a good pH balance in their digestive system and makes it a little uncomfortable for worms to live in. So while not an actual wormer, it can be a deterrent.
* It can act as an antiseptic killing bacteria in their throat and is reported to keep bacteria out of their water. I know it is recommended to people with sinus issues also.
* Some think it increases egg production but I can't comment on that because I only have bantams who spend more time broody than they do laying

However, the benefits/detriments [or lack of] to using ACV has been and will probably continue to be a discussion on which there will never be an agreement and it really boils down to personal choice.

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also Find Your State Thread and pop in and say hello.

Personally, I have found the Topic of the Week articles a great resource and a one stop shop for questions which may have already been discussed within the BYC membership group.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out ;)
 

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