Okies in the BYC The Original

[Stimpy]

GB, the calls are doing fine. No eggs yet but I figure they'll start laying any time now.

Breeding goals? Wow! Let's see ... I want better combs on my cock birds and I wish I could get a perfect head on some of my hens. I want a nice soft (but not too wide) feather. And heck, perfect wing carriage while I'm at it. The list is too long. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about color.

And I feed laying pellets from Atwoods. I'm very generous with corn and scratch as well as whatever scrap greens we have after meal preparation.


-Stimp-

 

[poultryand bees]

Quote:
I agree with feeding the leftovers of just about anything to the chickens. I feed mine everything that the dog won't eat, except for coffee grounds, raw potato peels and orange peels. Sometimes I cook the potato peels with red pepper flakes and feed them to the chickens in the winter, to warm them up from the inside out. Otherwise, those three things go into the compost for the worms to eat.

 

[okiemommy]

Thank you poultry and bees!!

I will see if the people at my feed store can order crumbles for me.

I love your sig line btw!!

My chickens get scratch grains, layer pellets, and various treats...though many of the treats (left over veggies etc) they don't seem to care for much. They're kind of particular

 

[Stimpy]

My birds are anything but particular. My backdoor has a squeak and you'd think it was a dinner bell. Wherever they are, when they hear that squeak, the race is on. Shame on you if you dare step on the back porch without at least a small treat.


-Stimp-

 

[HennyPennies2007]

Quote:
LOL... Mine are the same way. I changed the fencing on my run so that the run butts up against the chain link fence on my back yard. The Northwest corner of the run is about 10 feet from my backdoor. Every afternoon at 4:00 there is a pile of hens in that corner bawking away. My sliding glass door squeaks, and oh my gosh, if ya go out there, they all come running from wherever....! I call them my pet vultures!

I really want to do the hatching thing... I have seen pics of TuffOldHens' offspring and they are amazing... Just don't want to fargh it up. I stress over everything! Thanks for all the advice TOH says she will ship whenever I wanted and I could add eggs to the prize eggs. Was gonna go for about 25... and yes would NOT stop there... I have a very addictive personality. If one is good... fifty is better...

For Shore!

 

[poultryand bees]

Quote:
you aren't suggesting that an addictive personality is a bad thing, are you? I am so well known for having an addictive personality that most of the auctioneers want me to come back - again and again

I don't sew, but have a "stash" of fabric that any quilter would love. I like to look at it and think about making quilts - someday.

I started hatching chickens with a used foam Hovabator, then added an automatic turner, then another Hovabator with a fan and an automatic turner, then another Hovabator with a full clear lid so my grandson and I could more easily watch the eggs hatch. A neighbor helped me figure out the Sportsman incubator I bought at an auction and at one point last spring, I had the Sportsman full with 18 dozen eggs from the Harrah auction and had the other incubators full of eggs from my own guineas and chickens.

This year, I am committed to waiting until it is warmer to start the incubators. I am still trying to get the dust out of the house from all the chicks I had in cages with a heat lamp on them last spring. I enjoy baby chicks, but don't enjoy going outside when it is cold to be sure they are all warm and fed. Besides, my hens never laid enough eggs to make any money selling them for $2 a dozen - they just didn't lay every day. I am trying to think of the price of feed and how much we spend each month on feed, not just for chickens but for all my other critters - to keep from adding more chickens that I really DO NOT NEED!

I just really enjoy watching baby chickens hatch and since they keep growing up, I need to hatch some more!

 

[Dandelion007]

Quote:
I was getting my chicken feed at Orscheln's and Tractor Supply. The layer is 16% protein. However, I've started getting my feed at Red River Grain (across from the fairgrounds). The layer is 20% protein there. I was having a problem with pecking but that has stopped since I changed the feed. It also seems like my chickens eat less of it.

The 50 lb. bag is about $9.75 and they always carry it to your vehicle. Just sharing because I always enjoy saving money as long as quality isn't sacrificed.

 

[poultryand bees]

Quote:
I was getting my chicken feed at Orscheln's and Tractor Supply. The layer is 16% protein. However, I've started getting my feed at Red River Grain (across from the fairgrounds). The layer is 20% protein there. I was having a problem with pecking but that has stopped since I changed the feed. It also seems like my chickens eat less of it.

The 50 lb. bag is about $9.75 and they always carry it to your vehicle. Just sharing because I always enjoy saving money as long as quality isn't sacrificed.

$9.75 for a 50 lb bag of 20% feed is an excellent price. In what county is Red River Grain?

 

[Buckguy20]

Hey I am back Good to see everyone chatting. I had to assist SWAMBO, (Someone Who Always Must Be Obeyed) and just got back to the computer.
As for me, I am going to try and build my Welsummer flock, work for darker eggs with my Marans, and work on another dark egg laying flock of mixed birds.
I also have some other cross ideas I want to develop but I am not sure if I can pull all of this off.

 

[poultryand bees]

Quote:
Monty, your flock improvement may be something I could help you with and cure my obsession with hatching baby chicks at the same time. If my incubators were full of your hatching eggs, I could watch the chicks hatch and then not be responsible for keeping all those babies warm and fed. Sounds like a great idea to me.