***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[upcdayz]

The sick little chick still isn't doing well, in fact she's not doing as well as before. She hardly eats at all, even when I try to hand feed her, and sleeps on her side most of the time. The only time she wakes up is when I pick her up or jiggle her a little. Last night I held her for the longest time thinking she was going to pass at any moment, but she's still hanging in there. I'm worried that she's suffering. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I guess I'm looking for a second opinion. I hate to do the deed, but ....

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
If I didn' t get welsummers from 3 different sources I would consider that it might have just been because they were not healthy birds or something like that. I am certain they just don't hold up in the heat like the others. I have lost welsummers of all ages so the breed is the only thing I can blame. Think I would feel differently if I was loosing others to the heat regularly. We have barley had any days less than 105 in the past month & only 1 rain. There has been rain close to use, so we have gotten the humidity. The rain just seems to go around! I wonder why yours are doing better Cuban longtails. Maybe you talk nicer to your birds than I do????

We swore off welsumers ouselves, our other birds ate them when they were young and the welsummers allowed it happen. I have no idea how they do in the heat because we never got one past 12 weeks old.

I learned early on they have to be brooded separately. Same with my d'uccles and serama. Everything else I raise seems to be able to hold their own.

 

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

I was thinking of getting two more hens because it would be really nice to actually be getting some eggs!!!! (OMG it's starting already, I need more chickens!!!!)

I saw this add on CL

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/grd/2563526081.html

Anyone know this guy or have experience with his stock?

Angela

 

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

Quote:
Boil for 17 min ice water 17 min. Others say salt in the water also helps. I prefer to put them in the water before it boils others do the opposite. Or leave them on the counter for 2 wks then boil them.

Also, I have read the more aged an egg is, the better it is to peel. Leave eggs out on the counter for a day before you boil, and that should help.

2 weeks? Isn't that a bit long?

 

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

Quote:

It is probably best to end her suffering.

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
You can come trade me for a healthy one or two for your troubles, and you will not have to deal with it..

 

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

Quote:
If you are looking for good egg production and not concerned with a good fertile rooster you should feed soy bean based feeds, Stillwater Milling uses soy bean meal as the primary source of protien, allowing them to free-range will let them get the animal protien and fresh greens they need. Soy Bean based poultry will help increase egg production but may and likely will reduce rooster fertility if it is teh sole source of feed.
Why would you want a corn and soy free feed? lacking in those two sources the birds will have to gain some of thier requirements elsewhere such as a scratch or grain suplement. Both Corn and Soy are very good for laying hens, the oild in them help in feather quality and sheen, and help add weight quite naturally to the bird.
The A&M (Stillwater Milling) is a very well balanced feed source and is likely better than any "Organic" Chicken feed.

Many people are against using corn & soy because of gmo's. For health reasons I do choose to eat organic & aviod anything that isn't natural. I have a large complex liver cyst. The liver is your bodies filter. Recovering from a liver resection is at min a 6 month recovery. The longer I can keep my liver clean & avoid that surgery the better. Plus suffer from migraines that are triggered from most processed foods.
I am ok with feeding my girls corn, since it is part of a birds natural diet. I feed them cracked corn as a treat. I use the cracked corn to
call the guineas in as well. I will not let me dogs eat any food that has corn in it. How many dogs have you seen eat an ear of corn? I know many people think organic is just a fad but I am not part of the fad. I am eat as healthy as possible for better liver function & a better quality of life.

I am one of these. The feed I found has corn in it, but they do not use GMO corn seed. (It is possible they get some drift over from a local farmer using GMO seed). I believe the growers are Menonites, grow all the ingredients themselves, and mix the feed themselves. For a higher protein they use fish meal. They can't certify it organic, so they don't say their high protein feed it organic. But this is as close as I can find.

 

[Buckguy20]

Quote:
We swore off welsumers ouselves, our other birds ate them when they were young and the welsummers allowed it happen. I have no idea how they do in the heat because we never got one past 12 weeks old.

I learned early on they have to be brooded separately. Same with my d'uccles and serama. Everything else I raise seems to be able to hold their own.

I lost an older Welsummer hen early in the heat and I have lost a few chicks. Other than that, mine have held up as well as the others.

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
Many people are against using corn & soy because of gmo's. For health reasons I do choose to eat organic & aviod anything that isn't natural. I have a large complex liver cyst. The liver is your bodies filter. Recovering from a liver resection is at min a 6 month recovery. The longer I can keep my liver clean & avoid that surgery the better. Plus suffer from migraines that are triggered from most processed foods.
I am ok with feeding my girls corn, since it is part of a birds natural diet. I feed them cracked corn as a treat. I use the cracked corn to
call the guineas in as well. I will not let me dogs eat any food that has corn in it. How many dogs have you seen eat an ear of corn? I know many people think organic is just a fad but I am not part of the fad. I am eat as healthy as possible for better liver function & a better quality of life.

I am one of these. The feed I found has corn in it, but they do not use GMO corn seed. (It is possible they get some drift over from a local farmer using GMO seed). I believe the growers are Menonites, grow all the ingredients themselves, and mix the feed themselves. For a higher protein they use fish meal. They can't certify it organic, so they don't say their high protein feed it organic. But this is as close as I can find.

Corn, Soy Bean, and many other grains have been part of teh birds diet since they have had access to it and they do very well.
I understand the the concerns some have with Genetically Modified products and thier desire to stay clear of those products that contain them. I have my own beliefs there and choose a certain way of life.
The Fish Meal is excellent for the birds, the feed we use has a normal corn content for poultry feed (about 45%) but I have found that the best feeds contain Fishmeal. I avoid soy bean in our poultry feed due to potential fertility issues with the males.

Jcat,
I understand teh dog feed issue far too well, we keep german Rotts. They are very prone to skin allergies and have allergic reations to soy, corn and wheat in the feeds so have made certian that the feeds for our dogs is meat based, of course I have never seen a naturally vegiterian dog of any kind and do not believe that a vegetarian diet for animals that were not naturally vegitarians is a good thing.

 

[prath003]

Hi,
Just wanted to introduce myself. I've been lurking off and on for a while.

We bought 5 acres in Noble in March, and got some chicks from Atwoods to start our new flock. We had an outlaw flock for a while in central Norman, but one of the reasons we decided to buy a place outside of town was so we could keep enough chickens to feed ourselves and have a few eggs for our little boy to sell to friends in town.
We've lost several chickens in the heat, and had a big rooster cull this weekend to take pressure off the remaining hens, so now i have 10 hens, and 2 young roosters, and 3 chicks that we hatched (from eggs my MIL's hens laid) in a home made incubator. My hens are Red Broilers, Black Sex Link, Gold Laced Wyandotte (i think), and Ameraucana, and the roos are also Ameraucana. The chicks are Silver Laced Wyandotte or some combination of that, Ameraucana, and Black Sex Link. I also have 2 bronze turkeys, both male, i'm pretty sure, that are destined for the Thanksgiving table, though i keep wondering if we should butcher them sooner--they're so big now, and i'd hate for them to get tough.

We're hoping that eventually we'll have a self-perpetuating flock, with hens hatching their own or their coop-mates' eggs. None of my hens is more than 5 months old right now, so i don't figure they're going to go broody any time soon. Some aren't even laying yet. I've read that the Gold Laced Wyandottes are supposed to have a tendency to broodiness, so i'm hoping they might function as baby mamas when they get a little older. I'm planning on buying some more chicks if it ever cools down a little, but haven't decided if i want to order them from a hatchery or just try my luck at Atwoods again.