New to chicken raising

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chrissynemetz said:
Hi and welcome to BYC! Your birds are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing the photos! :)
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Thank you Chrissynemetz. I have seen some beautiful ones others have on here too and it makes me want more just for the appearance of how beautiful they look. I don’t think I could contain myself if I went to a chicken show. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
PearGirl said:
Hi @EvonRamirez and welcome to BYC! Your birds really are pretty. Chickens need light in order to lay, so in the winter you can add a light in the coop to keep them laying. Winter is also their time to rest from egg laying so i don't do that.
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Thank you Peargirl. Most of my flock have just started laying eggs recently. I have 25 hens and only 15 are laying right now. I got mostly brown and white only until a few days ago. I got a peach, blue and green added into the mixture. I got them all at the same time and we keep light in the coop so I will take that into consideration because I don’t want those ladies overworked (stressed). I heard bread helps them lay all year round, but I was just wondering if it was actually a thing or not. We live on a 33 acre farm so it’s also going to get down to about the teens in the winter. It has been about 24-32 here lately with some higher temps, but is it good to also use heat lamps during the winter to ensure they stay warm?
 
EvonRamirez said:
Thank you Peargirl. Most of my flock have just started laying eggs recently. I have 25 hens and only 15 are laying right now. I got mostly brown and white only until a few days ago. I got a peach, blue and green added into the mixture. I got them all at the same time and we keep light in the coop so I will take that into consideration because I don’t want those ladies overworked (stressed). I heard bread helps them lay all year round, but I was just wondering if it was actually a thing or not. We live on a 33 acre farm so it’s also going to get down to about the teens in the winter. It has been about 24-32 here lately with some higher temps, but is it good to also use heat lamps during the winter to ensure they stay warm?
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You won't likely need heat. You should have about a square foot of ventilation per bird. Keep the coop well ventilated and draft free and they'll be fine. When moisture accumulates in the coop is when they are at risk of frostbite. I've never heard of the bread thing, but bread is generally not a good choice for chickens. A well balanced feed is your best choice.
 
EvonRamirez said:
Thank you Peargirl. Most of my flock have just started laying eggs recently. I have 25 hens and only 15 are laying right now. I got mostly brown and white only until a few days ago. I got a peach, blue and green added into the mixture. I got them all at the same time and we keep light in the coop so I will take that into consideration because I don’t want those ladies overworked (stressed). I heard bread helps them lay all year round, but I was just wondering if it was actually a thing or not. We live on a 33 acre farm so it’s also going to get down to about the teens in the winter. It has been about 24-32 here lately with some higher temps, but is it good to also use heat lamps during the winter to ensure they stay warm?
Click to expand...
 
rjohns39 said:
You won't likely need heat. You should have about a square foot of ventilation per bird. Keep the coop well ventilated and draft free and they'll be fine. When moisture accumulates in the coop is when they are at risk of frostbite. I've never heard of the bread thing, but bread is generally not a good choice for chickens. A well balanced feed is your best choice.
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yeah I saw it on YouTube and wondered if it was a good idea or not for the winter only the lady said. Lol of course it didn’t say where she was living “ off the grid homestead”, but at least I can ask before doing it and get advice. They are like little children , they can’t actually tell you hey we need bread or oatmeal. I know I do research a lot of things when I am in doubt, but just was thinking maybe some may offer different ideas than Google or may have tried different things ( again I know climates in some areas are way better when warm all year round) lol.
 
EvonRamirez said:
yeah I saw it on YouTube and wondered if it was a good idea or not for the winter only the lady said. Lol of course it didn’t say where she was living “ off the grid homestead”, but at least I can ask before doing it and get advice. They are like little children , they can’t actually tell you hey we need bread or oatmeal. I know I do research a lot of things when I am in doubt, but just was thinking maybe some may offer different ideas than Google or may have tried different things ( again I know climates in some areas are way better when warm all year round) lol.
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And thank you John for the information. It is helpful to know that Google/ YouTube can be a bit of a database of overwhelming info that sometimes we just want a yes or no answer to and rest easier- simple and very helpful- No bread. I like some of the do’s and don’t s of things , but it is a lot of reading and information and follow up sites. By the end of the time you get the answer you are already 4 hours into numerous pages of do this and don’t do paragraphs and pages of confusing ideas or left wondering why can’t they make a simple 2 cell columned graph - one side yes and one side no. Lol
 

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