NY chicken lover!!!!

[Gramma Chick]

@Gramma Chick I still can't get over that price for layer mash, I'm paying almost that for 50lb bags. The mills don't even sell 100lb ones. I live too far away to take advantage of that price.

I usually do a road trip for 3 -4 100 pound bags ..it is a little over a hour for me to drive there ..
Price makes it worth it ..Nutty buys it by the truck load to get that great price
I havent had the time to do that ..so this week I just bought layer from T supply

My first chick came today. Had to share, couldn't be more proud if I sat on the egg myself. Good Job Mayor!

Cute is her / his name copper?

We will have to try Richardson's because Pohl's is where he bought this scratch from and they don't carry a good chicken feed at Pohl's they have a hog feed that people feed their chickens.

Yes - the hog feed is 15 % protein , ..8 - 1.3 % calcium ...good protein count ..I forgot if it had added soy or not

 

[Gramma Chick]

Just wanted to stop in and say hello! I posted a picture of our barn in my intro thread, we plan to build a coop inside the side barn and give them an outside area that is fully fenced in and covered for when we aren't right there.

Welcome to the thread ..

A nice Barn ....Sounds like a good Plan . Most People here have many different breeds & let chickens free range Some

 

[Devona]

@gramma chick. Gramma, he is asking for twenty dollars each for the Ameracaunas. Is that too much for older hens?

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

We will have to try Richardson's because Pohl's is where he bought this scratch from and they don't carry a good chicken feed at Pohl's they have a hog feed that people feed their chickens.

They have their own blend of feed, but also sell nutrena feeds. Their layer mash is powdery but my feeder is designed so the birds can't get their feet in to scratch it all over. Then we mix it with scratch too.

 

[Lady Loveall]

I think Copper is a great name!

 

[akaruby]

Just wanted to stop in and say hello! New to the board, and hoping to get our first chickens this spring. I'm in Wayne County. My hope is to get some egg layers of a few breeds and then some meat birds. I'd like to get them from a place though where the parents are treated well. I don't know what the hatcheries are like and these big commercial places. I have a lot more research to do to get ready  I posted a picture of our barn in my intro thread, we plan to build a coop inside the side barn and give them an outside area that is fully fenced in and covered for when we aren't right there.

Welcome! There's a great group of people on this thread. I'm a newbie myself but any of us are always willing to help answer questions when we can.

 

[Devona]

Welcome, Xp chick! Lovely barn and pasture. Wish I had some of that here.
Such a pretty chickie, lady loveall.

 

[boskelli1571]

@BakerzDozen Don't quote me on this, I'm no expert, I'd go ahead and feed them the scratch. I did for awhile once to save $. Fermented the scratch, three days. They had oyster shell free choice and I gave them whole ground fish and condensed whey for extra protein and dandalion greens for vitamins, have kale now. I didn't notice any change in growth in the dozen cockerels or egg production/quality in the pullets.
You can get two pound bags of dry pinto beans for a dollar at real dollar stores for added protein, soak and cook them first, I've done this also.
None of this is recommended I'm sure, but do what we have to.
I hear too much corn makes them fat and not lay good, winter time though I don't think the extra carbs will hurt.

There's a thread here that emphasizes caution about feeding chickens dried beans. They can in some instances be poisonous - since @BakerzDozen
has had a recent skirmish with poisoning, she might want to avoid them....

 

[tao chick]

@gramma chick. Gramma, he is asking for twenty dollars each for the Ameracaunas. Is that too much for older hens?

My questions would be: how often did they lay this last spring and summer? When did they turn 2? How many molts have they gone through? Why is he selling them? And, are they really Ameraucana?
Personally, I would expect to pay $20/hen IF they were laying daily before winter AND they looked healthy (you can find tips on checking health of a bird before buying - check the scales on their legs) AND if they're pure Ameraucana. Easter eggers are usually less expensive than $20. Do you think you could talk him down a bit on price? How much are you willing to pay for possibly 2 more birds that will eat but not produce eggs? That is the worst case scenario.

 

[Devona]

I'm thinking to forget the whole idea and find younger birds, whatever the breed. I really wanted those green and blue eggs though. Maybe next time. But patience is not really my strong suit once I've made up my mind to get something. I don't really need more birds since I have the five chicks coming up, but I though I'd would be nice to find my roo some company for the winter. Who know how long more he can live, being that he's a meat bird? So I thought laying hens would give us eggs before these chicks are ready, plus provide friends for Chick