NY chicken lover!!!!

[Sally8]

...

Now that my raised beds are biting the dust rotting I've considered renting a tiller.  With just me and DW in the house it's not worth it I think.  Plus the used "hard fill" and there are chunks fo cement and tarvia and God knows what in there. I once found a piece of bent rebar.  I had to pay someone to dig it out!  

My thoughts on renting a tiller is that no upkeep on our part, my son and DH were always and still are money-ing and fiddling with it the whole time we use it and it's small so it jerks you around so bad that for the next several days every muscle will ache. I rented this one for 24 hrs, ($68.00). We used it, my neighbor used it, my son and his friend used it. We all still were done and it sat for hours. I didn't know, was going on that little one. Next time, I'll rent it for a few hrs, unless everyone wants to go in on it again. It does such a great job. I just keep looking at the garden. lol

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
yeah I have thought of that, but one of the biggest reasons is I don't have truck or a way to get it home. HD is not far away. I've have to arrange for someone else to do it. I have a hard time with my snow blower and weed whacker.

 

[Cass]

I ended up going to the show but didn't buy anything. To new at this to start going crazy adding birds, but my wife really wants ducks next. She liked the runners (great egg birds from what I've read) and also some of the geese. Was hoping to see some full sized Silver laced Wyandottes so I know what to expect, but only saw Bantams. Wife also really likes the looks of the barred rocks, and she was impressed with a really big white rock roo.

Quick question, can i feed 1 week old chicks strawberries or fresh corn? Wife is dying to give them treats already.

When you start to feed anything other than chicken food the chickens need grit to grind it in their crop. Chick grit sized grit for chicks. Otherwise things get stopped up and then you will have problems. (like dead chicks from sour crop)

After you have addressed the grit issue (by adding a little to their current food or sprinkling some around the bottom of the brooder for them to peck at) you can add SOFT treats. So Strawberries yes, corn no. Why no corn? Cuz corn (carbs) are what you give to keep them warm in winter and it's summer. Far more birds are lost to summer heat than ever were lost to winter's cold. (I am assuming these one week olds are still in a solid sided brooder with supplimental heat, therefore no breeze to cool them off if the corn heats their body temp up too high. )

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all! Enjoyed a beautiful day yesterday. Mealworms are great for bribing hens back into the coop. I got everyone dosed and dusted. I think only a couple had mites started but everybody and everything was dusted anyways. Killed my can of dust but I feel better knowing they were all treated. Of course they all screamed like I was killing them when I grabbed them to do the deed. Silly girls. I got dusted too with all the carrying on they did. No cooties on me!!! I am thinking its time to move the brats in with the girls. They are big now and the coop is too crowded with both the brats and monsters in there. The girls wont be happy but maybe they can ride herd on the boys. Earliest I can process them is late july (although there are a couple who are getting on my nerves and it might be sooner for them.) My plants have perked up a bit now that they are in the raised bed but I think I may pick up a few more and some flowers to put in there as well. My track record isnt good with plants (aka I usually kill them) but I am making a concerted effort this year to grow stuff and make the place look nice. Dh wants to move Legolas coop soon which is good as it will give me the rest of the summer to put up a run for it and landscape around it with all the rocks from the rock wall I have to move to do so. My ambition often exceeds my abilities and capabilities but there it is. Back to work today at the pharm. At least I can sit if i need to.

Rancher--Havent gotten one of those parts yet. Trying to avoid it at all costs. Unless it can make me the Bionic Woman, in which case Im all in for everything being replaced!

Elroddo--If you really want to treat young chicks, stay with yogurt and scrambled eggs. At a week old, their digestive tracts are still developing good gut bacteria and the yogurt will provide that. Scrambled eggs are a good source of protein for them as well.

Jlaw--you try any of that dust I was talking about? I love that stuff.

Tab--Keep those nasty flies up there! They eat me alive and so do mosquitoes. My family makes me go outside first to draw them all to me so they can go out and not be bothered. I have to bath in deet sometimes just to be left alone. I love deet. I would rather die from deet than get eaten alive by mosquitoes and black flies!

Okay--time to go. Ta for now.

 

[armorfirelady]

 
I ended up going to the show but didn't buy anything. To new at this to start going crazy adding birds, but my wife really wants ducks next. She liked the runners (great egg birds from what I've read) and also some of the geese. Was hoping to see some full sized Silver laced Wyandottes so I know what to expect, but only saw Bantams. Wife also really likes the looks of the barred rocks, and she was impressed with a really big white rock roo.

Quick question, can i feed 1 week old chicks strawberries or fresh corn? Wife is dying to give them treats already.

Welcome    I'm sorry to those of you that I've missed saying hello to.  You will  enjoy this thread.  I'm sorry to say that I'm someone that doesn't feed many treats.  My dogs get dog food, cats get cat food, chickens get chicken food.  I'm the one likes treats  But others do and will share I'm sure.

I agree with the statement to build big or not at all  We just got through putting on our 2nd addition to the original coop.

Things are so dry here that I've watered the dirt in the garden tonight with the sprinkler and tomorrow I'll plant seeds/plants.  The ground is nothing but fine dust.

Sally try adding peat moss & manure every year. Oh and compost also. My garden is in what was once just grass and it's clay underneath. My original garden has beautiful soil from adding those items every year. In fact I still add them to it, my newest garden section is not as nice since it's only the 3 rd year for it but it gets better every year. In the fall I just dump the leaves and grass clipping into the garden to break down all winter. Oh and I tried a cover crop last year also to bring back some nutrients as well.

Since that's where the girls winter over I thinks all their digging & scratching has helped the gardens as well. Plus they earn their keep by turning it over for me

 

[marquisella]

I ended up going to the show but didn't buy anything. To new at this to start going crazy adding birds, but my wife really wants ducks next. She liked the runners (great egg birds from what I've read) and also some of the geese. Was hoping to see some full sized Silver laced Wyandottes so I know what to expect, but only saw Bantams. Wife also really likes the looks of the barred rocks, and she was impressed with a really big white rock roo.

Quick question, can i feed 1 week old chicks strawberries or fresh corn? Wife is dying to give them treats already.

Any soft fruit is ok, but I think its best to feed them the chick starter at least for a few weeks. You want them to get total nutrition, and feeding some fruit will replace the chick food that is complete. When they are older, you can start treats. Its a good way to get them friendly. They will need grit if you give them something hard, like seeds, but anything soft is ok.

 

[JLaw]

Jlaw--you try any of that dust I was talking about? I love that stuff.

I have but was a pain to catch all the chickens and dust them. I was going to do just the roo but couldn't find the dust again so I got the spray out. Think biggest problem is he wont dust bath himself that I can see. I'll dust/spray him every so often till it's under control on him just hate having to single him out because he's lazy lol.

 

[elroddo]

Thanks all for the responses. guess i'll let the girls eat their starter for a while and keep the wife from spoiling them.

 

[rancher hicks]

Welcome

I'm sorry to those of you that I've missed saying hello to. You will enjoy this thread. I'm sorry to say that I'm someone that doesn't feed many treats. My dogs get dog food, cats get cat food, chickens get chicken food. I'm the one likes treats But others do and will share I'm sure.

I agree with the statement to build big or not at all We just got through putting on our 2nd addition to the original coop.

Things are so dry here that I've watered the dirt in the garden tonight with the sprinkler and tomorrow I'll plant seeds/plants. The ground is nothing but fine dust.

Sally try adding peat moss & manure every year. Oh and compost also. My garden is in what was once just grass and it's clay underneath. My original garden has beautiful soil from adding those items every year. In fact I still add them to it, my newest garden section is not as nice since it's only the 3 rd year for it but it gets better every year. In the fall I just dump the leaves and grass clipping into the garden to break down all winter. Oh and I tried a cover crop last year also to bring back some nutrients as well.

Since that's where the girls winter over I thinks all their digging & scratching has helped the gardens as well. Plus they earn their keep by turning it over for me

Sally8, dig a small hole, fill it with water. If it drains quickly I suggest you add some peat moss and compost. I buy garden soil when it goes on sale and usually dig the hole and mix in a good amount.

I have 2 compost piles that I dump chicken cleanings, peat moss and lawn cuttings. I also toss some scratch in and let the birds "work" it some more. If I get horse manure I put that in there too. Top soil or anything that will break down. I also use hay/straw in the chicken runs and when I clean them put that in the pile too. Good compost should not smell. Never use meat or greasy stuff.

The key to "safe" compost is to "cook" it. I think the temp they recommend is 175*. Get it hot by covering with black plastic. There are books written on composting but it's really not that hard.

 

[floydp97]

  Welcome to the group fellow Northern Saratoga County Person.:yiipchick   

Thanks for all the welcomes! Berner mom I see you are in P.C. We're neighbors!