Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

Keep away from the pet shops and the farm stores is my advice.

 

[Shadrach]

Good Morning to X Batts .. Wet day here.
My Dad would take the ash from the wood heater to give to birds.
'I also give wood ash to birds there is no floor in their coop.
This is tax paid ?View attachment 3127241

Yep that's tax paid.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Here's my tax for losing this thread for weeks on end. Toby, my Dom cockerel.

 

[Perris]

Keep away from the pet shops and the farm stores is my advice.

It's very early and I've not yet had any caffeine so excuse me if this is a stupid question , but what is your alternative?

 

[ManueB]

Left than Carl or than Karl ? How did the ramp building go ?

Keep away from the pet shops and the farm stores is my advice.

It's very early and I've not yet had any caffeine so excuse me if this is a stupid question , but what is your alternative?

Is a farm store a place that sells all kind of gardening and farming supplies and also does agricultural machinery repair ? We call that a cooperative agricole and it's the nearest solution for us to buy chicken food, it's a 45 mn drive.

Like you say Perris we have little other choices . And I'm not so enthusiastic as you say you were Shadrach on the quality of the food we find.
We began buying feed from the battery where we got the hen as they are also food producers. (An interesting fact is that at least in France massive batteries began not because the demand for eggs had suddenly grown exponentially, but because agricultural machinery had made it possible to mill huge quantity of cereals).
They had labels with complete analysis and date of milling and expiration date, however we found twice feed bags full of worms, and they had way too many useless additives like colorings and fragrances. Then we switched to an organic brand from a "cooperative agricole" next to my parents place and that was great until they changed it's composition and the hens would completely snob some of the grains.
Since then my partner goes to a specialized chicken and seeds store near Nice when he drives the bus. With the recent events, prices have gone way up and they don't sell anymore the organic professional range we were getting.
In France problems with chicken food was actually one of the main repercussions of the war and huge amounts of subventions have been going into the poultry sector.
I also tried buying online. There are two decent brands for backyard chickens sold online, but they are way more expensive than their equivalent in a store, and the delivery companies won't come up to our place so we still have to drive 20 mn.
Adding chicks won't make things simpler for the next four months. All this explains why like many others, I'm beginning to have an interest in the longer term mixing and/or growing part of the food.

I find it interesting how different the situation is with cat food ; I buy it online and there are several hundreds of different brands, organics or not, grain free, paleo, special needs, neutered, senior, allergic, and the list goes on indefinitely .

Tax for long ramble : with the heat wave the hens don't pay attention to water restrictions.

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But they do the lying dragon pose very often.​

It's a relief to know if we get real chicken food shortages we can always go back to grandma's way and feed them potatoes ​

​

 

[ManueB]

The mash seemed to do the trick.

That would be good news. Do you give freely or just one meal at a time ? I'm thinking in the second case if she or he eats slower he wouldn't get enough before food is finished ?

Here's my tax for losing this thread for weeks on end. Toby, my Dom cockerel.

View attachment 3127994

He's really beautiful!
I like that dominic breed, they seem pretty massive like many dual type birds. I read they were one of the first breed brought to America by the settlers, I'm not sure the breed made the travel back to Europe.

 

[ManueB]

High protein feed for the chicks. I try to feed everyone a high protein feed. The high protein isn't a problem given excess just gets excreted.
!8% protein, 1% Calcium with a Calcium source available for the layers is one way.
For a small number of laying hens providing Calcium Citrate by hand is doable.

Not that long ago chicken feed containing fish meal was still available in Southern France.

I found out recently that it's possible to buy fish meal on it's own and that's something I intend to look into..
Calcium citrate isn't sold here. It only exists as a food additive, I believe it's probably not approved for medical use.

 

[Perris]

I found out recently that it's possible to buy fish meal on it's own and that's something I intend to look into..
Calcium citrate isn't sold here. It only exists as a food additive, I believe it's probably not approved for medical use.

I just found this article and I think you'll like it
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/techniques-in-feeding-your-flock-off-the-grid.74595/

 

[BDutch]

@ManueB
We have about the same problems with feed here. They change from year to year.

• The pet shops are too expensive/have no organic.
• The farm store offers a variety of chicken feed. Also a good quality organic chicken feed the chickens like (only has too much calcium). And I am lucky its only 10 minutes by car or 15 by bike.
• The old mill in my town is even closer. Its an organic grain and meals shop too. Its great to make you’re own bread. It sells only one brand organic chicken feed. The chickens don’t like the brand of laying pellets they sell nowadays and it has too much calcium too. The grain mix is not expensive / okay.
  Link from wikimedia commons:
  
  

BTW
I love you’re landscape. MDH and me are still wondering where to go for a summer holliday.

 

[no fly zone]

That would be good news. Do you give freely or just one meal at a time ? I'm thinking in the second case if she or he eats slower he wouldn't get enough before food is finished ?

I removed her from the coop and gave her a bowl all for her.