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chiques chicks said:
I have a five gallon bucket. I started with water, unfiltered apple cider (maybe a cup? I just dumped some in), maybe some year of some sort if I have any around. Added some feed and scratch and stirred it around until it looked like thick soup. Cover but didn't seal ( move like it).
Every day I scoop out what I need, maybe 2/3 of it, to feed and add more wate, stir it up, add more feed and scratch, repeat every day.
I try to get a thick mash, like a loaf so I don't have to drain it.
I some the old stuff starts off the new I add every day.

I have no idea if this is the right way, but my birds wait for it and they have free choice of dry feed at all times.
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Thanks, how many chickens does 2/3 of a bucket feed for you? I have 23 currently.
 
jmayday said:
Look what I did today
Buried the block and put hardware cloth on run. Then I decided to paint my new coop.

Them let the chicks out for fresh air
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Looking great!! You will be glad later for the peace of mind your extra work now will give you! Those blocks are a lot of work but well worth it!

LisaYolkUm said:
I will be improving on my run and building a better coop at the end of April.....................

I am wondering about the run.............I see signs of diggers trying to get under..............some of these diggers I think are chipmunks ....................or a rodent of some type.

they have made tunnels under.

I feel my chickens have been safe in the daytime and this intrusion occurs at night.

I see you buried the block in your pictures..............will this be sufficient? I imagine if a digger tries to go under the weight of the bllock will impact the tunnel and perhaps a longer distance is needed to go under..........

I see some people put a wire mesh apron on their runs..................

and some people dig their mesh down a distance...........

What do you all think is best............buried block, an apron , or a straight down depth of wire?

Its a lot of work to do this so I want to pick a good technique and hopefully this years improvements will be durable and last a while.
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All will work, though the block is probably the most solid barrier and won't need replaced or repaired, since wire can rust or be chewed through or lifted if an animal really, really works at it. I placed a bunch of heavy, flat sandstone around the back of my run, it extends about 1.5 to 2 feet from the fence and is 3 or 4 rocks deep. The goal is to cause an animal to have to tunnel to get in rather than just dig a shallow hole to duck under the wire.
The other thing to consider is the amount of time it would take to breach the barrier... make sure any run area is surrounded by a 'buffer zone' of cleared area, so a visual inspection can be done daily to see if the area is disturbed. If you have shrubs or woods right against the run it provides a good place for a predator to hide and can hide their activity also. You may miss seeing signs of digging and given a few days (or nights) to work on a dig a determined predator may get through eventually.
Even if you feel your coop is protected in your private back yard (even if it is a fenced yard)... build your run as if a sneaky neighborhood stray could get in whenever they wanted... because it is amazing just how resourceful a hungry dog or fox or coyote can be... not to mention a raccoon. Make sure latches are well secured and fencing is all able to withstand at least minor stresses.

GR Chicks said:
Quote: Interested to hear how folks handle larger flocks also... we currently have 31 adults, 17 chicks (with 2 more hatches due in the next 2 weeks) and 12 meaties, which will be added to also in the next couple of weeks, since we stagger our meaty raising so the butchering is done on multiple dates.
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Auroradream26 said:
go to forums and then buy, sell, and trade. You can place an ad there for what type looking for or look at what others have. Also try Craigslist or pennswoods.net. I just found 2 silver laced wyandottes on there yesterday. I don't know whew the nearest tractor supply is to you but I know ours almost always had golden comets. Good luck!
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Thanks, I was on Craigslist today & sent a message to an ad but haven't heard back yet. I worry about getting healthy birds.
 
GR Chicks said:
Thanks, how many chickens does 2/3 of a bucket feed for you?  I have 23 currently.
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I feed about 35 on that. They do get scraps and have a feeder of dry if they want it.
My chickens aren't pets or particularly socialized, but they all gather around waiting for me to fill their bowls (if they don't start eating it out of the feed bucket first!)
 
MotorcycleChick said:
Quote:
A 50 pound bag of feed (no corn or anything) fermented lasted my gang of 28 a week. Does that help?
I use one of these to mix ferment
plastic_tub.jpg

not sure of the exact amounts that go in, and it does change according to what I have,,but basically it is 16% grower pellet with added wheat and barley, sometimes I will come across cheap birdfeed or scratch and that goes in there,,,I never figured out how to add the corn, being whole corn it does not mix well...i make mine thick since i do not want to drain it daily, oatmeal consistentcy....mix it all in the bucket and cover with a few inches of water ( I never completely empty this bucket).. it gets stirred and scooped with a ditch shovel.......mix again after feeding then it sits till the next day.....I only feed this once a day, I try to put out enough that they have an evening meal also but not have anything sitting overnight...

before anyone ask, here's a ditch shovel
1234000_L_01.JPG
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