Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[notabitail]

Tax.

 

[Skyeknight]

I was braced, thank goodness!

I had been saving up eggshells, so I crushed a 600 mg calcium tablet, added to the shells, nuked for three minutes, and crushed them too. Once they cooled down, I took the bowl outside, and Lil has been devouring them. I guess she hasn’t been interested in the oyster shells - I may need to pound on them with a hammer.

They just turned 16 weeks old 2 1/2 weeks ago and have been refusing the layer feed I’d already bought, so I’ll need to find a more palatable Ca supplement.

I have never fed oyster shells since I had always live on seaclay grounds. I am currently planning to feed them back the eggshells I get. But being kinda on the fence about since eggs contain too much PFAS. Will be keeping the calcium tablets in mind!

Refusing layer feed is relatable. My Cornish Rocks didn't eat it either so started mixing it with their old food for a week before fully feeding layer feed. Although with my recent bags the pellets are quite long for my liking.

 

[MrsNorthie]

Refusing layer feed is relatable.

Our's will not touch pelletized feed. They love whole grains, lightly fermented or dry, so I keep calcium and grit in containers that they can consume whenever they need it.

 

[Sally PB]

My ladies like eggshells. I'm nearly out, because it takes 3-4 eggshells to make another egg. So I bought some flaked oyster shell to mix in with the pelletized OS I got at TSC.

 

[ChaosMom]

My ladies like eggshells. I'm nearly out, because it takes 3-4 eggshells to make another egg. So I bought some flaked oyster shell to mix in with the pelletized OS I got at TSC.

Did you also buy the flaked shell at TSC? I’m having a hard time finding anything other than the small chunks.

 

[Sally PB]

No, I had to order it. Which I hate doing, because UPS/FedEx tend to deliver it to the neighbor, or can't find us, etc.

I haven't seen signs that the ladies like this. Lots of it billed out on the ground. They're looking for eggshells.

The stuff at TSC is the pelleted stuff. They aren't a fan.

I've been mixing a few calcium citrate pills into their mash snack a couple times a week. Dissolve the pills in some water and mix in with the feed to make the mash.

 

[Shadrach]

Four hours today. Warm, but a fairly stiff breeze put a chill in the air as soon as the sun went down.
The chickens are doing well currently. The SLM problems are improving. They're getting more excercise due to me being there for longer. They're getting on better.

 

[thistlewick]

My girls free range, so foraging all day long and lots of grit from the soil and calcium from bug carcasses - however, I still provide this really awesome thinly flaked oyster shell and they love it.

I also have roosters, so they get All Flock Crumble from Purina, 20% protein.

I don't know why anyone would want to reduce the protein content, I've never had them on anything else, and I've only had 3 soft shell eggs in a year from ~17 laying hens. (2 of those was from an end-of-cycle weird blip from Chocolate, who laid 2 in one day :O )


Also, just as an aside -- TSC sells Scratch and Cracked Corn as if was REASONABLE FEED to feed your chickens, and I see people carting away bags of it... and I just... how must those chickens look?! 6% protein?!? 35% fat?!? Do they even lay????

Am I a snob? I'm probably a snob. I'm okay with that.

 

[fuzzi]

Earthquakes. Earthquakes scare me more than tornadoes and hurricanes..LOL

I'm with you on that thought...

 

[notabitail]

Also, just as an aside -- TSC sells Scratch and Cracked Corn as if was REASONABLE FEED to feed your chickens, and I see people carting away bags of it... and I just... how must those chickens look?! 6% protein?!? 35% fat?!? Do they even lay????

Not good. We had to convince a relative to feed their chickens food. They're doing a lot better now and we even built them a coop so that their chooks will be extra happy.