NY chicken lover!!!!

[pharmchickrnmom]

IIn his sevice--you are indeed lucky you didn't lose any birds nor get injured much getting that hawk out. Glad to see it is healthy. Everything has to eat I suppose but just not our cheeps!

Rancher--- you kep reading and posting and that cleaning will never get done!

So two hours here at the dealer getting my strutts replaced. Thank goodness for extended warrenties cause they aren't cheap! Liking my tablet too so I can read the forum and such while I wait. Dangerous though as I was cruising ebay for hatching eggs. I resisted but it was difficult!!!

 

[marquisella]

chickens are omnivores, on their own they eat everything raw! Bugs, worms, snakes, mice! And I've seen them eat their own poop! What would egg buyers think about that?

LOL

When I see Purdue advertise that their chickenns eat an all vegetarian diet, it makes my skin crawl! They aren't supposed to just eat vegeables...they were made to eat meat as well.
I would rather give my chicken raw hamburger. I know where that comes from....What a chicken finds on its own...

not so much.

 

[Nambroth]

Because chickens are birds, most foodborne illnesses we might experience in raw beef could not transfer into their bodies. I feed my birds raw venison and beef scraps regularly. I would probably avoid commercial beef, or anything that you are unsure about-- I am unclear if the strain of salmonella that is occasionally found in commercial beef can transfer to avians or not. ( I avoid commercially raised meats like the plague anyhow but that is a personal choice)

Feeding them raw poultry, on the other hand, COULD transfer disease. I never feed raw meat from another bird unless I knew the origin and I knew for sure that it was a clean bird. For example, I'd never feed raw commercial chicken to my birds, but if I did my own processing and had scraps from a bird I raised? That would be okay. Does that make sense?

The one thing I would be careful of, of course, is anything spoiled. Botulism is not species specific!

 

[rancher hicks]

Look what I found in the one of my runs this morning....









Hawk found his way in, but could not get out. When I came up, he lay on his back, never took his eyes off me, waiting for me to approach. I tried to get him to go out the gate, but he wouldn't turn his back to me. I got a towel, threw it over him and picked him up to toss him out...Successfully contained his beak, but he got me with one foot. I am afraid I tossed him rather forcefully out the gate. He flew up to a nearby tree to shake out his feathers and wait for another chance. Managed to scare him off, and fix the breach in the netting. I guess he will be back someday, but that is what they do.

Guess they won't be let out to free range today

Well I lost my first bird to a Hawk/Falcon this moring. Unfortunately I didn't go out in time to prevent the attack. It got my Marans pullet. It's up in a tree still after I spent time out there cleaning one of the coops. It seems either to be a young bird or a Falcon since it seems small for a Hawk. I manage to chase it into the back woods but it's sitting there.

I am planning my counter attack. All the birds are locked up for now and I will be putting in more runs. Though I might not cover them in the winter. This is very upsetting, but I know others know the feeling.

I'm afraid if one were to get in a run he would not be so lucky as yours. My fear would get them better of me and it.

 

[rancher hicks]

IIn his sevice--you are indeed lucky you didn't lose any birds nor get injured much getting that hawk out. Glad to see it is healthy. Everything has to eat I suppose but just not our cheeps!

Rancher--- you kep reading and posting and that cleaning will never get done!

So two hours here at the dealer getting my strutts replaced. Thank goodness for extended warrenties cause they aren't cheap! Liking my tablet too so I can read the forum and such while I wait. Dangerous though as I was cruising ebay for hatching eggs. I resisted but it was difficult!!!

Okay, I cleaned as you can see in my previous post! What is it you have your eyes on on E bay? Anything in particular?


As for meat, I don't feed it as a rule though they may have gotten the occasion sausage off pizza scraps. It's just a personal thing with me. In the compost pile they get what they want. I just dump the food, non meats, and they eat whatever suits them.

Though If a hawk gets in, I might just feed it to them as revenge.

 

[Glasshen]

Sorry to hear of the hawk invasion. A happy thought is that sometimes they are so intent on hunting they have mishaps. Several years ago before chickens I was looking out the window with a friend, and a hawk flew low over my lawn, and right into the chain link fence that now surrounds the coop. It broke its neck. We put it in the garbage. I didn't know they were protected, or I would have been more covert so as to not be thought guilty of something I hadn't done.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Okay, I cleaned as you can see in my previous post! What is it you have your eyes on on E bay? Anything in particular?


As for meat, I don't feed it as a rule though they may have gotten the occasion sausage off pizza scraps. It's just a personal thing with me. In the compost pile they get what they want. I just dump the food, non meats, and they eat whatever suits them.

Though If a hawk gets in, I might just feed it to them as revenge.

Good man! I was just perusing, looking at heritage rir and some of the lesser know breeds. I need more land! Although if I did have more land, I would really be in trouble!!! I like the revenge thing. We did that with the serial rapists and meanies we processed this fall. The girls got the hearts and gizzards of the troublesome roos. I think they knew it too because they were strutting around with pieces sticking from their beaks. I told the current boys they better behave or end up like their brothers.

 

[rancher hicks]

Good man! I was just perusing, looking at heritage rir and some of the lesser know breeds. I need more land! Although if I did have more land, I would really be in trouble!!! I like the revenge thing. We did that with the serial rapists and meanies we processed this fall. The girls got the hearts and gizzards of the troublesome roos. I think they knew it too because they were strutting around with pieces sticking from their beaks. I told the current boys they better behave or end up like their brothers.

In this area, I'm leaning toward rose or pea comb breeds. I did see some Blue Wyandotte egg but only 6. The shipping cost the same no matter how many is in the Flat Rate Priority box.

And I'm leaning toward Buckeyes and Rosecomb RIR's. I won't give up the Dels of course.

I do like the Java's too, as they are on the list with the ALBC. I see no sense in keeping the more common breeds. This is a hobby after all. Though I must say I don't know why GF charges $49 a chick for Birchens. None I've seen, even for sale, compare with the pictures they post.

I just wondered what you had your eye on.

I'm really ticked over the hawk since there was a Del roo in there it could have taken. It didn't have to take a pullet. And a Marans at that!!

I was just out there and it seems to be gone. It might be passing through. There is one who lives somewhere along the highway near by and it's bigger than this bird was. That one did land in the yard once but I chased it away, as I happen to come around the side of the house. It never came back that I know of.

Well break time is over, I think there are some towels need folding.

 

[Framac]

How is everyone's chickens laying for them these days?

I ask because my chickens were ramping up (9-12 eggs a day from 17 birds) and have laid off significantly. 3-5 a day now.

Nothing has changed in the coop. I am feeding the same feed, same schedule, same water, etc.

Here is the only difference, I was away for a week and someone was looking after the birds for me.

I was thinking of doing a second hatch of giants/amers, but when I am only getting 3 eggs a week from the giants, and no blue eggs, setting the bator seems like a bad idea.

Framac

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Rancher--I am looking into javas as well. I love the auburn colored ones. I would like to try them as they are supposed to be good foragers and egg and meat birds. I have an inquirey out to someone about heritage rir's. I downloaded several books from cornell that were written in the late 1800's to early 1900's about this breed and the sop, etc. Makes for interesting reading. It seems that red Javas (I think perhaps they were the red gamecocks from Java) were used in the creation of rir's, which is interesting because they have some similar traits. Trying to talk dh into letting me get some eggs to hatch.

Framac---you are not alone in the egg laying drop. I have gone from 14 (out of 19 hens) back down to 10. I think its the crazy weather. Warm, then cold, then snow, then warm. I think they are all confused as to what they should be! I have been buying more greens for them lately which I think has helped a little.

I had to dump two garbage bags of leaves and pine needles into the terrorists run as it is so muddy from the ground thawing. I hate to have my chickens standing or walking around in mud. They seemed to like all the new stuff and were busily digging through it looking for something tasty to eat. Of course the can of salt free greenbeans I threw in gave them even more incentive to dig around and spread it all out! Gave some to the divas as well. Silkies got scratch thrown into their leaves so they will be busy for a while.

I havent seen any hawks or falcons yet but I know they are around. I heard the little owls last night. I dont mind them cause they only eat mice and voles and they are cute.