Pam, my 8 RIRs are 17 weeks old. And thanks! I'm no chicken judge, but given the brightness of their eyes, the sheen on their feathers and their almost constant activity, I believe my girls are really healthy. I had read that the heritage RIRs don't lay as quickly, and possibly as much as the production line, but on the average they are healthier and live longer. While we are really looking forward to some fresh eggs, they are my pets and a source of entertainment too - thus I hope they stick around as long as possible. Part of my entertainment is watching the different personalities, habits and behaviors develop. But, they resemble each other so much, I'm gonna have to put on leg bands to help me identify who is who.
While the girls seem to have been doing fine on a common brand of chicken feed that our local farm store stocks, the store recently started carrying a brand that is a non-soy, non-GMO grower. That's a nice feature, but I'm more focused on the fact that it is 22% protein as compared to 18% in the more common brand. While I'm an old biology teacher, I've not documented this, but it appears that they are requiring less feed as I slowly switch to it. That helps, because this new brand is more expensive. Or again, unscientifically speaking, maybe they are just learning how to forage better. They have a large and varied area to do so.
And the new biddies look great!! I really would enjoy watching one of my girls leading around her babies...maybe sometime. But, to more immediate tasks for the near future. For example, there's one small opening in my coop that an owl might be able to sneak through. And my son-in-law heard one last night in a large tree that is very near their pen. Also, I'm continuing to plant the fall garden, now that we have finally had a break in the rains.
So, out to the self-appointed daily chores. Will be back later.
You should already have 17 week olds on layer pellets, it is cheaper than grower in most places, and is formulated to assist your birds development of the egg production equipment, has the right amount of calcium, protien, as their nutritional needs change just before they start laying, i change mine at 16 weeks and i am getting 23 egg daily average from 25 hens, from 17 to 26 weeks old.
So I released the peeps to range yesterday after the attack. The 1st attack was 50 ,5 day old peeps in raised brooder no lid (but still had 50, 2 weeks old chicks on ground below all safe never touched). 2nd attack was after we moved brooder in coop-covered with wire lid. Found greasy dark fur in vent of brooder. So we fed the predator the chicks in a lunch box basically
We patched hole, released all the 7 day olds from brooder to range with the 2 week olds, a week earlier than we usually do but went out last night and baited a rat trap- rat trap is gone. Yup...dunno how or where but it was a nasty snap trap we don't really like but I was mad....all chicks are alive! I searched hard for the trap, its pretty powerful, I hope it got it for good.
Thanks about the chicks it really is fun hatching your own. Yea! if it was a rat it got what it deserved!! I would have been mad too!!! Keep setting them just in case you have more than one. Pam
Pam, my 8 RIRs are 17 weeks old. And thanks! I'm no chicken judge, but given the brightness of their eyes, the sheen on their feathers and their almost constant activity, I believe my girls are really healthy. I had read that the heritage RIRs don't lay as quickly, and possibly as much as the production line, but on the average they are healthier and live longer. While we are really looking forward to some fresh eggs, they are my pets and a source of entertainment too - thus I hope they stick around as long as possible. Part of my entertainment is watching the different personalities, habits and behaviors develop. But, they resemble each other so much, I'm gonna have to put on leg bands to help me identify who is who.
While the girls seem to have been doing fine on a common brand of chicken feed that our local farm store stocks, the store recently started carrying a brand that is a non-soy, non-GMO grower. That's a nice feature, but I'm more focused on the fact that it is 22% protein as compared to 18% in the more common brand. While I'm an old biology teacher, I've not documented this, but it appears that they are requiring less feed as I slowly switch to it. That helps, because this new brand is more expensive. Or again, unscientifically speaking, maybe they are just learning how to forage better. They have a large and varied area to do so.
And the new biddies look great!! I really would enjoy watching one of my girls leading around her babies...maybe sometime. But, to more immediate tasks for the near future. For example, there's one small opening in my coop that an owl might be able to sneak through. And my son-in-law heard one last night in a large tree that is very near their pen. Also, I'm continuing to plant the fall garden, now that we have finally had a break in the rains.
So, out to the self-appointed daily chores. Will be back later.
Its funny your observations. Today I let my younger Legbars out to meet the rest of the flock. Plus I am evaluating the three roosters to decide which I will keep for breeding. I feed organic soy free,corn free feed. Their are studies that the estrogen in soy is present in the eggs of chickens that feed on soy. The older legbars were 3 1/2 months when I got them the younger were 5 days old. The older hens are on the small side and still growing. I was suprised at how much bigger the younger ones are at their age compared to the older one's at the same age. They are almost as big as the older ones. I was wondering if it was from being feed whole grains from day 6 till now. The others I assume were feed regular food till I got them. I think my feed last longer they are free ranged, well the older ones. I'm just letting the younger ones start so I think it my be the feed. Most of my breeds are heritage breeds and are laying machines. Some not quite as many but they lay for more years so I think in the long run it's close to the same amount.
It took me 2 years to get to this point of hatching my own and just starting to breed. I've learned a lot from the people on this site. And I love to read and resurch. I've had great happiness and some sorrow along the way.I wouldn't trade anything for the people on this site we've had so many laughs and fun they are great. Pam
I had a bakers dozen. Two hatched but I had that span of time when the bator was unpluged by my dog. I don't know how long it was off i think that is why my hatch was so low. They are legbar x with Easter egger. I wanted to get a hatch under my belt befor I start my pure breeds. Plos I think i'll still get blue to green eggs.I was curious if the auto sexing would be passed on.My hatch is too small to tell tho.
What a drag it is, being stuck at the heliport trying get back offshore and the whole northern gulf is being pumaled with rain storms, got to stay till 3 to get paid for day, will be after 6 getting home, then leave out again at 1 am to be back for tomorrow, l can leave now and loose 8 hrs pay but be home around 1, decisions/decisions
What a drag it is, being stuck at the heliport trying get back offshore and the whole northern gulf is being pumaled with rain storms, got to stay till 3 to get paid for day, will be after 6 getting home, then leave out again at 1 am to be back for tomorrow, l can leave now and loose 8 hrs pay but be home around 1, decisions/decisions
That's awful. Where do you fly out? I need to get the rest of the sand in my run if we're going to get rain.
I sold six birds at the auction Friday night, leaving me with five. They were towards to end and a lot of people had already left; it was already pretty small to begin with, because a new auction started in Sulphur and I guess most people went there. All of ours did really well and got great prices. The auctioneer commented on how nice they looked, which made me feel good. The flip side of all that is everything went too high, so we came home without anything new. I spent yesterday moping around and looking for new birds on all the sites, but no luck. I don't think my girls are sad, but they spent the whole day underneath a big gardenia. They didn't even come talk to me when I went out for visits. I think they don't feel as safe with their depleted numbers; the few times they wandered in the yard they just ran around with their necks out and darted from tree to bush.
Now my plan is to finish up my yard, build a good hospital, and maybe a brooder. Then I'm going to sit on my hands and wait til spring, because it's been a lifelong dream of mine to buy chicks at a feed store.
I forgot to say that a live trap did come up at the auction, but Husband couldn't bid because I had the number. I was making a final pass on the birds. It went for $7.50, which kills me. so I'll have to keep looking.
You should already have 17 week olds on layer pellets, it is cheaper than grower in most places, and is formulated to assist your birds development of the egg production equipment, has the right amount of calcium, protien, as their nutritional needs change just before they start laying, i change mine at 16 weeks and i am getting 23 egg daily average from 25 hens, from 17 to 26 weeks old.
Thanks topdog. I love and very much appreciate the advice and shared experiences available here on BackYard Chickens. And many times what is offered just cannot be found in academic references. However, being an old bookworm, and now Internetworm, I do try to follow research based advice, when available. Almost every university-sourced reference regarding the feeding of chickens layer pellets before they start laying advises against such. (Links to just a few of these references are below.) The concern is that they will be consuming more calcium than their bodies can utilize. Some sources state that one consequence can be kidney damage. While I'm sure that my 17 week olds will soon be near the time at which they will start laying, I plan on waiting till that first egg appears before starting them on layer feed.
Some non-academic sources state that anecdotal observations of the comb and waddles show that they will be fully developed and turn red when chickens are ready to lay. If that is true, then my girls still have a ways to go. But, I'd rather depend on the age factor, which most sources (academic and otherwise) state will be from 20 weeks on.
