NY chicken lover!!!!

[wny egger]

A cautionary tale for those who are tempted to love their chickens a wee bit too much and/or are having problems with egg production:


Every Friday a client gives me all the bread from her "meals on wheels"....she doesn't eat bread being diabetic. Every Friday the chickens greet me at the car door looking for bread, which I happily throw out on the lawn for them to peck at til their lil' hearts are content. Every Friday I collect 6 - 8 eggs.

Every Saturday I collect 2.

Every Sunday I collect 4.

Every Monday - Friday I collect 6 - 8.

Ya think maybe, just maybe, the breeds of chickens I have are put off laying when they have too many carbs?

i noticed something like this when i would give them to much cracked corn ..i started mixing a little feed pellets to the grain and they tend to lay 4 eggs every day after that ..my 4 girls are pretty productive and i get 3 to 4 eggs everyday since they started laying ..only when theres something stressing them like a preditor around at nite would they stop laying but even then i would still get a couple eggs ..so you are prolly right ,to many carbs maybe the ticket..i now only give them scratch treats when i get my 4 eggs ..its kind of turned into a game with them ..i get 4 eggs they get scratch with feed pellets and grit tossed around for them..i also noticed i only get 3 eggs on the day after that i give them lots of salad left overs..i think the feed keeps them laying regular..i am getting ready to start letting my girls out in the new trackter i built and it will be intresting to see if all the new bugs and grass they eat will effect their laying..

 

[Lynzi777]

I'm about to give up with all this sizzle nonsense Rancher! I'll tell ya with all the money I've spent, the time I've waited it's like what on earth was I thinking!?!? I lost two Silkie chicks over the weekend, the polish I bought at the chicken stock are more than likely both Roos! I give up. Think I'm going to throw in the towel and just keep to my Orps and the quad of silkies, who by the way are still not laying. The two I got a while back should be laying by now. Spring is here, one is over a year old one will be hitting a year old. And my sizzle eggs you ask? Out of 23 I'm down to 7! Yes that's right, 7!!! At least their on the tuner now so I don't have to keep opening up the bator to hand turn. I candled my duck eggs this morning that my broody runner has been sitting on. They're all clear, one was cracked and one I left because I was iffy it may be starting to develop.

So I'll be keeping ONE of these frizzled polish Roos to use with my smooth Silkie/Polish cross chicks and the other will be up for grabs if anyone here is interested. :-/

 

[Lynzi777]

Moring all, 

Have a safe Memorial Day Holiday. 

Welcome newbies, It's all downhill from here. Hope you have a big coop. 


Lynzii - sorry to hear about your allergies.  Time to take a pill.  I do everyday and things have been much better.

The Dollar store has cheap masks to wear in the coop.  Exterior nest boxes can limit going in but do enter at least once in the morning to check everyone. 

FYI everyone.  Target has baby wipes in a box of 800.  Great for keeping next to shared computers and phones. Wipe those things down before using them as germ spread there more than anywhere I think. Get in habit.  Any season can be cold and flu season. 

If you have small children lock THEM in the chicken run and let the chickens free range in the yard. 

Oh and I did take a pill...or pills! :-/ I tried my usual Sudafed at noon, that didn't help, then some Benadryl in the evening, didn't help. DH finally came hope around 9pm, I was in bed from 3-9 with the worst sinus headache, had him bring me some Aleve and woke up feeling much much better in the morning!

 

[Cass]

Hmmm...

I wonder if its just a coincidence? You know how most hens take a day or two off per week? Maybe its just coinciding...

My birds get a LOT of treats, lol.

No, it's definately not coincidence. I made accurate notes regarding egg production for a full month and those were my findings. I DO think it is breed dependant and I have an assortement of breeds. If it was just the extra carbs NO ONE would be laying that first day, so 2 of the birds I have are not affected by the carb overload and EVERY Bird gets in on the bread.

The two eggs I get on Saturday are the teeny white one (D'uccle) and the very large Olive one (Mean Marge who is an OE), so , in my flock those are the two breeds that aren't affected.

My neighbor feeds her chickens oranges with absolutely no problems. She has Brown Leghorns. If I feed my flock oranges they don't lay. AT ALL. Not one single egg the day after I feed citrus to them (So I no longer do that)

So if you are not having a problem with production with the amount of treats you feed then your birds are breeds that aren't affected...other people, however, who are complaining about lack of eggs from their flock might find layig off the treats will increase production. (Which is the only reason I kept records to see what that bread was doing to my birds. I am NOT going to stop feeding it because they love it and I don't miss the eggs....others ARE missing the egg production and bread (or other treats) might be the issue instead of something more complicated like lice or low protein)

 

[rancher hicks]

Oh and I did take a pill...or pills! :-/ I tried my usual Sudafed at noon, that didn't help, then some Benadryl in the evening, didn't help. DH finally came hope around 9pm, I was in bed from 3-9 with the worst sinus headache, had him bring me some Aleve and woke up feeling much much better in the morning!

I wasn't meaning to come off as bossy. However, I've never found Sudafed nor Benadryl helpful for my colds or allergies.

A few years ago I had testing. 35 shots! I was tired of the sinus headaches, sore throat and ear infections. The thing with allergies is "system overload". The immune system can handle only so much allergins. By the time I'd take anything my system was already overloaded. By taking Loratadine, (an antihistamine) every day, I'm preventing the overload.

I've noticed since I've been taking it I have less runny noses, reaction to perfumes and smells and less itching on my arms. ( I think it was hives) I would scratch til my arms bled. I tried Gold Bond and all kinds of lotions. I still have times in the winter when they itch but not nearly as bad as I used to.

Used to be if I walked through Macy's perfume section, by the time I got to the other side I was sick and had to go home. Nose running, eyes watering, headache, the whole sha'bang.

I do wear a mask for cleaning the coop and don't use commercial soaps. I use Morning Mist Farms. She does the demo at the NYS fair. I can garden and do yard work without trouble now too.

I didn't mean to offend, sorry,

Your friend,

Rancher

 

[Lynzi777]

I wasn't meaning to come off as bossy.  However, I've never found Sudafed nor Benadryl helpful for my colds or allergies.  

A few years ago I had testing.  35 shots!  I was tired of the sinus headaches, sore throat and ear infections. The thing with allergies is "system overload".  The immune system can handle only so much allergins. By the time I'd take anything my system was already overloaded. By taking Loratadine, (an antihistamine)  every day, I'm preventing the overload.  

I've noticed since I've been taking it I have less runny noses, reaction to perfumes and smells and less itching on my arms.  ( I think it was hives)  I would scratch til my arms bled.  I tried Gold Bond and all kinds of lotions.  I still have times in the winter when they itch but not nearly as bad as I used to.

Used to be if I walked through Macy's perfume section, by the time I got to the other side I was sick and had to go home. Nose running, eyes watering, headache, the whole sha'bang.  

I do wear a mask for cleaning the coop and  don't use commercial soaps.  I use Morning Mist Farms.  She does the demo at the NYS fair.   I can garden and do yard work without trouble now too.

I didn't mean to offend, sorry,

Your friend,

Rancher 

I didn't take it as bossy at all, you didn't offend! Lol...I was just expressing my frustration with my usual pills I take not working. Allergies suck this year for me AND my kids! My son is going on week 3 of still having that itchy throat that makes him cough when he tries to talk. That's what I have now too. It's awful as nothing is helping.

 

[chicken blessed]

Well good news so far 9 of 11 eggs were fertile

No, it's definately not coincidence. I made accurate notes regarding egg production for a full month and those were my findings. I DO think it is breed dependant and I have an assortement of breeds. If it was just the extra carbs NO ONE would be laying that first day, so 2 of the birds I have are not affected by the carb overload and EVERY Bird gets in on the bread.

The two eggs I get on Saturday are the teeny white one (D'uccle) and the very large Olive one (Mean Marge who is an OE), so , in my flock those are the two breeds that aren't affected.

My neighbor feeds her chickens oranges with absolutely no problems. She has Brown Leghorns. If I feed my flock oranges they don't lay. AT ALL. Not one single egg the day after I feed citrus to them (So I no longer do that)

So if you are not having a problem with production with the amount of treats you feed then your birds are breeds that aren't affected...other people, however, who are complaining about lack of eggs from their flock might find layig off the treats will increase production. (Which is the only reason I kept records to see what that bread was doing to my birds. I am NOT going to stop feeding it because they love it and I don't miss the eggs....others ARE missing the egg production and bread (or other treats) might be the issue instead of something more complicated like lice or low protein)

I am going to cut back on the bread treats and see if my egg production goes up. I have 15 hens and collected 9 eggs yesterday. 6 of my girls are 4 years old and thought they were slowing down. I will feed fruit and veggie treats instead.

 

[rancher hicks]

I didn't take it as bossy at all, you didn't offend! Lol...I was just expressing my frustration with my usual pills I take not working. Allergies suck this year for me AND my kids! My son is going on week 3 of still having that itchy throat that makes him cough when he tries to talk. That's what I have now too. It's awful as nothing is helping.

Believe me you have my sympathy. While visiting my son and his with two cats and hair everywhere I suffered on two visits. Never again. My son has that hacking cough, cough constantly.

I tried to get my Son in law to see that their cats might be his problem but he wouldn't listen. After I came home, we were told he had a Sinus infection, Bronchitis and Walking pneumonia. They have no health insurance for him or the baby so he's reluctant to go to the docs. I think my grandson is allergic to the cats too.

I know they won't give up the cats but perhaps taking a Claredon or something else each day would help. What can I do?

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

Believe me you have my sympathy.   While visiting my son and his with two cats and hair everywhere I suffered on two visits. Never again.  My son has that hacking cough, cough constantly. 

I tried to get my Son in law to see that their cats might be his problem but he wouldn't listen.  After I came home, we were told he had a Sinus infection, Bronchitis and Walking pneumonia.  They have no health insurance for him or the baby so he's reluctant to go to the docs. I think my grandson is allergic to the cats too. 

I know they won't give up the cats but perhaps taking a Claredon or something else each day would help. What can I do?  

I wonder if you could convince them to bathe the cats as it actually isn't the hair itself that causes the allergy it is the dander that is attached to the hair when it comes out if the are bathed once every week or 2 they shouldn't cause a problem take from someone who has 3 boys and a husband who have severe allergies that is what I was told by the allergy doctor bathe the dogs and cats and you will see no problem and he was right. This one of the reasons I never wear perfume I wear food scented body sprays and deodorant as food scents don't tend to bother people with allergies.

 

[Metella]

I get it - and even had to use a special laundry soap on MY clothes due to a very sensitive co-worker.

However, I love perfume - and lotions and scents ... and really miss wearing them wi8th abandon. I thought my coworker may have been soooooo sensitive due to her living a totally organic and sheltered life - her body never had to deal with this - and now goes overboard when a whiff hits her nose ????

Oh well - just a theory ....