1) are you keeping only hens or are you keeping the boys to? If only layers then you can feed layer pellets if boys as well then grower feed with oyster shell on the side. The egg shell alone won't have enough calcium if there isn't a supplement to put calcium in it to begin.And now, time for a Q or 3 from a newer chicken owner....so, I go to Runnings and I see that oyster shells are quite popular for getting calcium up. I am paranoid as heck about handling that stuff, as I have a nasty shellfish allergy - last thing I want to do is go handling the stuff. I do recall seeing somewhere that you can rinse off eggshells, bake them and grind them up really well and use that instead. Is this a viable option? And second, my chicks are varying in age from 2 days to a little over a week - I see that a lot of the gender guessing starts with looking for a comb starting to turn red, when to expect that color change (I'm guessing 2-3 weeks). Last Q - when to add grit? More precisely, how? Do they take it from a seperate container? I'm so excited that I need to make sure that I don't get ahead of myself here.
I'll take better photos tomorrow. I will probably keep the boys, as long as they aren't too aggressive. There's only 1 that I think for sure is a boy for right now, the farm manager at Runnings did a great job getting me all the ladies. My friends want to bring their kids over and I don't want them getting terrorized.
in a day or 2 try removing the board and just leave the bars between them. They need to see each other for a bit without being able to fight between ages. As long as the tiny RIR are eating drinking and going poo good they should be ok. Keep an eye to make sure . Yes the garden goodies are a chick fav. I use a small container to put a scoop of my garden , bugs and all, in the brooder. They make a terrible mess but it's so fun to watch.I'll take better photos tomorrow. I will probably keep the boys, as long as they aren't too aggressive. There's only 1 that I think for sure is a boy for right now, the farm manager at Runnings did a great job getting me all the ladies. My friends want to bring their kids over and I don't want them getting terrorized. So, oyster shells, check. I'll get my friends or non allergic family to handle that then, lol. I was figuring on giving them some dirt and grass bits from the yard in the morning, there's probably some teeny grit in the garden dirt. So, the current head count is 16. 5 ISA brown pullets, 1 ISA brown boy (? not familiar with all the terms yet), 3 dixie rainbows and 7 RIR pullets. I must admit, I'm a little nervous with some of the RIR's, theres 2 that are small, 1 is tiny! Eating and taking lots of water with ACV, so thats a good sign I guess. *squeee! they're all so cute!*And they love the "toys". Balancing on TP rolls/pill bottles. It's hilarious.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1058760/new-york-mini-chickenstock-2016/300#post_16751648 that thread could be a good place for you as well. Are you familiar with Harpursville?
Yes, that was the plan with the cardboard. I figured a quiet day for the youngest would be best. I am determined to not lose any right off the bat - set them up in my sewing room (finish that quilt later, lol). My dogs are curious as all heck - we keep telling them that you only eat chicken AFTER it's been cooked. I swear, the one pup looks at you and acts like she knows exactly what you mean.
dogs and kids make chicks twice as much work. They either want to eat them or snuggle them to death.
