NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

 8- 9 cups of fermented feed for my 16 chickens a day ...sometimes they finish it sometimes they dont .
If  you are overfeeding them they wont lay ..the fat blocks the vent I believe .
But as you werent feeding them layer ..they may have not had enough calcium .
You can increase their protein other ways ...
Add some milk or yogurt , cheese or fish or meat to their diet 
I give them bread cubes as a treat & moisten it with a little yogurt & milk in it
or try the fermented feed that increases the protein












 

Well it doesn't sound like I'm over feeding. I feel if anything I feed them less because they all free range. Well except the silkies, but those aren't the ones I'm worried about. I'll figure this out....sooner or later

 

[Sally8]

...

. I need to get on the ball with this fermented feed business. Then again, I just switched to pellets so I'm not sure how well that

Pellets will work just fine. They turn to mush in a matter in minutes. Love, love love ff

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Raining pretty good here and warmer today. Had to open up the plastic on legolas coop to let the air circulate better. This weather is driving my body crazy. I can't adjust to these changes in temp so fast.

Rancher...I want pics if you get those spiked collars on those punk chickens of yours!

After reading back on everyones feed posts and laying issues I will just say this. After processing my 3 1/2 year old hens I am definately feeding a little differently. Those hens were done laying (examined thei ovaries to determine that) and found quite a bit of fat on them inside their gut. Granted they were older and a bit spoiled but it was a wakeup call for me. Now everyone is on gmo free layer feed with supplemental venison (last years slightly freezerburnt stuff) and occasional boss. Fruits and veges when I can get them cheap and freerange time. I have found that laying drops if I give my birds too much scratch so I may hold off on it this year and provide other stuff likr kelp. I think its a matter off trial and error as to what works best for your birds.

I like the heavy black water bowls for my outside waterers. I have a two gallon one in the big run and gallon ones in the other runs. The black color soaks up the sun in the winter keeping the water just warm enough not to freeze unless its really cold. Its also easy to flip over and stomp on to knock the ice out without breaking the bowl.

Ok...off to work. Have a nice day!

 

[miquwid]

Miquid have you trying putting gold or ping pong balls in the nesting boxes? When my new tots,started laying they layer in the DL a couple times so I put the balls in the nesting box and they started laying in the boxes.

I wonder if you put a nesting box on the floor with balls in it if it would work for the silkies to?
Just a thought

Yes i was using golf balls and then i bought wooden eggs they just refuse to use several of the nest boxes. That is why im only going to build two more and if the don't like well at least we are use to looking on the floor lol.

Oh how nice ! will there be baby Pictures ?

miquwid - from you too ?

Sure but we are on day 9 so first few days of Dec will be lock down.

 

[Lynzi777]

Just went up to the shed to check on the silkies and refill their food bowl, etc. when I opened the door to their run my lavender hen came out so I went to pet her and she squatted down like a hen would who is getting ready to lay! Maybe she's going to start laying soon!?!

 

[miquwid]

I have a question

Why do poeple lock up their chickens during the winter? I figure they will decide whether or not to go outside. Extreme weather conditions i can understand why you would lock them up, but all winter?

 

[miquwid]

Just went up to the shed to check on the silkies and refill their food bowl, etc. when I opened the door to their run my lavender hen came out so I went to pet her and she squatted down like a hen would who is getting ready to lay! Maybe she's going to start laying soon!?!

Oh prabably fingers crossed

 

[Lynzi777]

I have a question

Why do poeple lock up their chickens during the winter? I figure they will decide whether or not to go outside. Extreme weather conditions i can understand why you would lock them up, but all winter?

Lock them up? Like not even allow them the option to venture out of the coop? IDK why one would do that....last year my Orps didn't want anything to do with the snow. The only time they ventured out was that one day I went up there to open the door and they flew out and landed right smack in the snow-stuck! I'm thinking this year they're going to do the same because even last week when we had that little but of snow, the only stepped out on the one piece of grass that wasn't covered.

 

[Metella]

my definition of locked up is dependent on what I have ... meaning - I have my birds in a 3 hoop coop for winter - no other anything (no smaller house/coop) ... so when they are locked up - they are locked up in a very large 3 hoop coop with open wire on the front and along one big side to the south .... I open the door of this hoop coop when I am around to watch over them as I find hawks and fox more insistent to get my birds in the winter - so less casual free ranging.

In the summer - locked up is locked up in snap lock coop - which is a true coop - and all they have are their roost, floor and next boxes ! When I open the door they come out to a fenced in netted area which I often open up in the afternoon for full free ranging. I would never leave them locked up in that - - jail - - unless I had some sort of emergency.

So - my birds are locked up in their big hoop coop now (which is more like a run) because I have to jet off to town to get some shopping done. I'll let them out for about 3 hours of true free ranging this afternoon.

Did I just OVER explain !

 

[AQHAchick22]

I love this idea of the heavy black water bowls...I use metal ones throughout the summer but I think I may switch to the heavy black ones for winter. Less cold and as everyone mentioned easier to get ice out of. I keep the galvanized ones in their coops all winter and then a bowl of some sort outside...*runs off to TSC*