Montana

[CJW]

Quote:
I did read some of the articles, but I got side tracked reading the Eating Wild Montana one. I almost kicked myself for staying up so late!

 

[SkyWarrior]

Quote:
I did read some of the articles, but I got side tracked reading the Eating Wild Montana one. I almost kicked myself for staying up so late!

Glad I can still keep people up to 3 am with my writing.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

I need another incubator! I'm looking for a cabinet style incubator; it doesn't have to be perfect as my husband is an electrician and can fix just about anything, but it does need to be quality made in the first place. I'm hoping to spend about $200.00 dollars, but would really like to talk to anyone with any good quality cabinet style incubator that they are ready to sell. I'm in Hamilton but am willing to drive a significant distance for a good deal. Please PM me if you've got an incubator you want to sell. Thanks! Megan.

 

[grateful]

Looking for a little montana help. I have had chickens for 2 years and am on my "2nd batch" so I have two generations going for a total of 34 chickens. We went from 24+ eggs a day to maybe 5. It started with the molt which I understand can slow them down quite a bit, but the production has not been increasing. We have had colder weather here in Bozeman lately, but the heat lamps are cranked and the chickens are nice and warm. The lights have been put on a timer to increase the amount of light they get as well. Any ideas on what the problem could be ? Looking forward to buying some local chicks next spring!
Travis

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
What breed (breeds) are your hens?

 

[grateful]

EE,partridge rocks, bramas, buff orps!

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Sweet flock there, grateful. With lights and good care, I think everyone of those breeds should be able to produce some eggs this winter. It's always good to start off by examining your chickens for condition; take each individual bird and feel them over for general weight issues. An overweight bird will not lay as well and certainly an underweight bird will not either. Now is an excellent time to make sure that your feeding technique is working for your flock and that they are in prime condition for the cold winter months, when their egg making will be regarded by their bodies as a secondary goal to staying warm and healthy. Then, look them over for any sign of creepy crawlies. Flip their behinds up and move the feathers away from their vent and watch for any mites scattering away from the light. Mites and lice sap the hens energy also and can cause a drop in egg production.
Are they just coming out of their molt? They may benefit from an increase of protein in their diet for a little while as they try to vamp everything back up and get their egg laying strength renewed. I like to toss high protein cat food out to the girls periodically as they are going through their molt. But this is just a short term boost to their diet, I guess long term it can cause trouble. Remember, if you find that they are not in the condition that they should be in and decide to try a different food, introduce it gradually! I have had to learn this lesson the hard way (more than once. I know, duh..).
THat's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure there's more good advice coming your way!

 

[grateful]

Thanks. I will do some inspecting tonight.
Travis

 

[sharon53]

Hi from Helena. It's 30 degrees here, with below zero temps expected this weekend.
Does everyone keep their coops heated? Ours isn't,

 

[SkyWarrior]

My egg production dropped precipitously with the EEs. There's no mites and no worms (wormed them about a month ago). They just aren't laying. I suspect it's the light, although I do have light in the barn too. It may be the cold. It's darn annoying.

OTOH, my BRs, RIRs and BSL attacked the golden sex links (my best layers) and killed one.

The other one is recovering in a crate.