South Carolina

[huckleberryfarm]

Thanks for all the Guinea advice. My guineas have always been with chickens. They grew up with them. To see them totally turn on the little ones was kind of shocking! Live and learn. We learn so many lessons as "new" farmers but it usually involves an animal dying.

We are on a big learning curve. My guineas are 20 weeks old. They are the size of my large chickens but bigger than the bantams. Not sure what happened, but it's maybe time to separate.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
I add corn this time of year. I am currently adding some scratch feed and ground corn. Not terribly nutritious but a nice warm food. Whole grains are very good like Southern States Rockin Rooster or Uppercut. Both have millet, milo, BOSS, corn, peas, wheat etc and when the birds fill their crops before going to bed then the whole grains last longer, keep them filling fuller through the night and that adds a bit of heat to the body. Pellets break down quickly in the crop and they are very hungry the next morning since winter nights are so long.

Rolled oats are a good food as well as rolled barley. I often find grits or rice that has bugs in it for sale and snatch those up for cooking and feeding. Sometimes adding tomatoes or bits of green to it and always trying to take that opportunity to add red pepper flakes for natural deworming but those pumpkin seeds did a good job, too.

 

[dixiebeast]

Quote:
YAY!!! COOL BEANS!!!

I got one yesterday after a 4 week break...I was glad she was back at it! I havent decided if I will set anymore yet though...She lays about 3 a week and of the ones I set only one would hatch...I am hoping to sell some " POL" birds in spring...but I am hatching in much much smaller numbers than you usually do!!

And I am fighting the urge to set moms Ameruacana eggs she is now getting!

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

Quote:
I had a similar experience last year. The guineas had been living peacefully with the chickens then one day decided the Silkie roosters needed to die. I'm glad I was outside. Bueller and Beckett had been top dogs until the two guinea girls started the chase. Those two disappeared in our first two snowstorms.

I guess I need to remove the chickens from the guinea runs when I get back home. Thank you for reminding me of this. I'm sorry for your loss but you might have prevented one (or more) at my house.

Yes, folks, my name is Janie. I spent about half an hour looking for Amy and West Knoll Farms on FaceBook. Finally gave up and called Amy. She didn't answer so I left a message and we started texting. We apparently amused her daughter.

My Thanksgiving trip got lengthened because my grandmother died Wednesday night. She was 94 and 1/2 and had been having a tough year. The past few weeks were hard on the whole family. It is a blessing that Grandma is no longer suffering. I "know" Granddad was waiting for her. Grandma is partying in Heaven and no longer in pain. I can't be sad about that.

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

Quote:
I add corn this time of year. I am currently adding some scratch feed and ground corn. Not terribly nutritious but a nice warm food. Whole grains are very good like Southern States Rockin Rooster or Uppercut. Both have millet, milo, BOSS, corn, peas, wheat etc and when the birds fill their crops before going to bed then the whole grains last longer, keep them filling fuller through the night and that adds a bit of heat to the body. Pellets break down quickly in the crop and they are very hungry the next morning since winter nights are so long.

Rolled oats are a good food as well as rolled barley. I often find grits or rice that has bugs in it for sale and snatch those up for cooking and feeding. Sometimes adding tomatoes or bits of green to it and always trying to take that opportunity to add red pepper flakes for natural deworming but those pumpkin seeds did a good job, too.

I would also suggest that anything you didn't get weeded in warm weather, weed it over the next few months and throw everything to your birds. They will eat the greens. The extra dirt from roots will help aviod deep mud in their runs. When the uneaten stuff is dried out, just rake the run and add all to your compost pile.

Chickens love bags of leaves, too.

Your family needs to eat fresh foods through the Winter. Chickens love all kinds of squashes, including pumpkins. Sweet potatoes are considered by some chicken experts as ideal food. One guy said basically if it grows in South America, it is probably good for domestic chickens.

If you are ever unsure about a food or treat, just ask on BYC. Somebody will set you right!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

Quote:
I had a similar experience last year. The guineas had been living peacefully with the chickens then one day decided the Silkie roosters needed to die. I'm glad I was outside. Bueller and Beckett had been top dogs until the two guinea girls started the chase. Those two disappeared in our first two snowstorms.

I guess I need to remove the chickens from the guinea runs when I get back home. Thank you for reminding me of this. I'm sorry for your loss but you might have prevented one (or more) at my house.

Yes, folks, my name is Janie. I spent about half an hour looking for Amy and West Knoll Farms on FaceBook. Finally gave up and called Amy. She didn't answer so I left a message and we started texting. We apparently amused her daughter.

My Thanksgiving trip got lengthened because my grandmother died Wednesday night. She was 94 and 1/2 and had been having a tough year. The past few weeks were hard on the whole family. It is a blessing that Grandma is no longer suffering. I "know" Granddad was waiting for her. Grandma is partying in Heaven and no longer in pain. I can't be sad about that.

Awww... sorry about your Grandma. What a long life! It's hard to be the one left behind.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
YAY!!! COOL BEANS!!!

I got one yesterday after a 4 week break...I was glad she was back at it! I havent decided if I will set anymore yet though...She lays about 3 a week and of the ones I set only one would hatch...I am hoping to sell some " POL" birds in spring...but I am hatching in much much smaller numbers than you usually do!!

And I am fighting the urge to set moms Ameruacana eggs she is now getting!

Ha! It is a sickness! You HAVE to set eggs! Even in the winter.
And I am really not hatching many right now. It is nice to have easy mornings this winter. I have spent the last few years up to my eyeballs in chicks (at least 400 every month!) through the winter and am tired of it.
For the few that go outside in a pen during the day I am already stressing over them not getting to go out tomorrow or Monday, maybe not even Tuesday depending on rain and wind. They stand at the door and beg to go out, about as bad as a dog! At least there are less than 2 dz on the floor in the brooder room right now and I only have 4 brooders down there with lights. And one without light because they are big enough to be out of it but won't leave the "nest"!
And I have 2 brooders in the house. My baby d'Uccles and the new hatches. Oh well, still not 400 to keep up with plus all the tractors, pens and free ranging birds.

I have customers on the way now to buy some chicks so that will lower my volume a bit.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Quote:
6 tabs? I do not know how you do it. The Facebook thread is getting to be a bit much for my taste already. I guess I am more a BYC site person.

I would love to see some guinea pictures! I do have some light brown guineas. They are browner in color than the buff dundottes and with them the roosters are darker than the hens where with the buffs the hens are darker than the roosters. If that makes since....

By the way, you hatched some really pretty chicks!

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Quote:
I had a similar experience last year. The guineas had been living peacefully with the chickens then one day decided the Silkie roosters needed to die. I'm glad I was outside. Bueller and Beckett had been top dogs until the two guinea girls started the chase. Those two disappeared in our first two snowstorms.

I guess I need to remove the chickens from the guinea runs when I get back home. Thank you for reminding me of this. I'm sorry for your loss but you might have prevented one (or more) at my house.

Yes, folks, my name is Janie. I spent about half an hour looking for Amy and West Knoll Farms on FaceBook. Finally gave up and called Amy. She didn't answer so I left a message and we started texting. We apparently amused her daughter.

My Thanksgiving trip got lengthened because my grandmother died Wednesday night. She was 94 and 1/2 and had been having a tough year. The past few weeks were hard on the whole family. It is a blessing that Grandma is no longer suffering. I "know" Granddad was waiting for her. Grandma is partying in Heaven and no longer in pain. I can't be sad about that.

I am sorry to hear about your Grandmother.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Just wanted to share what I got for Thanksgiving. We went to my husbands Uncle and Aunts for Thanksgiving as we usually do--we hatched him some Ameraucanas eggs this summer for his Birthday and I just got to see the bird we hatched. He had his extra roosters separated into pen for someone to pick up Friday. He was going to giving them to a man just to get rid of them--well I asked if I could have one to go with my 2 copper marans hens that are roosterless right now and he was very happy that I wanted one. We have named him Blackbeard--what do you think? Did I make a good choice? He is such as nice boy!