Dirt is great for new chicks it keeps them form getting pasty butt.
That's good to know since they seem to want to make a diet out of it! That and roots. They weren't too crazy about the button mushroom I gave them...a couple of them gave it a side stare and quick attack peck before putting distance between them and the MONSTER MUSHROOM.
An odd thing I've noticed and was wondering what other more experienced chicken owners think of it. The first time our chicks were offered a worm (from our garden) they got all excited and played a game of worm football before finally eating it. Well, we went down to the store and purchased some red wigglers. They were a bit less enthusiastic but have eaten a few of them but mostly when offered one, they give them the side stare. I don't understand. Does it make sense to anyone else?
Edit: Rather than make another post, I'm just adding to this one...
Having read through the entire thread at this point I wanted to add some of my plans since I didn't see anyone mention them specifically. I am also starting to raise meat rabbits and am going to try setting up a vermicomposting system under the rabbit cages. If it works, I should have a steady supply of worms and other bugs to feed to the hens. I figure once I have that system going, I can toss a shovel or two of vermicomposted rabbit manure into the chicken tractor for the hens to work through to get the worms and bugs and spread the manure for me.
Son wants to try his hand at raising mealworms so I'll let him give it a go. The compost worms seem like an easier bet but it doesn't hurt to also have mealworms.
I will be growing a lot of vegetables and herbs and in a few years my fruit plantings will begin to produce. The hens will get gleanings from those crops. Also, last year we discovered that about a dozen neighbors with pear trees did not want to bother harvesting the fruit. We gathered as much as we could process. This year, we will gather more because we can give the excess to the hens. I am going to be seeding the "lawn" with more clover and timothy and "weeds' for both the rabbits and the hens. I will also be planting some BOSS, quinoa, millet, and amaranth -- we'll see how much we actually get out of that.
We have several hunters who will give us portions of their venison but last year was not a good season for hunters. Hopefully, this year will be better but generally what venison we get we or the dogs eat. The girls might get a scrap or two...we'll see. I want to see if I can locate either a fishmonger or a fishing boat that will save their scraps for me.
In the thread, there was a discussion about cost effectiveness of raising chickens. Part of my hope is to integrate the various elements of my micro-homestead in such a way that each element contributes to the other elements and helps reduce the cost of each element. Still, over the short term it might be cheaper to go down to the store or farmers market and buy eggs. But, I believe that it won't always be possible and WTSHTF I want to be set and able to feed my family healthy food produced right here on my land. The other thing is -- buy raising my own, I know how it was raised, how it was treated, and how it died. I know what chemicals were or were not used. It's worth the effort and expense to know those things.
