NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cass]

Quote:
They are new at this! Maybe too many treats? I was getting maybe 2 eggs, then 4, then 2, etc. I was impressed that you got 4 right off the bat! They like you more!

I only fed them flock raiser + oyster shell (they were in with non laying age pullets) plus the occasional oatmeal treats on cold mornings and a bit of cracked corn when it was REALLY cold. They like mushy chicken food too (food mashed in with hot water). They were laying for me in a rattan cat cozy.. most of the time. LOL. You aren't using shavings like I was, so I doubt they are hiding them. I found a few under shavings.

The good news is, if it is to many treats, I don't have time during the week to give them anything but my leftover oatmeal and a few sunflower seeds at night to get them back in the coop. If they start laying again soon I'll know I am spoiling them too much and won't get eggs if I continue. I do have some corn around here somewhere. (Have to find out WHICH gray 18 gallon container I put it in out on the porch)

They are silly girls, featherz. I have a regular chicken feed feeder. It's lovely and new. I *don't* have a spring lock on the inside of my coop door, so it flys open in the wind. I filled a 3 pound coffee can with chicken food for a weight to hold the door open. Guess which one they are eating out of? THE COFFEE CAN of course

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Oh, oh, that reminds me I bought yougurt, cuz they are new to "this" and new to my coop. And aren't worms "protein"? Cuz if they are, they are on protein overload.

I also gave them cheese, cauliflower, soft cat food, lettuce and green pepper

Do you think it might be the treats? OMG...I forgot all that other stuff in the past 72 hours. They can't lay an egg, they haven't digested all I gave them yet.

 

[featherz]

Quote:
Oh, oh, that reminds me I bought yougurt, cuz they are new to "this" and new to my coop. And aren't worms "protein"? Cuz if they are, they are on protein overload.

I also gave them cheese, cauliflower, soft cat food, lettuce and green pepper

Do you think it might be the treats? OMG...I forgot all that other stuff in the past 72 hours. They can't lay an egg, they haven't digested all I gave them yet.

ROFL! If I had all that I wouldn't bother with nasty old chicken food, I'd just wait for 'mommy' to bring the good stuff.. hahaha.. I did the same thing with my first chickies. Everyone wonders when they come by how I managed to get such friendly tame white leghorns. Those were my first chickens and boy were they spoiled.. I bought them worms and watermelon and pretty much any treat I could think of. Now they think of me as the 'food machine' and follow me around like puppies. I calmed down a bit after getting a lot more chickies.

Hmm, maybe I DO need some mealworms.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Holy cow Cass! Can I be one of your chickens??!!! What a feast! I thought I spoiled my cheeps but you have outdone me! HeHe. Just back off the goodies and let them eat chicken food. They will throw a tantrum and try to coerce you into feeding them treats again but be strong!!! Dont fall for the "we're starving and LOVE you chicken mommy" looks. I have discovered that they can be master manipulators when they want to be! lol

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:


Your feeding them grapes, oatmeal and worms. GIGO , Garbage In Garbage Out.

You have to feed them a balanced diet if you hope to get eggs. Your basic layer feed has everything they need. While you may get the ocassional egg you won't get the egg production you want feeding them just "whatever". Even "free ranging" birds are not going to lay as often as those fed a balanced diet.

Sorry that's just the way it is.

 

[featherz]

Yah I gotta agree.. when my chickies eat too many treats I get fewer eggs. Cold turkey on chicken food for a while!

Since they were born here I KNOW they are whiny little gals, but hold strong!

 

[Cass]

Quote:


Your feeding them grapes, oatmeal and worms. GIGO , Garbage In Garbage Out.

You have to feed them a balanced diet if you hope to get eggs. Your basic layer feed has everything they need. While you may get the ocassional egg you won't get the egg production you want feeding them just "whatever". Even "free ranging" birds are not going to lay as often as those fed a balanced diet.

Sorry that's just the way it is.

Darn. Here I thought I had a solution for the extra food around my house. LOL...

I guess I *may* have overdone it this past weekend, but we were down there making so much noise constructing the run, I felt REALLY guilty. And there were sooo many worms just laying on the ground waiting to be picked up and ....well, you know how it goes. (BTW, use a container, worms squirming in your hand gets really gross after a while)

I guess it's back to just leftover oatmeal OR BOSS each evening to get them back in the coop and chicken feed the rest of the time. (Like they were getting when they were laying eggs last week)

Hey rancher hicks, worms are garbage? I thought worms were what normal chickens scratched in the ground to find. But 50+ may have been a bit to much for 4 itty bitty hens.

 

[chicken stalker]

Would love these to go to a 4Her
http://binghamton.craigslist.org/grd/2327790454.html

 

[happycountryhens]

Fyrkitten - Rain, Rain, go away..... We had snow last night and today. *YUCK* You know it's bad when you give up and decide to go out on the nasty days because there just isn't enough good ones to get the work done. I was shoveling stone dust yesterday in the rain. We really need to get that coop ready soon. Gotta get stuff at the lumberyard, dig out the footer of the barn again again, lay cement, put down flooring...the list goes on and on. It is always interesting to hear what kinds of poultry you are getting next. I just wait for "the next episode" of life on Fyrkitten Farm.

Tgrlilly - I am posting a picture of what the Americaunas look like now. They have started to hit the ugly phase.

But they will be so pretty when they feather out if they are anything like thier parents

Thanks
again for these great chicks! By the way, after the very calm orpingtons, these guys are like hyperactive
chicks. They are like popcorn whenever they are cleaned or the cage top is opened for any reason.

They really make me laugh. I know they will calm down with age. At least I hope so......



Here are the Orps.



We obviously all need to go to Therepy for our chicken addictions. The silkie lovers are in special need.

How many of you are going to Oneida County Cooperative Extention Office in Oriskany for the Therepy...Ahem...chicken talk on Thursday night? I hope to go and it would be nice to meet some of you there.

Happy Country Hens

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:


Your feeding them grapes, oatmeal and worms. GIGO , Garbage In Garbage Out.

You have to feed them a balanced diet if you hope to get eggs. Your basic layer feed has everything they need. While you may get the ocassional egg you won't get the egg production you want feeding them just "whatever". Even "free ranging" birds are not going to lay as often as those fed a balanced diet.

Sorry that's just the way it is.

Darn. Here I thought I had a solution for the extra food around my house. LOL...

I guess I *may* have overdone it this past weekend, but we were down there making so much noise constructing the run, I felt REALLY guilty. And there were sooo many worms just laying on the ground waiting to be picked up and ....well, you know how it goes. (BTW, use a container, worms squirming in your hand gets really gross after a while)

I guess it's back to just leftover oatmeal OR BOSS each evening to get them back in the coop and chicken feed the rest of the time. (Like they were getting when they were laying eggs last week)

Hey rancher hicks, worms are garbage? I thought worms were what normal chickens scratched in the ground to find. But 50+ may have been a bit to much for 4 itty bitty hens.

Now , now you know I didn't mean that. Worms are very nutritous, Lord knows I eat them every chance I get. He also knows we all over do it with the extra treats now and then. I hate to see decent bread go to waste so when I get leftovers from school I hate to see it go moldy so I give them as much as they can stand without getting sick and like you I pay the price with a drop in egg production. Fortunately I had a lot of roosters so I just gave them the most.

Now you also realize stress can cause a drop in the eggs too? Even adding another chicken can be enough stress to cause problems. So maybe all that noise was the cause. One time my mother in law came for a visit and Lord have mercy the sight of her was so bad I thought I'd never get another egg! My poor chickens went into and early molt! I had to glue feathers back on or they would have froze to death. Good garden o' peas you should have seen them. ........ Well I couldn't take the time to make sure they had all the same colored feathers!

Anyhow you know I wasn't being mean. So lets' have a pic of that run.

Rancher