NY chicken lover!!!!

[tao chick]

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

It's not a bad idea! I have two 2 yo hens and one lays an egg every other day. The other is taking a break because of light hours.

 

[tao chick]

And the one that lays every other day is sweet. Are you able to meet them before you buy them?

 

[tao chick]

Hi everyone. I hope you are all healthy and in good spirits in this cold weather. I've been lurking over on one of the FF threads. Haven't made my presence known there yet, though. I started reading it from the beginning, but I'm only at about page twenty or so. It's a couple hundred pages long. I started trying to ferment a few days ago. About six days now, because I have four jars, and I've fed FF two nights now. I'm not sure if it's really fermented, because there's not much smell. But four days soaking with acv added is supposedly enough. As I feed each jar, I leave a little scraping in the bottom and add the new stuff on top. I'm not sure if a scraping is enough, so I've still been adding a few drops of acv as I go. I think I'll try to make a bottle of acv on my own. I had 'borrowed' some acv from my cousin down the street. (I'm probably not the kind of neighbor you would want, because the other day I ran out of salt, and schlepped around the corner to my mom's and borrowed some of hers

). Anyway, my cousin had Braggs in her cupboard, so I got an ounce or two from her. I suppose if I add some Braggs to a bottle of grocery store pasteurized acv, I can make acv with the mother? I'm thinking to forego the 4 different jars and just do one big container, because on Saturday I'm going to New Jersey to pick up two Ameracaunas that I saw on Craigslist. So I will need more FF. I don't think my present jars are big enough to fit enough FF for three chickens. I would have some stirring issues. I've only been feeding FF once a day so far. In the evening. In the morning, chick gets dry feed, maybe mixed with cooked and mashed kitchen scraps. I've been mixing in a little bit of meat scraps for him a few times a week, and every time hes's fed now, it's one part grower and one part cracked corn. That's also what I'm putting into his FF. Sometimes I mix the scraps/meat into his FF in the evening or into his dry feed in the morning. At least I hope it's FF. If not, it's soaked feed.

. I'll try using filtered tap water like what we drink in the house, instead of unfiltered tap water and see if there's a
difference in the smell. Anyway, these Ameracaunas I'm supposed to be getting are about two years old, give or take, the guy said. At what age do they usually stop laying regularly? He said they're current not laying because of the shorter days, and that they're supposed to start again in the spring. From what I've read, that's quite normal. I just hope he's telling the truth about their age, and not selling me old hens! I have no idea how to tell if a chicken is old. It's not like dogs, that get gray around the muzzle.

So my new chicks have grown quite a bit in the ten days that I've had them. I transferred them from the Rubbermaid box into a rabbit cage. I hope they don't outgrow that before they're ready for outside temps. I'm not even sure if I should put them outside before spring. But by then they'll definitely be too big for the cage. At what age do you all think they can be outside in the winter? I know I'd have to take them outside gradually, if at all. Anyway folks, til next time.

The chicks should be be good in the cold weather by 8 weeks old. Gradual is right.
I don't FF so I can't help there.
Did the craigslist seller send pictures?

 

[xpchick]

Thanks for the replies, and welcomes! I apologize that this won't be individualized to who replied but that chick is so cute
I'm not 100% sure yet what I'm looking for, we are narrowing down what we think we want to try. I'm guessing in between 6-12 chickens. I think my husband thinks 4-6. haha

For the meat birds I'm assuming I'll just purchase the chicks of the standard cross for quick growing? I'm guessing 25 to start, but I'm not sure if I'm being too ambitious

Every bit I learn I realize I need to read up more on other areas. I have to go read up more on chicks - not just chickens. lol How to care for them, how long they need to be inside - things like that. So much to learn!

 

[tao chick]

Thanks for the replies, and welcomes! I apologize that this won't be individualized to who replied but that chick is so cute  
I'm not 100% sure yet what I'm looking for, we are narrowing down what we think we want to try. I'm guessing in between 6-12 chickens.  I think my husband thinks 4-6. haha  

For the meat birds I'm assuming I'll just purchase the chicks of the standard cross for quick growing?  I'm guessing 25 to start, but I'm not sure if I'm being too ambitious

Every bit I learn I realize I need to read up more on other areas. I have to go read up more on chicks - not just chickens. lol  How to care for them, how long they need to be inside - things like that.  So much to learn!

I remember this feeling. It still happens to me frequently.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

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.

new York mini chickenstock 2016 is a thread you need to visit. We will have many breeds and lots of us from this thread.

 

[Beer can]

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....

That's why I said 'soak and cook them first'. I probably should have added why.
Yes, Phytohaemagglutinin in dry beans not good for chickens, OR any animal including humans, DON'T eat dry beans! Must be cooked, not just soaked. Kidney beans have the highest level, other beans way less. Cooked is fine, we eat them. Sprouting them will also get rid of the toxin, though I doubt that store bought dry beans will sprout, never tried it anyway.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

That's why I said 'soak and cook them first'. I probably should have added why.
Yes, Phytohaemagglutinin in dry beans not good for chickens, OR any animal including humans, DON'T eat dry beans! Must be cooked, not just soaked. Kidney beans have the highest level, other beans way less. Cooked is fine, we eat them. Sprouting them will also get rid of the toxin, though I doubt that store bought dry beans will sprout, never tried it anyway.

yes, store bought dry beans sprout. We buy lentils by the 2 pound bag and I sprout them daily for my flock. Dry whole beans work fine as long as you are patient. It takes several days sitting on top of the fridge or other warm spot. I have used all sorts of beans because I can't find whole grains and I can't order them as I have no credit or debit card. I use cash or don't buy.

 

[Glasshen]

Devona, I used to ferment feed for my flock, and probably will again, and like you, I stocked up on ACV, as that was recommended on the thread I was reading. As time went on the point was made that the beneficial cultures were killed by the ACV. So I stopped using that and things went well. I kept the bucket covered with a towel, or some other fabric, and all was well. Until I became complacent and somehow winged insects discovered my bucket, so I discontinued the FF. Perhaps their descendants have forgotten about the magic bucket and I could start again. I also used to sprout for them, an that hasn't happened lately either. Those chickens of the past ate well.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

@Devona I ferment my feed and it's no more complex than making the first batch in a container large enough for 2 days worth os FF, feed 1 serving on day 3, add back enough to have 2 servings, do this daily. You don't have to add anything other than water and feed.

To feed them sprouts add enough beans or peas or lentils or whatever you have to a butter container to cover the bottom with a single layer. Cover with water, add a lid. Keep covered, it causes a greenhouse effect. Once you have neat little sprouts feed birds. Make a new batch daily if you want the birds to have sprouts daily. You should only need 4 containers or so.