NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

Cortland CM had it in stock, think this is something all CountryMax are carrying.
Agway egg layer is 14%, hearty hen is 16%, this Nutrena Feather Fixer is 18%.

I believe the Agway is 16% as are many other "layer" feeds. Agway has an egg producer that is 18% I think, but more money. Now the feather fixer I haven't looked but it's pellets and 40# bags for 12.65.

I usually feed the Agway layer in the summer and then switch to Egg Producer in the winter. I also add BOSS to the scratch too.

Does anyone know where I can buy Fish Meal in quantity. Also what is the shelf life of feed? Would storing it in a cold garage keep it okay for the winter? I like to keep a larger quantity on hand in the winter.

 

[rancher hicks]

Anyone give their chickens tomatoes ?
Mine love them ..I gave them some grape tomatoes ..I was bending down ...One chicken grabbed one ..it popped & sprayed me in the face .
I felt something on my ear this eve ...it was a tomato seed LOL

Give ? They got in the garden and did a number on those left.

 

[rancher hicks]

Heres an old farmers trick....feed them a head of cabbage. I've tried it and it does help. But lights is the real solution to winter laying. Higher protein will help with the feather regrowth. I have used manna pro as well. anything that is almost pure protein works the best. I also like gamebird starter. It can have 28% protein. I normally feed a 20% protein feed so it doesn't take as much to up it as a normal 16% protein will.

I thought I read that cabbage and the family of brac??? is not good for chickens? They never bothered it in the garden either.

 

[rancher hicks]

Okay need some advice too...I have a hen that is laying shell less eggs. I feed Agway layer food that I get from our local Coop. They have oyster shell stuff available all the time and I feed them all of our egg shells. I think it might be my youngest maran. She is the age that she should start laying so it could be her. How long will it take for her to get straighten around? I'm still getting decent egg numbers from the other girls. About 5-7 each day out of 9 hens. I have a bantam D'uccle that is 26wks. I'm hoping that she will start soon too. Is there anything else I can do to help with the eggs that don't have a shell?

I like to toss some oyster shell in with their pellets to be sure they get it.

 

[rancher hicks]

Thought I would share some pictures of my new coop! Last night was the first night I felt like I might actually get it done before the snow starts to fly. The goal with this coop was to make it as cheap as possible, so far the most expensive part has been the screws and the linoleum flooring from a leftovers bin at a local store, I wasn't going to waste my time with the peel and stick tiles again. Aaaand, if you go in Lowes and see damaged ondura roofing they will give you 50% off. I lucked out and got 3/4" plywood and used 2x6's and pallets from a recycling place for free.

The coop!
Looking in before it was whitewashed

The GIANT nest box.



The run, still under construction, but getting there! It looks more interesting in person. We have a lot of trees so I have been using the limbs from what hubby has thinned to use as the frame, then I'll wrap and bury wire around it. Next year I'll let nasturtium and morning glory grow up it.

I like the run. Jody Hinkjc in PA uses branches like that for her runs. She's covered them with poultry wire.

 

[rancher hicks]

O. M. G. This thread just caught my eye since we were talking about hens not laying and going thru a molt...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-worst-chicken-molt-pictures-fall-winter-2013

I didn't realize that some actually go bald! OMG, I hope they hurry up before the cold weather gets here.

While my girls have molted, it's never been to the extreme and you'd hardly know it if you didn't know them.

 

[rancher hicks]

All four of my brooder chicks have rock solid crops. The only thing I could think of is that maybe they got into the scratch I put out. If it was the scratch will it go down on it's own or do I need to flush them?

It will go down on it's own. They should be fine. Withhold all feed til it's seems okay.

 

[cheeka]

Anyone give their chickens tomatoes ?
Mine love them ..I gave them some grape tomatoes ..I was bending down ...One chicken grabbed one ..it popped & sprayed me in the face .
I felt something on my ear this eve ...it was a tomato seed LOL

oh yes, mine really love tomatoes... and your "ear seed" reminded me... last summer, I was awakened in the middle of the night by whatever... and I reached out to pat my dog. I felt something lumpy, so I pinched for it... in the dark, it felt like an enormous tick, and then it felt wet-ish, so I kinda freaked and turned on the light. expecting to see a bloody squashed tick... I was very relieved to discover it was a baked bean.

 

[Sally8]

My chickens love, love, love tomato's. they are enjoying my cleaning up the garden.

I learned something new today. Cats can be allergic to foods with fish in it and should not have it often. What hogwash is that? I had to have 2 older cats put to sleep today. They both had cancerous tumor s. it's a very sad day at our house. We planted them in my flower garden.

My neighbors saw a hawk swoop down in the chicken pen today. Thankfully, no one is missing.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:

your story is funnier than mine LOL

My chickens love, love, love tomato's. they are enjoying my cleaning up the garden.

I learned something new today. Cats can be allergic to foods with fish in it and should not have it often. What hogwash is that? I had to have 2 older cats put to sleep today. They both had cancerous tumor s. it's a very sad day at our house. We planted them in my flower garden.

My neighbors saw a hawk swoop down in the chicken pen today. Thankfully, no one is missing.

sorry about your kitties ...Are we talking about fish cat food ?
I give my cat human tuna fish for a treat ...they cant add odd stuff to it like they do with cat food .