NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

With regard to GRASS CLIPPINGS.

I would like to use them as well, but have read in more than one chicken care book that they are dangerous to chickens' crop health. (Stony, don't make fun of me for quoting books!!

)

I am getting what Gramma does though....drying out the clippings so they are not green anymore. So they don't eat them at all that way Gramma? Good to know.

Anyway, we've got plenty of lawn here, and the clippings would be a very economical way to help keep the pen cleaner and drier. Just don't want to risk the health of the ladies. The Brabanter will eat just about anything!

TOB

Well so far so good here. I mow and dump the clippings and they love to spread them around. As I said before I dump the grit right in the mix and I think they grab a bit by mistake but they seem okay. Sometimes I just dump a can full in a pile in the corner or on the floor near the feed.

 

[miquwid]

Rancher I always love pics of your hoop coops, how did you hang your water buckets? I made one for my large coop but not sure how to hang it.


Welcome lizzy!.

 

[Cass]

Rancher, I really like your hoop coops, I have a coop but I'm pretty sure I want to build a larger hoop coop like yours next spring to use in my field as a tractor. I don't have much to contribute here being chickenless and still in the planning stage, but I'm learning so much from lurking here LOL.

Welcome (in case I missed your entry)

I lurked for a couple of months before I really wanted a question answered and then I got an ID so I could ask it. Glad you got an ID so you could ask questions.

 

[armorfirelady]

With regard to GRASS CLIPPINGS.

I would like to use them as well, but have read in more than one chicken care book that they are dangerous to chickens' crop health.  (Stony, don't make fun of me for quoting books!! )

I am getting what Gramma does though....drying out the clippings so they are not green anymore.  So they don't eat them at all that way Gramma?  Good to know.

Anyway, we've got plenty of lawn here, and the clippings would be a very economical way to help keep the pen cleaner and drier.  Just don't want to risk the health of the ladies.  The Brabanter will eat just about anything!

TOB

I dump them in dry and sometimes fresh after a cutting. I am sure my girls eat the grass as do the tots. Heck they forage on the grass lol. I just make sure grit is always available for them all & have never had a crop issue with them. Heck the tots fav greens is my hostas and the potato plant leaves. Those are big but they swallow them down.

 

[Cass]

I dump them in dry and sometimes fresh after a cutting. I am sure my girls eat the grass as do the tots. Heck they forage on the grass lol. I just make sure grit is always available for them all & have never had a crop issue with them. Heck the tots fav greens is my hostas and the potato plant leaves. Those are big but they swallow them down.

Hostas. OMG, my chickens eat them to the ground. I don't really like them, but with all the shade they are one of the few flowers that grow in my yard; or used to. Now they help keep my feed bill down.

Ok. I didn't leave them to fend for themselves. I went down and put out food and water for tomorrow. I only got a little wet cuz the rain had lightened up to just raining, instead of pouring. The good news is my leg fits in my boot again, so I could walk without limping (like I was before, due to pain of compression of the bruised area)

 

[stonykill]

Hostas. OMG, my chickens eat them to the ground. I don't really like them, but with all the shade they are one of the few flowers that grow in my yard; or used to. Now they help keep my feed bill down.

Ok. I didn't leave them to fend for themselves. I went down and put out food and water for tomorrow. I only got a little wet cuz the rain had lightened up to just raining, instead of pouring. The good news is my leg fits in my boot again, so I could walk without limping (like I was before, due to pain of compression of the bruised area)

funny my birds don't eat our hosta's. They do peck at them but only to eat the sluugs on them.

 

[Cass]

funny my birds don't eat our hosta's. They do peck at them but only to eat the sluugs on them.

My Sumantras don't eat them either. It's the other birds that attack them like they are the only food in the world.

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

I was up at 6 even though I don't work and the newspaper was here already. So the guy got no eggs. Can't leave them in the box over night.

Anyhow I didn't think they'd call me to come in to work so I went back to bed. They called and I answered. Just a couple of hours but I am just starting. The plan tomorrow is to go to the grocery and the casino.

Oh, I'm the new driver for a retirement home. Casual/part time but that's fine with me.

Anyhow I can't do chores in the rain. Hoping it well stop someday.

Casino you didn't invite us. Good luck on your job

My leg is killing me after working all day. It is raining buckets out there. How long, exactly, can chickens live without food and water? Cuz I really really really don't want to go down there through the lake to put out more food. They can get water outside, the door is still open. The food bag is in the coop, open...they'll be ok, right?

Try putting some witch hazel on some gauze and letting it sit on that leg it will take some of the soreness and bruising away.

Well everyone ventured out into the rain today. The silkies look like chicks who just came out of their shells. LOL Well the lavender chicks anyway. Gave the splash hen 3 eggs to sit on and she took them. She was currently sitting on 1 so now I have two in the bator due any day now, 4 under Stella due Tuesday and 4 under the splash that will be due around July 4th.

This rain is terrible.

There were times I hung a feeder inside the coop and do with the hoop coops that have no covered run space. The hoop with no run get water each day in the winter. Otherwise they have a big tub of water. This feeder (pic) hold enough for a couple of days. The feeders in the runs are lifted up and hung near the ceiling at night.




This pitcher hold enough for a couple of days too since it's got a nipple and there is no waste. Other coops with covered runs have five gallon buckets with three nipples each. Of course they can go for more than a couple of days.

Really interested in those coops and how you made them plus how quickly do your chickens adapt to the nipple waterers I want to try them even though I change their water at least twice a day and have it sitting up on a block they still make it cruddy and the babies are even worse.

Hi all! I'm in the western Finger Lakes region, south of Rochester, and have 7 hens: Ameracauna, Welsummer, and Wyandotte. I am interested in finding a local chicken lover who will be selling hatching eggs in July. I am most interested in trying Sussex, Plymouth Rock, Orphington, New Hampshire, Dominique, Delaware, Chantecler, Buckeye. I'd like to find someone within 1-2 hours of me so that I can pick the eggs up. Please send me a message at lizsimmons at ymail.com if you think you can help me Thanks!

Welcome lizzy14

SOMEBODY PLEASE TURN OFF THE FAUCET! MY CHICKENS ARE TURNING INTO DUCKS!

Okay, seriously, we cant take any more rain. Now the wind is picking up which means downed trees because the ground is saturated. My dh has pumped out the back yard twice already and it is a mondo pump that we use.

So glad I made sure to load up the feeders and waterers last night because I did not step foot outside at all today. Dh was kind enough to grab the eggs when he was out pumping out the yard. The poor cheeps have been hiding all day under their coops and the silkies have been inside even though their runs are covered.

I hear the pump again so its going to be a long night. Be safe all.

My hens and rooster stayed in the coop all day even though the door was open and the run is covered they said enough is enough too .

 

[Gramma Chick]

With regard to GRASS CLIPPINGS.

I would like to use them as well, but have read in more than one chicken care book that they are dangerous to chickens' crop health. (Stony, don't make fun of me for quoting books!!

)

I am getting what Gramma does though....drying out the clippings so they are not green anymore. So they don't eat them at all that way Gramma? Good to know.

Anyway, we've got plenty of lawn here, and the clippings would be a very economical way to help keep the pen cleaner and drier. Just don't want to risk the health of the ladies. The Brabanter will eat just about anything!

TOB

They look at them when I put them in sometimes ..most of the time they are out when I do the refresh of the bedding .
( I can see them saying " Oh thats just bedding Nothing to eat "but I havent seen them eat them ...
They will eat some of them if I throw them in & they are green though

 

[Gramma Chick]

My Roo lucky has a new job ...
Music critic ..He doesnt like Steve Millers Jungle Love ..The intro is starting up ..he makes his Roooo sound ..so funny .
I figured if I had to have the radio on ..I might as well enjoy some music ...I was out with the cheeps in the wet rain for hours ..
doing gardening ..It is so funny to put a shovel in the ground when there is a hen on top of it .
The babies decided it was too wet & cold & took a early nap