NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

when i had egg eating probs years ago i created a dished area in 3/4 pine board so the eggs rolled to the middle, then i routed out a center hole large enough for eggs to fall thru. I cut the board to fit my nesting boxes, put spacers under the boards to hold them off the bottom of nest box a little more than the height of an egg, and when turned so depression was upright and placed in nest box with a thin cussion material below the hole, the eggs roll thru the hole and are protected, it worked well. If this sounds like a solution for anyone, i could make those depressiond boards to fit your nesting box for a cost of $8.00 each. To collect eggs you just lift the board. no need for straw, wood chips or any other nesting material. The hens never seemed to mind sitting over the hole. An additional benefit is that eggs don't accumulate accessably so hens have nothing to go broody over..

You got pics?

 

[mderby48]

when i had egg eating probs years ago i created a dished area in 3/4 pine board so the eggs rolled to the middle, then i routed out a center hole large enough for eggs to fall thru. I cut the board to fit my nesting boxes, put spacers under the boards to hold them off the bottom of nest box a little more than the height of an egg, and when turned so depression was upright and placed in nest box with a thin cussion material below the hole, the eggs roll thru the hole and are protected, it worked well. If this sounds like a solution for anyone, i could make those depressiond boards to fit your nesting box for a cost of $8.00 each. To collect eggs you just lift the board. no need for straw, wood chips or any other nesting material. The hens never seemed to mind sitting over the hole. An additional benefit is that eggs don't accumulate accessably so hens have nothing to go broody over..

You got pics?

Yes, pics please! I'm a visual learner

 

[happycountryhens]

Hi All!
Trapped a mink 4 weeks ago after it killed my one and only rooster, Henry. (beautiful lavender ameraucana from mugsmagee)
Hen sitting on eggs and crossing fingers that they hatch. Awfully cold out there. She started with 12 eggs and has kicked
out six so far. We will know for sure in one week. BTW...minks smell awful!

 

[Gramma Chick]

Aqua, that's a handsome beast. Hope he doesn't decide to hang around. TOB had a great picture too, maybe she is a pro photographer? Beautiful.

All the fox pics are making me worry, I think it was about this time last year that I had all the trouble with the foxes, and they took my BR hen. And while I was doing chores the crows were making a terrible noise, they were trying to get rid of a pair of hawks. One of them was headed toward the coop, but when I flapped at it it headed the other way. The flock wisely stayed quietly in the coop. I shut them in so if it came back they were safe.

So all these predators must mean that it's getting to be spring, and there are young to feed.

Yes that is exactly what it means ..My son saw a fox last week ..trying to catch a meal from the flock of wild birds that were in our back field ..
He saw us & disappeared ..He knows where the crazy chicken lady lives ..

 

[Lynzi777]

Question for all of you with ducks and those who recently bought ducklings...What are you feeding them? I've been doing some reading online and am getting all sorts of different answers. Some say they feed the chick feed, then some say not to. Then some say its ok to feed that but you have to supplement the vitamin B/niacin?? So I'm just curious, what is the best thing to feed them? Also, they will be kept separate and not housed with the chickens.

 

[mderby48]

I'm off to the barn to feed horses then to the coop to feed chickens. Unfortunately everyone has to stay locked up today because we won't be home. My husbands gramma isn't expected to make it through the day so we will be over there with her. She has been battling cancer for 2 years and she said she is done fighting It's gonna be a rough few days. I'm just glad she won't have to suffer much longer.

 

[Cooped Up Chick]

Nope, might be my misunderstanding of what you were replying to. Please don't zip your lips...we enjoy having new people around here. (and minunderstandings happen, we all get over them....well, except a couple of people, but they don't post much. LOL)

LOL Cass, I understand the type you refer to.

It is probably impossible for me to go full silent, anyway...

unless I just can't log on.

 

[stonykill]

Question for all of you with ducks and those who recently bought ducklings...What are you feeding them? I've been doing some reading online and am getting all sorts of different answers. Some say they feed the chick feed, then some say not to. Then some say its ok to feed that but you have to supplement the vitamin B/niacin?? So I'm just curious, what is the best thing to feed them? Also, they will be kept separate and not housed with the chickens.

I don't have ducklings now but when I do I feed them Game bird chick starter. It is non medicated. I have never supplimented any vitamins ever.

 

[horsekeeper]

Lynzi, I fed mine grower crumbles when they were small and switched to layer pellets when they got bigger to cut down on waste. They grew so fast you could see them get bigger day by day. No problems except the male grew so fast he had trouble walking for a short time (muscovey). They also started getting some treats like romaine lettuce, peas, a little bread, leftover pasta, and anything else suitable when they were old enough.

 

[Glasshen]

Mderby, sorry to hear of the sad time you are in. I'll send prayers It all goes well.