Michigan

[1muttsfan]

My hens know they get a little handful of scratch grain or a few slices of bread in the coop at bedtime, and they fight to get in the door first, even my crazy wild easter egger hen - nothing works like bribery

 

[chickflick]

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Thanks Sam. You enjoying this weather?? I'm loving it!

 

[CricketYang]

Keyt, we got our ISAs at the same time and place. Mine seem to go in and roost at night just fine. They are sweet animals, very sociable. They don't seem to mind as well as the other birds, I attribute that to their age. Surprisingly, they all haven't started to lay yet! Only three out of the five are daily layers, the other two barely have pink in their combs. I like them a lot, I guess bc they're excellent layers and I sell my eggs very quickly, they're pretty much sold before they're laid. lol

Yes, to each their own.

SN: My freedom rangers are coming tomorrow!

 

[CricketYang]

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My girls free range all day, get a handful of scratch or so when I'm out there but get their feed at night, so they know they have to be inside or they get jipped lol. The ducks even do that too. They wait outside their door at night, I go out there and open it and they all go in there single file, straight for the food! Ever since someone suggested that I feed them at night, their eggs have been gorgeous! The eggshells are thick and not porous at all. very nice.

 

[keyt1969]

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I agree, they are sociable and great layers. All of mine lay but only in the last couple of months.

Speaking of eggs, a guy in a Hager Fox Heating and Cooling van stopped and said he wanted to try duck eggs. Not only that buy he handed me 29 empty and clean egg cartons. He said his brother has chickens but he never gets up to where he lives (didn't say where) so he wanted to know if I wanted them! Heck yeah! In fact, about an hour before that I was washing eggs and told Aric we needed to get more cartons! Great timing!!



This morning Aric found an ad for some Egyptian Geese. I had never seen nor heard of them before. Then today on the way back from the store we drove past the park by the high school and guess what's there...

I spent a half hour taking pics of it. We just went there to take pics of the baby geese and saw that. It must have been someone's pet that got away. Now I want one!!!

 

[CricketYang]

Looks like a vampire goose. lol

 

[RIRJen]

Someone has got to be missing that pretty goose!!!
Keyt, I'm going to try to stop by this week to get those eggs.

 

[keyt1969]

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I know! It's so small, about the size of my mallards. I want one SO bad! I told Aric if I wasn't afraid of getting caught I'd snatch that one up! It didn't seem scared or anything

I got the eggs all fixed up and ready to go. Would it be easier if I brought them to you? That's no problem just tell me when!

 

[Ferrret]

I'm feeling a bit like a dunce for not thinking about this earlier.

What's the best way to trim a chickens toe nails?
I picked up our ameraucana Curly, named for her curled outer toes, and was looking her over. I noticed that her outer toe nails are very long and kinda sharp, and it took me a moment to realize why. Because of the curl in her toes, she doesn't use them for scratching or anything, so they don't get worn down. Her other nails are just fine and the longer ones aren't quite so long that they will hurt her, yet.
BF was saying to use regular nail clippers but I don't think they are strong enough and I know that animal claws can be damaged pretty badly with regular human clippers. He also suggested, if I could get her to remain calm, to use a file or dremel to sand them down.

What can you guys suggest for chicken nail trimming?

It's not something I had even thought I would have to do, so I have no idea.

 

[Olive Hill]

Ferret -- Small dog nail clippers should work fine -- or "small animal" nail clippers. Even larger ones will work. But human nail clippers can be used if you don't have dog clippers. The toenail sized ones should do a fine job, I've even used them on the mini-schnauzer in a pinch. The claw is a nail, just like our fingernails, there is nothing there to damage unless you clip too short -- but that has nothing to do with the tool you use or how sharp it is.

Rose -- The nice thing about pea gravel is they'll use it for grit, too. Just plan on replacing it every so often as they use it up. Less than stellar sand, with lots of small rocks, can be used in sandboxes and within a summer a flock of 20-30 chickens will clean the rocks right out of it, too.

We've had ISAs and always adored them. If it weren't for the "Heritage Breed" marketing we do for the farm I'd have them exclusively for layers. Not going in at night is a homing issue, not specific to the breed. The reason it often seems one breed is exhibiting a certain trait -- like not going in at night -- in a mixed flock is because, as the old saying goes, 'birds of a feather flock together'. Someone in the group never homed right to the coop and the others tag along because that's their sub-flock within the flock. I've come to despise my Brahmas because of their behavior, but it's not because they're Brahmas, it's because they have been conditioned to act as they do and they do it as a breed wide thing within my flock because they stick together. That said, it doesn't mean I won't be ridding myself of all of them as soon as I have an extra couple of minutes to make sausage.