People with more than 10 chickens

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

... maybe local church that gives to the community or just offer free eggs to families that could really use them.

I have a neighbor couple that goes to get the mail for a woman who is housebound (her health does not let her leave the house much). They check on her once a week and pick up her mail when they get theirs from the community mail box a few miles away.

I have started giving them a dozen eggs to bring to her along with her mail.

I have never met her, but I trust that all the help and free love she gets out of being cared for helps lessen the burdens of a life without good health. She sent an envelope with nickels and dimes as 'payment' once, but I think she realized she couldn't afford to be generous, so it didn't happen again. I don't care, it is love I am sending, not eggs. (they just look like eggs )

Also a former neighbor of my spouse who is having a hard time. (she only has part time work as a school crossing guard to live on) She gives me her vegetable scraps and I give her eggs the chickens LOVE her vegetables, so it is the best deal I could make for everyone. I tell her that the chickens love their auntie's gifts and want her to keep dropping in. I like to see she is eating well, and the occasional duck eggs give her something special to serve her grandson when comes to visit. He will fondly remember his grandmother making him duck eggs someday. Maybe he will keep ducks as a result!

Look around, and if you can suggest a 'trade' it might make the charity easier to accept. Pride can be an issue with good intentions. Maybe someone elderly could use a little farm-freshness and make you a cake from time to time.

Maybe the church has bake sales and you can donate some eggs to the bakers. Among them you might find the person who needs your egg-shaped-love-bombs.

Open your heart to giving love and someone will walk in to accept it.

 

[My2butterflies]

I have a neighbor couple that goes to get the mail for a woman who is housebound (her health does not let her leave the house much). They check on her once a week and pick up her mail when they get theirs from the community mail box a few miles away.

I have started giving them a dozen eggs to bring to her along with her mail.

I have never met her, but I trust that all the help and free love she gets out of being cared for helps lessen the burdens of a life without good health. She sent an envelope with nickels and dimes as 'payment' once, but I think she realized she couldn't afford to be generous, so it didn't happen again. I don't care, it is love I am sending, not eggs. (they just look like eggs )

Also a former neighbor of my spouse who is having a hard time. (she only has part time work as a school crossing guard to live on) She gives me her vegetable scraps and I give her eggs the chickens LOVE her vegetables, so it is the best deal I could make for everyone. I tell her that the chickens love their auntie's gifts and want her to keep dropping in. I like to see she is eating well, and the occasional duck eggs give her something special to serve her grandson when comes to visit. He will fondly remember his grandmother making him duck eggs someday. Maybe he will keep ducks as a result!

Look around, and if you can suggest a 'trade' it might make the charity easier to accept. Pride can be an issue with good intentions. Maybe someone elderly could use a little farm-freshness and make you a cake from time to time.

Maybe the church has bake sales and you can donate some eggs to the bakers. Among them you might find the person who needs your egg-shaped-love-bombs.

Open your heart to giving love and someone will walk in to accept it.

That is a lovely suggestion! And so true that it is love that just happens to look like eggs I try to give to family as much as possible, but most family is all hours away.

 

[writerskramp]

My hens laid soft eggs when they got spoiled and ate only scratch grain. I had to starve them, for them to eat layer pellets.

Try fermented feed.. it's everywhere.. They like it and you will see a boost in eggs and healthy and fatter chickens.. Cut back on expense by 2/3rds.. It's a bit of a pain, but so is having chickens. Smells a might.. Grocery is simple, but not always available. Times up. Hungry hungry hippopotamus..

 

[B-Goock]

I havent had it happen, but I've heard of some hens refusing to eat the oyster shell granules and people buying some sort of smaller flake version or something. Try creating a thread in the feeding/nutrition section and I'm sure you'll get more responses.

You can just toss oyster shell in a cheap blender. I keep one in the shed for crushing oyster shell to smaller sizes for quail. The dust i just throw in their dust box.
Blenders also handy for egg shells & grinding feed for baby quail.

 

[tripletfeb]

I know I am in the very slim minority but chicken math has never happened to me. I have no desire to have more chickens than I do now, which is four. Yes, I started with six but after two died, I don't want to replace them. No, they are not pets and I am not in love with my chickens. I just don't want any more than I need. I only wanted chickens for the eggs and I get enough to feed my family plus some. And yes, I can only have six max where I live but again, I have no desire to have more so that restriction doesn't affect me. I think baby chicks are cute but I hate waiting for the eggs. I give my girls a good life, they give me eggs. Symbiotic relationship

 

[ChookieG]

I live in a residential area with a two chicken limit, but I have 15 chickens. I put my rooster in a transportation box at night and keep him in a dark storage room. I let him out when the sun comes out. This guy starts crowing when its still dark outside and its non stop. If I let him sleep outside the neighbors will report me. He starts crowing a little later in the storage room and the sound is contained. I take out a hand full of his poop on pine shavings and replace what I take out daily. No crow collars kill Bresse roosters, their neck skin is too thick and fatty in comparison to other heritage birds.

Does he crow when he's in the box? I do the same to my roo and he still crows in the box. I read somewhere that if the height of the box is low enough that'll stop the roo from crowing as they need to extend their necks out to do so but I haven't had any luck. Was wondering whether it's because I don't have the ceiling low enough.

 

[ChookieG]

My hens laid soft eggs when they got spoiled and ate only scratch grain. I had to starve them, for them to eat layer pellets.

My hens hated the layer pellets too when I started giving them scratch grain. I swapped to crumbles and they love that so you may wanna try that instead.

 

[Justicedog]

In my county, we're only allowed 6 chickens, if we have a rooster and a neighbor complains, we have to get rid of it. The feed store (or state) has a law that you have to buy at least 5 chicks at a time. So, first batch I got 6, assuming one or more would die. None did. 4 years later, I had 4 remaining, but eggs were not plentiful. So, I got 5 chicks that year (minimum). 5 years later, I've got 4 remaining of that batch, I'm only getting one egg every couple of days, only one of them is laying. I'd heard of folks being able to get fewer chicks than the 5 minimum, so I went to the feed store and acted like I knew what I was doing and said I wanted 4, and it was allowed. However, they didn't have one of the breeds I wanted, so I came back in 4 days and got the french Black copper marans, so I got 5 chicks total anyway.

Ideally, I'd get 3 chicks every other year, which, for me, means I'd probably end up with 4 every other year.

I'm over my "allowed", however, our property abuts a wooded area behind a pool club, so I've only got 2 neighbors, one who gets eggs and was going to get his own chickens (which I was going to brood for him and then keep 3) but his wife told him no chickens. I don't think my other neighbor would "tell"on me or really know how many I had. I'm not sure if they would fuss if I had a rooster. Hopefully, I'll not have to find out.

 

[Justicedog]

I don't care, it is love I am sending, not eggs. (they just look like eggs )

I love this!!

 

[CNJ]

My hens hated the layer pellets too when I started giving them scratch grain. I swapped to crumbles and they love that so you may wanna try that instead.

I locked them up and started feeding my hens layer crumble. I checked my mechanical feeder today and it was almost empty. I came to the same conclusion.