cattaillady
In the Brooder
- Jun 13, 2017
- 8
- 7
- 14
Hi-
I've got 7 layers (well, at the moment, 5 good layers and two slackers), eight layers on their way up, 5 turkeys, and 4 meat birds being grown to live in the freezer.
I'm interested in as natural an approach as possible with the understanding that keeping them in a human environment is not going to be 100% natural. My big girls are being kept in a mobile coop that gets moved once a day (not often enough in their opinion), while the middle set of future layers are about to go on foreign exchange across the street to be tick patrol for a while. The youngest- the meat birds- will be going into a big stationary coop to prep ground for the winter garden and take care of kitchen scraps. I really need to work out a more efficient way to handle the different ages/lives, but I'm working it out!
I got my first chickens last spring, and I feel like I've been building new housing for them about every six months, since I can't seem to get it right- but it is leaving me with back-up housing for all the chicken math that's going on!
One thing I'm struggling with is finding soy-free feed. I tracked down my soy-free layer (Green Mountain) at Longhorns, but I can't find soy-free grower anywhere. I raised a couple of turkeys on regular organic grower last year and they were delicious, but if I'm working this hard at having soy-free eggs, the meat really ought to match. I'm currently devouring the fodder thread and I started my first tray this morning, but it's going to need at least some supplementing. Any ideas for a balanced feed that doesn't cost an arm, a leg, and my first born?
Tons of great info on here- and I can't wait to start asking questions!
I've got 7 layers (well, at the moment, 5 good layers and two slackers), eight layers on their way up, 5 turkeys, and 4 meat birds being grown to live in the freezer.
I'm interested in as natural an approach as possible with the understanding that keeping them in a human environment is not going to be 100% natural. My big girls are being kept in a mobile coop that gets moved once a day (not often enough in their opinion), while the middle set of future layers are about to go on foreign exchange across the street to be tick patrol for a while. The youngest- the meat birds- will be going into a big stationary coop to prep ground for the winter garden and take care of kitchen scraps. I really need to work out a more efficient way to handle the different ages/lives, but I'm working it out!
I got my first chickens last spring, and I feel like I've been building new housing for them about every six months, since I can't seem to get it right- but it is leaving me with back-up housing for all the chicken math that's going on!
One thing I'm struggling with is finding soy-free feed. I tracked down my soy-free layer (Green Mountain) at Longhorns, but I can't find soy-free grower anywhere. I raised a couple of turkeys on regular organic grower last year and they were delicious, but if I'm working this hard at having soy-free eggs, the meat really ought to match. I'm currently devouring the fodder thread and I started my first tray this morning, but it's going to need at least some supplementing. Any ideas for a balanced feed that doesn't cost an arm, a leg, and my first born?
Tons of great info on here- and I can't wait to start asking questions!