South Carolina

[RedBugPoultry]

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Very Nice!!

 

[Joycats]

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DH and I were just talking about this very subject. Interested to hear others thoughts.

I would research doing that before trying it. I saw a documentary on chickens. The narrator said poultry houses alter the lights for more production, but the laying life span is signifigantly shortened.

The only lights I put on my hens are red heat lamps during the really cold weeks. I usually give extra heat to my oldest layers as they have the most open coop. They do seem to lay better while they have extra heat. I personally think heat is more important than daylight. I don't plan on extending the daylight with artificial lighting. I have a friend that does this, his lights are on timers and he does it year round. He also only keeps sexlinks and he switches them out every 6 months. I have mostly heritage breeds and they are very different in their laying ability. My six year old hens still give me a few eggs every week. I'd be interested to know what happens if anyone does experiment with this.

 

[Joycats]

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I got tired to trying to scoop them all out and make separate bins so I just let them all stay in their own bins now. Believe me, they multiply and grow like mad! I am not sure if it is because it has been nice and warm this summer, even in an AC house or if they will continue to grow like this through the winter.

I have tons and tons of worms! Here is a photo I took yesterday of my second generation AFTER I scooped about 6 cups out to feed.
On top of the newspaper.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_worm_colonies_8-11_001.jpg

In middle of the newspaper........

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_worm_colonies_8-11_009.jpg

And under the newspaper...........

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_worm_colonies_8-11_008.jpg

And remember, this is only one bin and after getting out 6 cups!

That looks like a very successful meal worm farm Amy! Good Job! I gave mine up, as I'd raised mealworms for about 8 years (to feed my son's lizard). Poor lizard passed and I decided to give up the worm farming.....for now anyway. I kept mine in the laundry room and occasionally one of those beetles would escape and crawl across the floor.

My mother knew for sure I was crazy when I started farming worms....and had a lizard living in the house on purpose.

Now my youngest son is very interested in the worms but he likes earthworms. He has a little worm farm but it's on the porch right now.

 

[huckleberryfarm]

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I

this !!!! Just Beautiful!
and when you add plants make sure to get drought resistant and maybe deer resistant... maybe two Miscanthus sinensis ( Zebra Grass ) on either side and some fushia colored double-knock out roses underneath. LOW/NO maintence and pretty from spring to the end of fall, Just a few ideas I love to garden and have both these plants, and wish my yard was full of them cause I do nothing to them at all, except cut zebra grass down in late fall and do one good pruning to the rose bush mid feb. Hope this helps with ideas!

I love Knockout Roses. They are so pretty and maintenance-free! Thanks for the ideas!

 

[dixiebeast]

Ok so the silkie I posted about yesterday is his normal perky self today...I guess he was just being a bum! I have my Roo Lucky and my hen Big Red both bakoking something that makes me think a first egg may be soon! I just hope everyone else is having a sunny,happy,chicken morning too!

On another note PINK...I havent seen you on in a few days,hope all is well and I am curious if your Polish hens are giving any eggs yet? Moms isnt and asked me about yours...

 

[pinkwindsong]

OK, yesterday we picked up 20 day old chicks for the 4-h broiler program. all hatched within 24hrs. everyone bright and peeping... got hem home to my homemade brooder out in my home made coop... found that my heat lamp i used this past spring had somehow been broked... sotook out my reading lamp from my bedroom and rigged it up for heat ( was supposed to drop to 68 last night) got the lamp bare bulb situated so that it was keeping a decent steady heat.. when I went out at 2am it was almost 90 maybe cloer to 85. everyone was peeping and eating , sleeping. none seamed cold or hot just milling around..

went out this am and yeahhhh everyone is doing good eating, drinking pooping and peeping.... I had forgotten how active and curious day old chicks are.. trying to flap their wings and trying to get out of the boxed in cage.. then plopp.. one gets thru the box sides and through the cage slates and bloop hits the ground.. running,.... barred rock roo hot on its trail.. got him swooped up and put back in the " brooder cage I fixed up. ." not good enough".... so I put it back in and a little one catches my eye.. this chick looks like the exorcist chick when she spun her head around.. What in the world? so I pick it up and gently try to figure out which way the head is supposed to be on.... its like one of those owls that turn their heads all the way around.. creepy.. so figure it out which way is up.. and give it some water.. it drank out of my hand.. and peeps.. but the min you let the head go... it spins right back around... ive got it in the house with me I figure it will die???? but I cant have it out there geting all stepped on and climbed over by the other chicks..

Is it a broken neck..??? did it get squished?????


any explanation and help would be great..

I did make them up a new brooder box till they get bigger and cant fit through the slat's,

)O(
blessed be
PInk

 

[pinkwindsong]

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I got tired to trying to scoop them all out and make separate bins so I just let them all stay in their own bins now. Believe me, they multiply and grow like mad! I am not sure if it is because it has been nice and warm this summer, even in an AC house or if they will continue to grow like this through the winter.

I have tons and tons of worms! Here is a photo I took yesterday of my second generation AFTER I scooped about 6 cups out to feed.
On top of the newspaper.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_worm_colonies_8-11_001.jpg

In middle of the newspaper........

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_worm_colonies_8-11_009.jpg

And under the newspaper...........

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_worm_colonies_8-11_008.jpg

And remember, this is only one bin and after getting out 6 cups!

That looks like a very successful meal worm farm Amy! Good Job! I gave mine up, as I'd raised mealworms for about 8 years (to feed my son's lizard). Poor lizard passed and I decided to give up the worm farming.....for now anyway. I kept mine in the laundry room and occasionally one of those beetles would escape and crawl across the floor.

My mother knew for sure I was crazy when I started farming worms....and had a lizard living in the house on purpose.

Now my youngest son is very interested in the worms but he likes earthworms. He has a little worm farm but it's on the porch right now.

I know the bennifits but... yuck.. their just so icky.....

 

[pinkwindsong]

Susanne , your sign look just wonderful..

 

[dixiebeast]

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WRY NECK??? idk...hoping it makes it though! Did you read my post above yours? Now I know where you have been...playing with fuzzy butts!LOL

 

[emptynester]

The choice of which roosters get to stay and breed and which roosters get to stay for dinner has officially been made

I chose strictly based on type and not anything else. So, taking that information I headed on over to another thread to do some research on color genetics, etc. Man, I have to tell you- we have a really nice group of people on this thread here. There are no snobs, no one who types in a condescending tone, no one here acts like their chicken poop don't stink

I Love you all!