<sigh> Freeloaders

[The Zoo]

Perfect reason to deep fry the turkey in front of the coop.....

 

[SallyF]

Visit a thrift store and hang a couple of used frying pans in the coop for decoration.

 

[Kansaseq]

Take heart; my two SS girls just started laying. I'm hoping the rest decide to pick back up again

 

[TrystInn]

My line-up:

ducks - live in large pen, no nesting boxes, pond, graze the yard during the day.

chickens - heated hutch, special vitamin/electrolyte-fortified water, with protected pen with dusting box at night, individual nesting boxes, graze the yard during the day.

Egg count:

ducks - six per day

chickens - nothing for months

And who am I planning a new coop for? the ungrateful chickens. Which am I getting more for later this month? future ungrateful chickens.

Yeah, we're nuts.

 

[neuchicontheblock]

And this morning they didn't get up till late because it was CHILLY OUT!!!!! And they already have down coats on!

 

[Joyryder]

My girls got the message when I moved the BBQ next to the pen. And threatened to bring out the salt!
I reminded them that they are dual purpose hens!

Well only half got the message. But its a start.

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
This occurred to me immediately when I read the original post, but since I'm a newbie chicken keeper, too, I hesitated to respond. There is virtually no nutrition in mac and cheese - well, not from the mac, anyway, and the cheese is doubtful if it's a box mix. I'm betting it was not whole grain mac - therefore just the starchy part of the grain. Empty calories, in other words.

Aside from layer feed, I try to stick with what they would eat naturally. Mine are laying great eggs with strong shells and orange yolks. They get greens - primarily dandelions - twice a day in their suet cages, and get out of their pen for an hour or two/day to forage for bugs, worms, etc. (The latter partly for my amusement - love to see them chase each other around when somebody has a worm in her beak!) Dandelion greens are nutrition powerhouses for people and chickens:

According to the USDA Bulletin #8, "Composition of Foods" (Haytowitz and Matthews 1984), dandelions rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value. Minnich, in "Gardening for Better Nutrition" ranks them, out of all vegetables, including grains, seeds and greens, as tied for 9th best. According to these data, dandelions are nature's richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which Vitamin A is created, and the third richest source of Vitamin A of all foods, after cod-liver oil and beef liver! They also are particularly rich in fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and the B vitamins, thiamine and riboflavin, and are a good source of protein.

http://www.leaflady.org/health_benefits_of_dandelions.htm

Best of all - nobody cares if you steal dandelions from their yards!

Best of luck to you!​

 

[Jody]

I've gotten a total of 3 eggs in the last 10 days from 3 birds, and I think it's only one bird laying.

 

[3goodeggs]

Quote:
We have our bbq under the oak next to the run. We ate three fried egg sandwiches in front of them yesterday, and got half as many eggs today. Maybe we should have been more discrete. They are dual purpose too...maybe they are scared egg-less.

 

[neuchicontheblock]

I'm at the point that I think the hens want to see me pass an egg out of my butt before they will do the same. And they got yogurt as a snack...organic Greek kind, honey flavored no less. They marched right up to the front door and waved sticks at me as a threatening move.
I'm starting to get scared. About a lot of things....