Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

I am not sure that I doubt that the commercial feed provides adequate nutrition, I am just not sure that it is optimal nutrition and I am not confident that availability will be reliable. We have seen disruptions to supply lines or that the feed won't start hitting arm and leg prices or that I won't lose my job, it is a risk to be completely dependent on things that you can't source locally and affordably. (Besides the fact that my government seems intent on starting WWIII..) The theory is, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

With whole grains, I can stock up and if stored properly, they can be stored for a really long time and I have the luxury of space to store a lot and can keep it dry and air tight, for a really long time and with the right combination, we aren't compromising on nutrition. https://commongrains.com/how-long-can-you-store-whole-grains-or-flours-a-reference-chart/

If things really get bad, we can grow enough of certain essential food items locally, to make sure my chickens stay healthy and as comfortable as possible. (and everything in life is now centered on serving my animals in the quality and luxury that they demand. lol.) I am already working on a plan to raise mealworms, too, because heaven forbid, we can't get their favourite crunchy snacks. https://www.epicgardening.com/how-to-raise-mealworms/

Well this is where I'm in complete agreement with Perris. I don't think commercial feed is optimal for their health. Until the allotments, I had always offered it at meal times; a mash eventually. If the allotment lot could range from dawn till dusk they would eat very little of the commercial feed. If I provided 25 grams of fish or meat daily and a 100 grams of good quality whole wheat they would probably do as well, if not better than from eating commercial feed.
Mow and Dig would easily keep up with Lima who was the best I've seen here.
We'll see about the social graces and personalities later but one thing is obvious, when it comes to survival eating, Fret has taught them well.

 

[MrsNorthie]

Most die before they reach four years old.

What a waste. I know that all animals have a natural life cycle, (and it is not nearly long enough.) but, I would rather have fewer eggs and have my chickens happy and healthy for as long as absolutely possible.

 

[Shadrach]

I look forward to reading them. If I recall aright you were fermenting commercial feed then, and there is very little, if any, benefit to fermenting in that case; perhaps that influenced your views? The substrate matters.

I don't disagree with fermenting food. I've been making and feeding it to the allotment lot in one form or another for a while and more recently the balance of commercial feed to fermented whole grains and seeds offered has reversed and now ~75% of what they eat is fermented or dry and forage.
They don't like the commercial feed. Not even sure they like the feed mix I take but they prefer it to the commercial feed. What they like is forage.

You may recall I was feeding a mash in Catalonia having tried fermenting and you may recall my reason wasn't much to do with nutrition and was about me being sick of cleaning up pellets and dry feed.

The substrate matters.

This is what I'm trying to achieve, a good quality base with a wide amino acid range and the right vitamins and minerals. If I get it right and they like it and I can afford it, it shouldn't matter if it's dry, or fermented.

 

[Shadrach]

Without implying that this holds true for any other keeper with high production breeds, I will say that every ISA brown I've ever had (and they've all been with me since before their very first egg) didn't have a serious molt until after being done with laying, at 2-3 years old, and as such never truly stopped producing eggs up until that point

That is my understanding of the modern Red Sex Links in general. They may lay 900 to 1000 eggs in their first three years and perhaps live for a further six to nine months with reduced laying or not laying at all evenually secumbling to reproductive diseases.

 

[fluffycrow]

That is my understanding of the modern Red Sex Links in general. They may lay 900 to 1000 eggs in their first three years and perhaps live for a further six to nine months with reduced laying or not laying at all evenually secumbling to reproductive diseases.

Yup. Koutsi, the disabled girl stopped laying at one and a half, and then went on to live without laying for the same amount of time. That's the most any ISA brown of mine has survived after stopping egg production (actually that might be a lie, in my first ever flock there might've been a girl that lived for 2 years with no eggs, but I'm not 100% sure on that). Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but the matriarch of the Tsouloufati flock, my last remaining ISA brown hen, passed away in September. She was part of what I sometimes call the old guard, birds who had met birds that had met my very first birds. The same group Koutsi was a part of. Was really fond of those birds. ISA brown always have amazing personalities, it's a real pity they have all the other bad attributes. I will miss having those amazing birds, but I don't want to go through losing them so soon ever again

 

[no fly zone]

What a waste. I know that all animals have a natural life cycle, (and it is not nearly long enough.) but, I would rather have fewer eggs and have my chickens happy and healthy for as long as absolutely possible.

I would not have cared if Skeksis only laid one egg a year. I loved her so much.

 

[Shadrach]

Three hours of cold again today. It's my hands and brain, neither of them function properly in the cold. The eldest gave me a pair of chemical reaction hand warming pads to try out. She had used them in the morning on her bike in a local woods and they were still giving out heat when I finally headed back to the flat on the 20.50 train.

Carbon's droppings were well within acceptable overnight in quality. They are confined to the coop from around 4pm when they go to roost until 8am when the pop door opens. That on the floor is a pathetic quantity of shite for five chickens confined for that period. I know, it's odd to find anyone complaining that there wasn't enough shite to clean up.

Yesterday I thought they hadn't eaten much of the spelt grain but today they were pretty even about what they ate of the fermented feed. If they'll eat the spelt which has a good amino acid range and the protein analysis is correct at 17%mixed in with the other grains and seeds from my current estimates I've got a feed.

Most of the commercial feeds I've seen have cheap wheat mixed with pea protein or soy protein to get the protein percentage up and complete the essential amino acids. Spelt has a good range of amino acids, particularly methionine and Lysine when uncooked.

Everybody came out and for the last couple of hours the sun shone.

 

[BDutch]

I am just not sure that it is optimal nutrition and I am not confident that availability will be reliable. We have seen disruptions to supply lines or that the feed

Right, supply chains are not reliable.

I rather give chick feed in winter because all other complete feed has high levels of calcium and my chickens (3-8 yo) don’t lay any eggs for a months. So I ordered a bag of organic chick feed for the winter period several weeks ago at the mill. Had to pay in advance. Today I got a cancelation and my money back. reason : The factory only produces chick feed in spring.

The animal/gardening shop stopt selling normal size bags with chick feed. I refuse to buy the small bags with organic chick feed at a local store. Really too expensive, 12 euro for 5kg.

I searched for an alternative. And found two.
The first option is an online order. € 22,50 for 20 kg, thought this was okay. but its € 31,60 with delivery included.

The second option :
Buying 100 kg at once from a factory nearby. The factory doesn’t deliver or take orders for less. Luckily I can order together with a chicken keeper in the neighbourhood. Because the meal and pellets wont stay fresh the whole 100 kilos.
She has done this before and is pleased with the quality. The price is really nice. About 18 euros for 20 kg organic chick feed or scratch/mixed grains and only 16 euros for the organic layer feed. + 15 km drive or 20 euro for delivery.
One problem to solve: I need more large paint buckets for storage.

Tax with chick feed - when Ini mini was mama for the second time in 2019.

 

[BDutch]

What a waste. I know that all animals have a natural life cycle, (and it is not nearly long enough.) but, I would rather have fewer eggs and have my chickens happy and healthy for as long as absolutely possible.

Commercial hybrids don’t lay more eggs than many older breeds. They only lay faster.

My 8 and 9 year old hens lay max 5 eggs a week from the time they started to lay as a pullet. They did lay good eggs last year too. But the break in autumn and winter gets longer every year. I guess these hens must have laid over 800 -900 eggs by now. Just a guess, I didn’t count.

 

[BDutch]

Im getting a bit worried about Ini mini. Yesterday I saw her sitting as if she was producing a big dropping . But no dropping arrived and she walked on again. Today she did this again. And I had the idea she wasn’t moving around as quick as she normally does.
I think she has a constipation. Tomorrow I will buy some grapes for her to make stimulate the intestines. But if you have other or better suggestions I be happy to read them.

My flock of 6 bantam hens.