San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[QueenofKings]

On Summer vacation now, right?

So full time chicken duties have fallen to me and today, as I was throwing veggies and kitchen scraps out I saw my three older hens eating an egg! One of them had the shell in its beak, while the other two were chasing her around for a bite. I'm assuming between the three of them they've had a bit of yolk and shell.

We've had issues with these hens before - they're the same lot that keep plucking out their feathers and what not. So either, I'm not giving them the right food (currently kitchen scraps, alfalfa, and scratch) or they've gone off the deep end.

Any ideas?

 

[niqueie]

I used fermented feed from layer feed I buy from a feed store. It saves a lot of money because there isn't any waste and it is more nutritious after the fermentation process. It's just water added to feed and stiring once or twice a day for 2-3 days. It might help.

 

[SoCalChicky]

I'm excited to finally meet u all tomorrow I'm bringing my OE cockerel and Silkie roo both of whom need a new home ...and hoping to pick up a couple more hens! see u there!

 

[SEHchicks]

Can you share a picture of your coop? We are first timers with 2.5 weeks old 4 chicks and they grow so fast so we are looking for buying or making a coop real fast too!

 

[froggiesheins]

On Summer vacation now, right?

So full time chicken duties have fallen to me and today, as I was throwing veggies and kitchen scraps out I saw my three older hens eating an egg! One of them had the shell in its beak, while the other two were chasing her around for a bite. I'm assuming between the three of them they've had a bit of yolk and shell.

We've had issues with these hens before - they're the same lot that keep plucking out their feathers and what not. So either, I'm not giving them the right food (currently kitchen scraps, alfalfa, and scratch) or they've gone off the deep end.

Any ideas?

Your birds are not getting any vitamins and mineral and not getting enough protiens and calcium so they are resorting to eating eggs AND/OR plucking and eating feathers to try to get those things. You need to get a commercially prepared layer feed with 16% protien. That will solve the problems..
p.s. scratch have NO nutrition (similar to us eating doughnuts) alfalfa is a NICE treat but not a food of subsistence and table scraps are just that..scraps/treats.

 

[ozexpat]

A proper level of protein is critical to a chicken. Ideally you should also have calcium available at all times. The calcium in the egg shells had to come from somewhere.

Ground oyster shells in a small feeder will let the chickens eat as much as they need.

One the hens start eating eggs its hard to break then out of it. You can get some ceramic eggs off eBay and leave then in the coop while pulling the laid eggs as soon as they are laid. The hens may give up picking at them. Others have used blown eggs filled with mustard.

Good luck

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Hi guys, I haven't been on here in so long! So many new faces! Anywho, does anyone know where I can purchase some creme legbars? Please email me at [email protected]

Thank you!!!

 

[Phage]

Hi guys, I haven't been on here in so long! So many new faces! Anywho, does anyone know where I can purchase some creme legbars? Please email me at [email protected]

Thank you!!!

Sent pm

 

[QueenofKings]

Changed the feed and now they're doing much better. They still have their alfalfa and scratch but now they have access to pellets which they've been eating.

Made a wonderful stew with our young roos today and culled a hen that was having issues. Now we are down to four hens and a one rooster.

 

[alisar]

So the past two weeks I have had no eggs and I'm fairly certain the squirrels were eating them. Yesterday we put out a squiirlinator and caught nine of them. But now... what if it was snakes?
And I saw this post. I don't want to know how many rattle snakes live in the wood pile by my coop
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/515899/best-way-ive-found-yet-to-deal-with-snake-problems