North Carolina

[Hollowoakfarm]

So sorry about Sterling, Meg!

Thanks RF. He was such a sweet and handsome fella. I'm going to miss him.

 

[Cheryl1948]

I am so very sorry about your rooster. Every animal I own becomes part of the family, including my chickens. We do get attached don't we? I hear mine going crazy down at the coop right this minute with the "chicken song". I think another one has laid an egg. Got our first egg Dec.22 from the smallest Buff. Then Dec.23 one egg. She was making a nest in the shavings near the wall and laying there. On the 24th I found her laying in that "nest" and picked her up and put her in one of the nesting boxes. She laid her next egg there and now knows where to go! .........Just went down to the coop and no egg, but one of the Ameraucaunas is in a nesting box. Hoping for a Blue egg!!

Now that they are beginning to lay eggs my plan is this: I read on a BYC site that I can continue to feed the Purina Starter/Grower and place Oyster shell in a container for them. I got two rabbit feeders, secured them to the inside of the coop (an 8X16 ft cabin I painted and decorated for them). I put Chick grit in one rabbit feeder and Oyster shell in the other. Should I begin to add in some layer feed to their regular feed now or just continue what I am doing.? The egg we got Christmas Day was big and beautiful and had a double yoke! The shells are perfect. I feed them fresh veggies, fruit in plain yogurt, mealworms, crickets, turkey, ham, scratch. I feed all of this in moderation, so they will eat enough feed. Every day they get fresh water with organic apple cider vinegar with the Mother. All of them will let me hold them, except for Rhoda, my RIR. She is terrified of people.

I have several hobbies, but this one is definitely the most fun and interesting. A Blessed New Year to all, with healthy chickens and lots of eggs!

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

So very sorry about your roosters Hollow

and a special hug for the lose of Sterling

 

[Banriona]

I am so very sorry about your rooster. Every animal I own becomes part of the family, including my chickens. We do get attached don't we? I hear mine going crazy down at the coop right this minute with the "chicken song". I think another one has laid an egg. Got our first egg Dec.22 from the smallest Buff. Then Dec.23 one egg. She was making a nest in the shavings near the wall and laying there. On the 24th I found her laying in that "nest" and picked her up and put her in one of the nesting boxes. She laid her next egg there and now knows where to go! .........Just went down to the coop and no egg, but one of the Ameraucaunas is in a nesting box. Hoping for a Blue egg!!

Now that they are beginning to lay eggs my plan is this: I read on a BYC site that I can continue to feed the Purina Starter/Grower and place Oyster shell in a container for them. I got two rabbit feeders, secured them to the inside of the coop (an 8X16 ft cabin I painted and decorated for them). I put Chick grit in one rabbit feeder and Oyster shell in the other. Should I begin to add in some layer feed to their regular feed now or just continue what I am doing.? The egg we got Christmas Day was big and beautiful and had a double yoke! The shells are perfect. I feed them fresh veggies, fruit in plain yogurt, mealworms, crickets, turkey, ham, scratch. I feed all of this in moderation, so they will eat enough feed. Every day they get fresh water with organic apple cider vinegar with the Mother. All of them will let me hold them, except for Rhoda, my RIR. She is terrified of people.

I have several hobbies, but this one is definitely the most fun and interesting. A Blessed New Year to all, with healthy chickens and lots of eggs!

If they are laying age, you need bigger grit than chick grit. Other than that sounds like you're doing everything right. I'm no expert by a long shot though! Saw my 17wk old EE under my L. Brahma roo today. Looking forward to FINALLY getting eggs in the near future. Still have a while to go I think judging by her comb but getting excited for sure!!

 

[Cheryl1948]

Thanks Banriona. I read on a BYC thread that chick grit was good until they were about a yr old. However, the info I got today at Davis Feed was that since they have access to dirt and sand they don't even need the grit. But, it was ok to provide it if I want to. They also told me to go ahead and start them on Purina Layena and ditch the oyster shell because Layena has oyster shell in it. And, not to mix the feed, because they may receive too much of something and not enough of something else. So, there you go. Backyard chicken raising is a lot like beekeeping (which I also do). There are lots of opinions and lots of info out there, you kind of just have to weigh it all and make your own decision. We all want the best for our little friends! Thanks for the input.

Oh, I almost forgot. My Ameraucauna, Priscilla, gave us our first beautiful blue/green egg this afternoon. How amazing! The other eggs this week have been from our brown egg layers.

 

[jtbass2756]

I'm so so sorry ..I can't imagine how horrible that would be

 

[Tikkijane]

Arrrgggghhhh!!!!!

Something got after my roosters. One chocolate orp was in the yard, half of them were at the barn, and the rest in the front pasture sheep shed. One puff of chocolate feathers. One puff of splash feathers. And two big puffs of black and white feathers...and Sterling is dead. My gorgeous Silver Sussex. Whatever it was ate on neck and crop. Didn't go for breast meat like a hawk. Also got him under low branches, so unlikely to be a hawk, although not impossible. Sigh. Had to be during the morning. And it was in the pasture, so not where the dogs can go. I have no idea. He wasn't a small bird. Didn't weigh him, but DS guessed maybe as much as fifteen pounds.

He was my favorite of all my roosters. I'm bummed.

. So, so sorry.

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Thanks for the commiseration. Poor Sterling.

 

[The Howards]

@Hollowoakfarm Sorry for the loss.
Just a few weeks ago a small hawk swept down and got one of our pullets and she was under a tree. I heard it, ran outside, and managed to scare the thing into dropping her. Unfortunately it had broken her neck and she died. The worst part was that it was DH's favorite pullet. Little Rachel adopted him and decided that he belonged to her. She would escape out of her crate and head straight for him. Needless to say that he was very very upset, we had lost about an animal a month for the last 5-6 months (1 cat and the rest chickens).
So there is no telling, the predators have been voracious here lately.

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

It is possible, but the branches of that oak sweep nearly to the ground. And it doesn't explain the nearby feather puffs from two other birds, either. But I can't come up with any explanation that does!