"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[catdaddyfro]

OK I need HELP!!! For the first time EVER, in all my years I've kept chickens, I have an egg eater in my flock! I started finding shells last week - thought it was because they were all piling up in the same nest, cleaned everything out, put new straw in -- nope, I'm convinced now it's happening on purpose. I found 2 eggs broken this morning. I had gathered everything last night when I locked them up for the night. No predators can get in my coop. I'm feeding exactly the same things I've always fed. The only thing I can figure is boredom since they've stayed inside during the bad weather (their choice I might add, since I always open my coop in the morning). Anybody have any opinions or experience with this? I have to go research it...

Add to that, I let them out to free range yesterday and as I was walking back to the house, heard something rushing up behind me - it was that darn Welsummer roo on the attack - that's the first time he's ever tried that. He will be gator bait this coming weekend if not sooner.

At this point I'm about ready to get rid of the whole bunch & start over!

Any suggestions are appreciated! How am I going to figure out which hen is the culprit when I'm at work all day!

I have spells with that too and with the numbers I have it is very very hard to determine the culprit(s) I have found that by placing out more (than one) containers in different areas of the houses and runs of oyster shell this helps greatly but once in a while there will be a habitual offender that keeps on till she gets busted and shame oh shame I will isolate/solitary confinement for some time and it helps but usually they will start back up again. even if you are feeding laying mash(pellets/or crumble) always keep oyster shell(or other calcium) readily availible makes a big difference for sure here.

Jeff

 

[TerriLaChicks]

I have spells with that too and with the numbers I have it is very very hard to determine the culprit(s) I have found that by placing out more (than one) containers in different areas of the houses and runs of oyster shell this helps greatly but once in a while there will be a habitual offender that keeps on till she gets busted and shame oh shame I will isolate/solitary confinement for some time and it helps but usually they will start back up again. even if you are feeding laying mash(pellets/or crumble) always keep oyster shell(or other calcium) readily availible makes a big difference for sure here.

Jeff

I've always kept oyster shell out free choice - I'm going to move around the nest boxes and rearrange things and put some more oyster shell inside of the coop and some golf balls in the nest boxes. If I find out who the culprit is it's going to be off with their head! No use setting out a game cam because if it's one of the Wellies - they all look alike! so it wont' do me any good to catch them on tape.

 

[Ron Skekel]

My fiancé has
been begging me to get her a duckling so I went to our local feed store and got her one then as a bonus bought her a beautiful German Shepard named midnight

Well you have great taste in dogs.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Last few weeks a friend that works nearby has been dropping off a crate of goodies for the chicken. It's a crate of fresh squash, zucchini, eggplants, spent strawberries, 3-5 loaves of all organic whole grain breads that are at their due dates(I keep some and freeze it sometimes I get gluten free loaves ). Not one unnatural ingredient in any of it.
I froze a half dozen loaves of bread for the animals maybe and chopped up veggies and fed to the birds.

I know the veggies are fine, I feed left over from our own organic gardens. But the bread...eh. I did throw 3-4 pieces out and there was a battle so I know they like it. Lol is it safe? Not as a large portion of their diets, they love the FF bucket too much but regularly given is it ok? I have a lot of it because its a foodbank rotating their donations. Friend said they wanted it so they give it to him a day or two before it expires and he doesn't eat that healthy crap he says lol so I get a crate of the good stuff! I want to use this food. Not just compost it :/

Angel, I think I read that bread can impact their crop. Not sure how much is too much. But impacted crop scares me a lot. Can't just give meds. Someone else will need to post on this, but I'd hold the bread until they do.

 

[foreverlearning]

Quote:
Sometimes I have a girl that will lay a thinner shelled egg and when one of my other girls go in there to lay theirs, their weight tends to crack it open and they all eat it. Mine won't peck an egg unless it is already broken. If you are moving the nest boxes anyway then you might want to think about converting yours to a roll away one. All it takes is the box being at a little slant and attach a piece of wood inside on the low end so the eggs will roll under it and and away from the hens. Sounds like you have used most options, absent from a soup pot pinless peepers and roll away nest boxes are the only thing left I can think of.

 

[foreverlearning]

Last few weeks a friend that works nearby has been dropping off a crate of goodies for the chicken. It's a crate of fresh squash, zucchini, eggplants, spent strawberries, 3-5 loaves of all organic whole grain breads that are at their due dates(I keep some and freeze it sometimes I get gluten free loaves

). Not one unnatural ingredient in any of it.
I froze a half dozen loaves of bread for the animals maybe and chopped up veggies and fed to the birds.

I know the veggies are fine, I feed left over from our own organic gardens. But the bread...eh. I did throw 3-4 pieces out and there was a battle so I know they like it. Lol is it safe? Not as a large portion of their diets, they love the FF bucket too much but regularly given is it ok? I have a lot of it because its a foodbank rotating their donations. Friend said they wanted it so they give it to him a day or two before it expires and he doesn't eat that healthy crap he says lol so I get a crate of the good stuff! I want to use this food. Not just compost it

Great deal! I wouldn't give them bread often and when you do in small amounts only.

 

[Angelicisi]

Thanks, I knew my gut was saying hold off on the extra breads. Just not why

Angel, I think I read that bread can impact their crop. Not sure how much is too much. But impacted crop scares me a lot. Can't just give meds. Someone else will need to post on this, but I'd hold the bread until they do.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Last few weeks a friend that works nearby has been dropping off a crate of goodies for the chicken. It's a crate of fresh squash, zucchini, eggplants, spent strawberries, 3-5 loaves of all organic whole grain breads that are at their due dates(I keep some and freeze it sometimes I get gluten free loaves ). Not one unnatural ingredient in any of it. I froze a half dozen loaves of bread for the animals maybe and chopped up veggies and fed to the birds. I know the veggies are fine, I feed left over from our own organic gardens. But the bread...eh. I did throw 3-4 pieces out and there was a battle so I know they like it. Lol is it safe? Not as a large portion of their diets, they love the FF bucket too much but regularly given is it ok? I have a lot of it because its a foodbank rotating their donations. Friend said they wanted it so they give it to him a day or two before it expires and he doesn't eat that healthy crap he says lol so I get a crate of the good stuff! I want to use this food. Not just compost it :/

Great deal! I wouldn't give them bread often and when you do in small amounts only.

x2

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Ok. I have now pulled every dandelion in my yard for the girls. If they hear me outside they come begging at the gate. I have a lot of the weed pictured below. The leaves are soft and a little fuzzy. Can I feed these to the girls?

 

[Ron Skekel]

Last few weeks a friend that works nearby has been dropping off a crate of goodies for the chicken. It's a crate of fresh squash, zucchini, eggplants, spent strawberries, 3-5 loaves of all organic whole grain breads that are at their due dates(I keep some and freeze it sometimes I get gluten free loaves ). Not one unnatural ingredient in any of it.
I froze a half dozen loaves of bread for the animals maybe and chopped up veggies and fed to the birds.

I know the veggies are fine, I feed left over from our own organic gardens. But the bread...eh. I did throw 3-4 pieces out and there was a battle so I know they like it. Lol is it safe? Not as a large portion of their diets, they love the FF bucket too much but regularly given is it ok? I have a lot of it because its a foodbank rotating their donations. Friend said they wanted it so they give it to him a day or two before it expires and he doesn't eat that healthy crap he says lol so I get a crate of the good stuff! I want to use this food. Not just compost it :/

Just talked to forever about this.Primrose is right it can lead to impacted crop If they eat to big of piece. She said when you feed bread mix with seeds it will break it up to smaller pieces. Pam