NY chicken lover!!!!

[pharmchickrnmom]

Hello all,

I just wanted to take a moment to say hello from Dutchess County, NY. I am a total newbie, and was happy to see so many posts on the New York Thread! Hope you all don't mind a newbie in the group, who asks a few silly questions from time to time. I have a small flock of 10 girls who will be 10 days old tomorrow. Loving watching them and learning as I go along, hope you are all well.

MB

Welcome to the addiction! All newbies will be indoctrinated into the enabaling system and will eventually succumb to morehens disease! What breeds do you have? I am across the river from you in ulster county. Howdy neighbor!

Hen--all I plan on doing is some crushing of the acorns. If I wanted to do all the soaking, I would be doing it for MY consumption!

Rancher--sorry to hear your roo is giving you a hard time. Dh has a cockeral correction tool (a piece of narrow wood trim) that works amazingly well on the boys. One grabbed me the other day and I was quick to use it on him right back. He ran squawking to the coop and has given me a wide birth since then. Interestingly, Mr. Big (the self appointed top roo) has been the least of my worries. He is respectful and when he does try to drop a wing, I just stare back at him, drop my "wing" and move forward to him, bawking in a low voice. He thinks about it for a few seconds and then moves away. The other idiots havent learned yet. Freezer camp soon!

Cass--I have found that too many treats can cause a reduction in eggs. Discovered that by accident this past winter. Try cutting back to maybe one day a week. Worming might help as well. I noticed my hens have put on weight since I wormed them, although this weather has them not laying so well. At least I hope its the weather. At a little over 2 years old, one never knows.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Welcome to the addiction! All newbies will be indoctrinated into the enabaling system and will eventually succumb to morehens disease! What breeds do you have? I am across the river from you in ulster county. Howdy neighbor!

Hen--all I plan on doing is some crushing of the acorns. If I wanted to do all the soaking, I would be doing it for MY consumption!

Rancher--sorry to hear your roo is giving you a hard time. Dh has a cockeral correction tool (a piece of narrow wood trim) that works amazingly well on the boys. One grabbed me the other day and I was quick to use it on him right back. He ran squawking to the coop and has given me a wide birth since then. Interestingly, Mr. Big (the self appointed top roo) has been the least of my worries. He is respectful and when he does try to drop a wing, I just stare back at him, drop my "wing" and move forward to him, bawking in a low voice. He thinks about it for a few seconds and then moves away. The other idiots havent learned yet. Freezer camp soon!

Cass--I have found that too many treats can cause a reduction in eggs. Discovered that by accident this past winter. Try cutting back to maybe one day a week. Worming might help as well. I noticed my hens have put on weight since I wormed them, although this weather has them not laying so well. At least I hope its the weather. At a little over 2 years old, one never knows.

If just crushing the acorns works let me know. I could do that. I would not have time to remove shells crush, soak, remove water, soak etc. But if just crushing, it might be worth saving on feed.

 

[stonykill]

I found the missing egg. It was buried in the nest box. It was an early quitter, soooo, nothing lost there. (Or did it quit cuz it wasn't warm enough, being buried and all?)

Stony, when do Sumantras start laying? These girls are16 weeks. I want EGGS!!! Bunch of slackers down there in the coop. I only found 5 eggs today and 3 of them were from the bantams.

Now my chicken sitter didn't give them anything but layer feed and got 10 eggs a day. I wonder if all my "extra lovin' " is the problem? LOL Maybe I should lay off the treats. But they love them sooo much. And they are healthy treats. Fruit, cooked eggs, rice leftovers....not one piece of candy ....I didn't worm this spring and they eat a LOT of earthworms and pill bugs, so that is on my "to do" list for Sunday. Then I 'll see if they start laying again. I mean, really, 5 eggs from 20 potential layers? That's nuts. (No signs of egg eating unless they are cleaning it up really really well).

my 100% free range girls start laying at around 15 to 16 weeks. Penned Sumatra's closer to 20/22 somewhere in there. I'm waiting on Sumatra/mutt hens. In a pen, 19 weeks old. I'm ready for them to start laying.

I have never wormed, ever. Never had to. No one, and I mean no one on the Old timer thread worms. I notice seemingly everyone on this thread worms. Even you and I have worms inside us right now. Fact of life. All living things live with a healthy balance of worms inside them.

 

[rancher hicks]

Hello all,

I just wanted to take a moment to say hello from Dutchess County, NY. I am a total newbie, and was happy to see so many posts on the New York Thread! Hope you all don't mind a newbie in the group, who asks a few silly questions from time to time. I have a small flock of 10 girls who will be 10 days old tomorrow. Loving watching them and learning as I go along, hope you are all well.

MB

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

Welcome to my presence. I know you're gonna love being owned by chickens. If you treat them right they'll at least keep you fed with eggs.

 

[JayLyn07]

Morning all! Well yesterday was a bittersweet and sad day! I rehomed my 2 ducks to a almost like petting zoo where they will be with many other ducks and geese they seemed happy when I left but it was hard for my 3 year old daughter. Also yesterday one of my 10 week old polish girls was found dead in the broader home that I have for them pecked clear of feathers off her back. Was fine in the am when feed but pm not so much. Any thoughts? Also do I have to be worried about the others that where in with her that picked at her going canniable? All help would be great thanks guys!

 

[rancher hicks]

Welcome to the addiction! All newbies will be indoctrinated into the enabaling system and will eventually succumb to morehens disease! What breeds do you have? I am across the river from you in ulster county. Howdy neighbor!

Hen--all I plan on doing is some crushing of the acorns. If I wanted to do all the soaking, I would be doing it for MY consumption!

Rancher--sorry to hear your roo is giving you a hard time. Dh has a cockeral correction tool (a piece of narrow wood trim) that works amazingly well on the boys. One grabbed me the other day and I was quick to use it on him right back. He ran squawking to the coop and has given me a wide birth since then. Interestingly, Mr. Big (the self appointed top roo) has been the least of my worries. He is respectful and when he does try to drop a wing, I just stare back at him, drop my "wing" and move forward to him, bawking in a low voice. He thinks about it for a few seconds and then moves away. The other idiots havent learned yet. Freezer camp soon!

Cass--I have found that too many treats can cause a reduction in eggs. Discovered that by accident this past winter. Try cutting back to maybe one day a week. Worming might help as well. I noticed my hens have put on weight since I wormed them, although this weather has them not laying so well. At least I hope its the weather. At a little over 2 years old, one never knows.

First about the rooster. I have swatted that sucker so many times and chased him around the yard, I swear you think I would have knocked some sense into him by now. I'm telling you I'm gonna take him to church next Sunday and baptize the hell outta him! I'll hold him under til he repents or drowns! If that don't work I'll take him to the Catholic church and have him exercized or what ever you call it. I don't want to git rid of him till I hatch a few roosters and raise 'em up to see if one of them is sanctified.


As for treats, I noticed when I give my girls to much bread they start laying eggs with funny shells, so I've all but stopped with the bread. My BR's have not laid well for some time and I searched the woods looking for eggs but found none. I lightened up on the scratch cuz perhaps they aren't eating enough layer. I got two eggs yesterday from 10 hens. That just won't do. I fear I may have upset them chasing that Devil roo around the yard with a tree branch.

Pharm I hope you're doing well.

Stoney it is just to wet here even with the drought to not worm. There are snails and worms and parasite carrying slugs.

Not enough pics on this thread.

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning all! Well yesterday was a bittersweet and sad day! I rehomed my 2 ducks to a almost like petting zoo where they will be with many other ducks and geese they seemed happy when I left but it was hard for my 3 year old daughter. Also yesterday one of my 10 week old polish girls was found dead in the broader home that I have for them pecked clear of feathers off her back. Was fine in the am when feed but pm not so much. Any thoughts? Also do I have to be worried about the others that where in with her that picked at her going canniable? All help would be great thanks guys!

Do you mean brooder? How old? Was she the only Polish? All the same age? Perhaps too crowded? I moved a RIR last night cuz she was getting beat up on. Put her in with the Dels. Roosters much nicer and hens not so bossy. She's the only one I have and it's a bit crowded, so I have to get up early and let everyone out. Waiting to move the CR's out of there. Have a coop it's just occupied by chicks.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Is this a thread of all New Yorkers? I'm in Canandaigua... anyone near me?

 

[stonykill]

First about the rooster. I have swatted that sucker so many times and chased him around the yard, I swear you think I would have knocked some sense into him by now. I'm telling you I'm gonna take him to church next Sunday and baptize the hell outta him! I'll hold him under til he repents or drowns! If that don't work I'll take him to the Catholic church and have him exercized or what ever you call it. I don't want to git rid of him till I hatch a few roosters and raise 'em up to see if one of them is sanctified.


As for treats, I noticed when I give my girls to much bread they start laying eggs with funny shells, so I've all but stopped with the bread. My BR's have not laid well for some time and I searched the woods looking for eggs but found none. I lightened up on the scratch cuz perhaps they aren't eating enough layer. I got two eggs yesterday from 10 hens. That just won't do. I fear I may have upset them chasing that Devil roo around the yard with a tree branch.

Pharm I hope you're doing well.

Stoney it is just to wet here even with the drought to not worm. There are snails and worms and parasite carrying slugs.

Not enough pics on this thread.

we all have worms. I guess for me it is simply this. I don't medicate myself, my cats or my chickens unless I have to. Chickens here for almost 8 years now. Never seen a worm in chicken droppings. Plus it is my belief and the belief of many others that worming takes away the natural balance in the chickens to handle the normal load of worms in EVERY living thing. Kinda like humans taking antibiotics takes away our normal ability to fight disease. I guess it simply is I don't beleive in it. No meds, imunizations, antibiotics or worming for my chickens. If they can't survive on their own without medicating them, they weren't strong enough to live in the 1st place.

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

Chick Princess I'm in Newark