"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[CackedNut]

I purchased 7 Orpington chick last week and am keeping them in a tote inside for the first couple of weeks, i lined the bottom with shavings, they are scratching and throwing the shavings into their water and feed, how can i prevent this? i do not lining the bottom with paper due to it getting soiled so quickly they also appear to prefer to scratch and peck spilled feed rather than eat out of the feeder? Help

You can raise your feeder and waterer and that will help with the shavings not getting in. I have used a brick and sat the feeder and water on the bricknto raisebit up. As far as the feed, you can make a mash for them (mix in water it have a consistency of mash potatoes, grits or oatmeal) or you can make and prepare fermented feed for them. There are several threads on BYC about fermented feed. It does help with waste. They can't scratch it out. Hope that helps.

What about sand? I love sand! I didn't discover it until my chicks were out and in a coop. Julie, any downside to using sand with little ones?

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Your memory is really really really bad. I'm not sure where you got that story from.

Oh oh. Maybe I should start watching those brain tv shows. Lol

 

[PrimroseMom1]

I purchased 7 Orpington chick last week and am keeping them in a tote inside for the first couple of weeks, i lined the bottom with shavings, they are scratching and throwing the shavings into their water and feed, how can i prevent this? i do not lining the bottom with paper due to it getting soiled so quickly they also appear to prefer to scratch and peck spilled feed rather than eat out of the feeder? Help

It happens, but it helps to raise their water on a brick or block of wood as long as they can get their beaks into the water. They also will start perching on top of the water and pooping in it. Take one of those paper cone shaped water cups or just make one out of paper and tape it to the top of the waterer with the point up. It will keep them off the waterer. Learned that from DIY thread. Chickens scratch. I even have my outdoor waterer on a block. I took the seed block off of this wood block. My waterer is now on this wood block and it stays a lot cleaner.

 

[Angelicisi]

Oh yes no worries there! You're top of the list

Hubby wants to start a frequent customer/incentive thing also and soon I'll figure somethin out. It's not huge but adds up and any previous purchase count too. I just gotta figure out a good deal that doesn't cost us too much either

We are getting another batch going shortly...this batch is Soooooo slowww in growing! We should be processing them in the next week or two and they look like they got another month. This batch came from our AG extension office order for 4-H, they were a great price and we ALMOST ordered 500 lol chickened out and did 50 . Close call!
The lady I called to complain about super slow growths explained these 4-H CX broilers are the slower growing variety so they can better plan/time conditioning for the shows. They will get to size and weights, just slower lol but they didn't tell us that in the beginning, sorta messed up our timing! So how do we fix that? MORE CHICKENS! Mwahahaha, seems we have some standing order customers now and we don't want to disappoint we only got to eat one lol doh.

My girl and daddy talking chicken n rabbit lol don't worry bunnies are locked up tight every Tuesday.

Makes me hungry!! I'm so lucky that Angel is around the corner from me. I'm anxiously awaiting the next bunch. I think I can eat faster than they can get processed. Lol. Angel, I'm on your permanent client list, right??? Please......

 

[kuntrygirl]

Your memory is really really really bad. I'm not sure where you got that story from.

  I'm sure Prim must have gotten you confused with someone else...you would NEVER buy 100 chicks!!! 

Who me? Oh never would I do such a thing.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I can't wait to dig in and cook one of those babies.

Makes me hungry!! I'm so lucky that Angel is around the corner from me. I'm anxiously awaiting the next bunch. I think I can eat faster than they can get processed. Lol. Angel, I'm on your permanent client list, right??? Please......

You should try raising your own. You could get 5 or so and see what happens. It would be a good experiment for you. Then you can have meat in your backyard.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Makes me hungry!! I'm so lucky that Angel is around the corner from me. I'm anxiously awaiting the next bunch. I think I can eat faster than they can get processed. Lol. Angel, I'm on your permanent client list, right??? Please......

Ohhh...great idea!!  I'm going to be doing semin runs through Baton Rouge for the next few months.  Maybe I can buy some from her on my way through!!!  Hmmmm....

You should try raising some of your own as well. I think everyone should at least try doing it at least once. If you don't like it, then you don't have to try it again. Small numbers of birds would be perfect. I'm glad that I took the plunge to experiment.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
I purchased 7 Orpington chick last week and am keeping them in a tote inside for the first couple of weeks, i lined the bottom with shavings, they are scratching and throwing the shavings into their water and feed, how can i prevent this? i do not lining the bottom with paper due to it getting soiled so quickly they also appear to prefer to scratch and peck spilled feed rather than eat out of the feeder? Help

You can raise your feeder and waterer and that will help with the shavings not getting in. I have used a brick and sat the feeder and water on the bricknto raisebit up. As far as the feed, you can make a mash for them (mix in water it have a consistency of mash potatoes, grits or oatmeal) or you can make and prepare fermented feed for them. There are several threads on BYC about fermented feed. It does help with waste. They can't scratch it out. Hope that helps.

What about sand?  I love sand!  I didn't discover it until my chicks were out and in a coop.  Julie, any downside to using sand with little ones?

Sand is great! No down side at all. I love love love love sand. I rate 5 out of 5 stars for sand.

 

[LindaB220]

sounds very exciting LindaB. Right now I don't have any chickens. I still need to design and build my coop and make an brooder. Right now I am in winter wonderland, Bellwood Il where we gotten over 6 inches of snow. I am taking care of my mom plus packing her house up. tp move her down to Shreveport.

RavenLynn, what a great idea. Wonderful to Mama close. I moved in with my daughter Aimee and her family a couple of years ago and love it. Not perfect, mind you, but we get along so well. Enjoy the snow while you can.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Wow! That looks like a hand full.

X 2!