Pointers To Get us Started Please

[carrlr]

Admittedly I didn't have time to read all the other posts. Here is my list of advice items.

1. A clean, draft free but well ventalated, and secure coop. I use pine shavings with Diatomaceous Earth (DE) which keeps down on flys and helps keep lice and mites away. Much better than straw or hay.

2. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) in the water. Non-Metallic waterers only. Helps prevent worms, and keeps algea at bay.

3. Golfballs in the nest box to encourage laying where you want.

4. Layer feed once they start to lay. Ensures enough calcium for hard egg shells, although some supplement with having oyster shells available.

5. Variety in their diet. Vegetable scraps, mine love tomatoes and watermelon.

6. The chickens do the rest.

 

[thaiturkey]

Quote:
Great tips, thanks!

I shall use rice husk floor covering. We can't get pine shavings here and rice husk both works and comes free from a near neighbour.

I haven't heard the vinegar tip previously. I think I'll do that with the turkeys' water too.

If they don't lay in the right place today, golf balls will be out.

I haven't seen oysters here but there's no difficulty in getting mussel and small clam shells.

We have an abundance of green stuff on the land and in the hedgerows. Market castouts are cheap too. Our turkeys go crazy for banana and papaya which we grow. Watermelon will be back soon and I guess that one of the benefits of that is the water content - very important here.

Thanks again.

 

[thaiturkey]

As promised, I took a few pics. this morning. Some chickens were intent on feeding and others were preparing to lay so they refused to come outside to pose as a group. This pic. is just about the best I could get in the coop.

Any suggestions as to breed or are they Thailand specials?

 

[clintwilson59]

likes like production reds to me.

(a mix between rohde island reds and new hampshire reds) we have 2 they lay very regularly

 

[PunkinPeep]

Just wanted to say that allowing hens to free range doesn't have to also mean that they will lay out the yard. Mine free range all day and lay their eggs in the coop.

Also, TropicalChook also lives in Thailand, so maybe that user could give you some location-specific assistance. Just a thought.

 

[thaiturkey]

Thank you for those extra thoughts.

I don't see this type of chicken often here because there aren't allowed to free range the road side like the common or garden home chicken. It's handy to know the breed or cross breed. The only answer that I can get here is 'chicken brown colour'. They're funny little things and, as they spend the day eating and chattering, they remind me of old village ladies who sit on raised flooring under a roof cooking, eating and quietly gossiping. I noticed last evening that they huddled close together on the floor to sleep; I mean the chickens not the ladies, but who knows. Our turkeys insist on roosting and make it very clear to one another that they want their space.

We had five eggs yesterday. I don't expect much until they have settled in but I hope they do better than that. They chose the two shelves for laying so the nest boxes have gone up there and are fixed in.

The temporary run will have to await another builder. It was too hot for me to work out in the sun yesterday. A new turkey coop will be built as soon as we can get the guy round and I'll ask him to make the run. My feeling is that it's better to keep them in the coop for a few days anyway. After they settle they can have the run. If that works I may try free ranging. One step at a time. I rushed a few things with our poults earlier this year and lost a few as a result.

They are quite happy so far. It's early days but this seems easier than taking care of our delinquent turkeys.