"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[Angelicisi]

Everyone does things a lil bit different to suit their specific needs or dilemmas. Never be afraid to ask! Sometimes the simplest fix can prevent bigger issues. I'm still learning myself but the great part is the chooks are very forgiving as we have changed their living arrangements quite often even if the 1st try isn't to your liking...they'll still love you

For one coop we dug out the grass to lay a base because it was built on a hill but had to be level.

For another coop we left the grass in and used fall leaves as litter, they love it. But we will be raking it all out to bare ground and adding about 4 inches of sand (2 yards we use to fill it).

 

[Mcm6583]

I have a roost in my coop, but all three hens like to lay in the pine shavings. By morning my lavender orpington is brown with poop! I had to give her a mini bath( which she enjoyed . Anyone have any suggestions? They are 8 and 11 weeks old. Is this a behavior that will change?

 

[Angelicisi]

I agree with Topdog, just help her out and use a high quality supplement for a week and let her catch up on milk production.

Does anyone know of anything  to help a dog with milk production? We have one nursing a good bit of puppies and I'm not sure she is able to keep up.

 

[Angelicisi]

Oh my goodness they don't make a smiley that can explain how much my tummy wants this

 

[Angelicisi]

Maybe give them a tub of dry dirt/sand/wood ash out from under the roost. Maybe they're trying to dig a hole? I have basketball size hole randomly around because a chicken found a cool spot and dug in through grass to get to the dirt lol

I have a roost in my coop, but all three hens like to lay in the pine shavings. By morning my lavender orpington is brown with poop! I had to give her a mini bath( which she enjoyed . Anyone have any suggestions? They are 8 and 11 weeks old. Is this a behavior that will change?

 

[PSJ]

I have a roost in my coop, but all three hens like to lay in the pine shavings. By morning my lavender orpington is brown with poop! I had to give her a mini bath( which she enjoyed

. Anyone have any suggestions? They are 8 and 11 weeks old. Is this a behavior that will change?

So they are sleeping on the ground and not the roosts? Is that the problem?
If so, you may need to place them on the roosts at night so they get the idea. It may take several nights of this

 

[PSJ]

The best thing to do is to get some suppliment milk and bottle feed the pups once a day, this will help her keep up, or go to vet online.com and ask the question there, good luck

thanks. Im not sure how well that will work with the work schedule.. the bf is a fireman and works 24 hr shifts

 

[PSJ]

thanks. Im not sure how well that will work with the work schedule.. the bf is a fireman and works 24 hr shifts

I guess some relief for her is better than none tho.

 

[kuntrygirl]

So I'm getting 6 Royal Palm poults in the mail with an order of 6 RIRs around Wednesday/Thursday, and I'm nervous. :/  I've heard turkeys are much more delicate than chicks, and I don't want to lose any. Anyone have any advice? I was planning on putting them in my outdoor brooder with the chicks. The brooder is wooden, with mesh sides and a wooden door, and the back is pushed against the corner of my house on a wall. The floor is divided in three, with two sides made of wood and the center of mesh. There is a heat lamp to one side, and I can put a blanket over the other side that is towards the corner to block any breezes. Typically, all the chicks brooded in it even from day one, don't get chilled during the day. Only on cool nights, and a blanket over the sir normally solves the problem. Will the turkeys need anything more than that? What kind of special treatment do they need? I know they need a higher protein feed, and I'm scratching my head on how to give it to only them and not the chicks.

Kuntrygirl has turkies and has raised from eggs. She can probably answer any questions you might have b

I have created a thread and have tried to include everything a person would need to know about poults/turkeys when started off new. Please take a few minutes to read. If you still have questions, please let me know and we can talk turkey.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/787208/turkeys-101-new-to-turkeys-what-do-i-need-to-know

 

[forgetful]

I have created a thread and have tried to include everything a person would need to know about poults/turkeys when started off new. Please take a few minutes to read. If you still have questions, please let me know and we can talk turkey.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/787208/turkeys-101-new-to-turkeys-what-do-i-need-to-know

Thank you so much for the link! It was very informative. You said you wouldn't recommend anything lower than a 20% feed for my poults, and that 30% is optimal. I have a 24% chick starter, and was wondering if I fed mainly that, and gave the poults boiled egg twice a day, if the protein boost would be high enough to merit the twice daily hand feeding. Also, I buy crickets for a pet lizard of mine that I also give to my chicks as treats. Do the store bought crickets also carry diseases? I don't want to compromise the poults immune systems. Thank you in advance!