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MotorcycleChick said:
Personally, I gave my turkeys layer feed when they were old enough. It's what I read to give them. Of course, that was my breeding stock. BBW and the Bourbons I was butchering got the extra protein to fatten them up.

I want to say, "I LOVE YOU, KAREN! I LOVE YOU, KAREN! I LOVE YOU, KAREN...!!!" I have a ton of flashlights (don't we all?) and all but two are without batteries (again, common). The two with batteries are MIA. When I sold my flocks a year ago, I put them somewhere, and can't figure out where (ditto with my brooder lamps... Which I think I just remembered where they are!!). Anyway!! Fisherlady and her DH brought me my current flock months ago, and she dropped her mini Mag light. Lucky me, I have been grabbing it before going out most nights. I was walking down by the coops, and turned around to find a skunk about four feet away from me.
th.gif
Without a flashlight, I would have walked right up to it! Fortunately, I got away, and the dog was up by the house.
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Love ya too!
hugs.gif
I am soooo glad it saved you from that!

BTW , did your broody ever commit? We were hoping to see some chick pics from you soon!
Do you want any silver pencil girls to add to your coop?
 
Wooo, Niko stopped being broody. I think the cold and damp discouraged her since she was doing it in the brush pile, not the coop. I really didn't want more chicks until maybe spring. Bridget is coming off her molt nicely but still looks rather tatty.
If I don't get the little guys that aren't so little now in the run early enough, they still go up to the top of the coop and get in the trumpet vine that is growing up the fence from the backdoor neighbor's yard. I tried fencing it off but they figured out a way to get over it. Stubborn little cusses.
Egg production is way down. Either they've found a super secret hiding place or they've gone on strike.
 
MotorcycleChick said:
Personally, I gave my turkeys layer feed when they were old enough. It's what I read to give them. Of course, that was my breeding stock. BBW and the Bourbons I was butchering got the extra protein to fatten them up.

I want to say, "I LOVE YOU, KAREN! I LOVE YOU, KAREN! I LOVE YOU, KAREN...!!!" I have a ton of flashlights (don't we all?) and all but two are without batteries (again, common). The two with batteries are MIA. When I sold my flocks a year ago, I put them somewhere, and can't figure out where (ditto with my brooder lamps... Which I think I just remembered where they are!!). Anyway!! Fisherlady and her DH brought me my current flock months ago, and she dropped her mini Mag light. Lucky me, I have been grabbing it before going out most nights. I was walking down by the coops, and turned around to find a skunk about four feet away from me. :th Without a flashlight, I would have walked right up to it! Fortunately, I got away, and the dog was up by the house.
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Wow! That's a close call for sure.
 
LadyBehir said:
Wooo, Niko stopped being broody. I think the cold and damp discouraged her since she was doing it in the brush pile, not the coop. I really didn't want more chicks until maybe spring. Bridget is coming off her molt nicely but still looks rather tatty.

If I don't get the little guys that aren't so little now in the run early enough, they still go up to the top of the coop and get in the trumpet vine that is growing up the fence from the backdoor neighbor's yard. I tried fencing it off but they figured out a way to get over it. Stubborn little cusses.
Egg production is way down. Either they've found a super secret hiding place or they've gone on strike. 
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I have found that I think that often...are,they laying? Or are they hiding them?... We have a bunch of crows hanging around , and I know they're egg thieves. I saw evidence of an egg that had been taken and eaten by a crow. I hesitate to shoo them because they do help scare off the hawks.

 
MotorcycleChick said:
Personally, I gave my turkeys layer feed when they were old enough. It's what I read to give them. Of course, that was my breeding stock. BBW and the Bourbons I was butchering got the extra protein to fatten them up.

I want to say, "I LOVE YOU, KAREN! I LOVE YOU, KAREN! I LOVE YOU, KAREN...!!!" I have a ton of flashlights (don't we all?) and all but two are without batteries (again, common). The two with batteries are MIA. When I sold my flocks a year ago, I put them somewhere, and can't figure out where (ditto with my brooder lamps... Which I think I just remembered where they are!!). Anyway!! Fisherlady and her DH brought me my current flock months ago, and she dropped her mini Mag light. Lucky me, I have been grabbing it before going out most nights. I was walking down by the coops, and turned around to find a skunk about four feet away from me.
th.gif
Without a flashlight, I would have walked right up to it! Fortunately, I got away, and the dog was up by the house.
Click to expand...
th.gif
that's a little to close for comfort.

dheltzel said:
This seems to be the consensus, that roos (or hens that are not laying) fed layer feed will develop kidney problems. I suppose that as many surplus roos as we have around, many people don't worry too much about that, but from what I've read it is something to consider.

I use a 22% breeder pellet for my turkeys, with oyster shell available free choice. I use the same for my breeding pens, and an 18% layer for the pens that I'm just using for eating eggs. Those pens have roos, but I choose to feed them the layer anyway. I can also get a 16% grower that I may look into for maintenance to save some money.
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I believe the flock raiser I feed everybody is 20%. I've heard from others on here who feed turkeys and chickens the flock raiser like I do and have had decent enough results/luck with it. Makes it a little easier for me as well cause than I only have to buy one kind of feed and can offer oyster shell on the side for those that want it and it's not to hard on the boys.
 
I've started just feeding everyone 18%/19% grower and keeping oyster shell available. I seem to constantly have younger birds out there, everyone prefers to eat everyone else's food and the turkeys will still get decent protien.
 
MotorcycleChick said:
She did commit. But, there was an accident two days ago. With everyone taking cover under the tarp, there was apparently a fight in the box. All the eggs were broken and no one survived.
Do I want some pencil girls? Does a man on death row want to be set free?
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Sorry to hear about the accident with the broody nest...

I will save 2 or 3 back for you or more if you want... our last 3 hatches produced 26, 2 went to aurora and the rest are growing like bad weeds, about 50/50 for m/f. we have another spr hen sitting on another clutch of spr eggs (I think she was protesting me selling some of the summer hatch, she parked as soon as they left)
We should have a handful of mixes available by Christmas, also. We just had that pair of hens hatch out a group and another of our older mutt broodies is also setting on a clutch of BY mix eggs.
 
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I switched to all flock about a year ago, and I love it! My only issue with it is that I can only buy it in crumbles and not pellets. Although I do ferment it, crumbles don't expand nearly as much as pellets do. I feed them a ton of scraps too! Spoiled rotten little things.

I seem to always have a mixed flock nowadays and it's a hassle to keep everyone separate to feed. I have oyster shell in a DIY PVC "J" feeder at all times.

I also have roosters that I plan I keeping for a while and don't want a prolonged exposure to calcium to hurt them.

I have 12 layers between 5yrs old and 6 months that give me 5-7 eggs a day! I think that is pretty good! :)

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D'coop de Can - SLW, Buff Brahma Bantams, Dominique, LF Buff Cochin, Silkie, EE's. The Cochin Camp - Barred Cochin Bantams, Black Cochin Bantams
 

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