Texas

[Thirteen]

Where do you guys get your food grade DE? No store around me sells "food grade"...that I have been able to find thus far.

You could try an online store - our local feed store carries it. I also would try a local nursery - more crunchy ones tend to carry it for warding off pests in the garden. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[showbarnmom]

At what age do hens usually stop laying? A year or so old hen should still be producing for a while, right?

 

[GFamily]

I buy mine from the feed store. Our purina store carries it. (I'm in new braunfels if your close.) I also know you can buy small bags online, though I do no know what site.

Nope, dfw area. Thank you though!

You could try an online store - our local feed store carries it.

I also would try a local nursery - more crunchy ones tend to carry it for warding off pests in the garden.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I didn't even think to try a nursery. I have only been going to local feed stores and other pet stores to see if it's possible they carry it. We have an organic nursery near us I wonder if they sell it. I'll check it out. Thanks.

 

[GaryDean26]

At what age do hens usually stop laying? A year or so old hen should still be producing for a while, right?

Depends on the breed and how the flock is managed.

The high production hens that are on artificial light all winter to produce 330+ eggs a year get burnt out really quick and you might be lucky to get an occasional egg from them after two laying seasons while a Heritage type bird that only lays eggs every other day and takes time off to molt and rejuvenate every winter might still be laying strong at 6 years old. I hear of a man in Canada with a Hungarian Yellow hen that was 10 years old that still was laying 13 eggs a month.

Within a breed their is also variation from blood line to blood line. Some people breed for longevity and will only hatch from hens that are over 3 years old. Other hatch from pullets every year. The line breed for longevity will have a slower burn out too.

Yes, a year old hen is in the prime of her laying. Hens that are 2 years old may be slowing down already in some of the modern high production breed and hybrid hens.

 

[Cockle-Dood]

The FF is not something im really prepared to start doing yet, and yes, my feeder has the grate around it. its the red and white plastic feeder you get at TSC. I have started gathering materials to attempt some kind of PVC feeder. Kili, would it be too much to ask for a pic of yours? i was thinking of making some sort of trough style feeder out of a piece of 3.5" diameter PVC i have around the house...but am at a standstill as far as design. I have seen alot of the vertical style with the 45 degree openening at the bottom...but im not a huge fan of that set up...

as far as age and egg production, i have a 2 year old partridge rock that i got from Little wing and she is still laying about 4-5 eggs a week...hasnt shown any signs of letting up.

 

[showbarnmom]

Thanks guys found some already laying hens on CL, that are reasonably priced, and the lady said her amercauna hasn't laid in a while, but she is only 1.5 yrs, so I'm assuming it's just due to weather?

 

[GFamily]

The FF is not something im really prepared to start doing yet, and yes, my feeder has the grate around it. its the red and white plastic feeder you get at TSC. I have started gathering materials to attempt some kind of PVC feeder. Kili, would it be too much to ask for a pic of yours? i was thinking of making some sort of trough style feeder out of a piece of 3.5" diameter PVC i have around the house...but am at a standstill as far as design. I have seen alot of the vertical style with the 45 degree openening at the bottom...but im not a huge fan of that set up...

as far as age and egg production, i have a 2 year old partridge rock that i got from Little wing and she is still laying about 4-5 eggs a week...hasnt shown any signs of letting up.

Here's a picture of what we were planning on using when our girls got bigger. NOt sure if we still will though. It fits into the corner of the coop and holds a 30lb bag of feed quite nicely. Just not sure if we'll still be using it or not when they get bigger. Not using it now since they are too little for it. It's 4inch pipe. ANd then we just turned the cap piece that goes on the top to keep anything out upside down and wedged it into the bottom.

 

[Little Wing]

Had another lay her first egg today! Another one of the EEs! Green eggs are quite pretty! Cant wait till i the rest start...should be
Dominoe-ing from this point tho!

All you need now is some ham.

At what age do hens usually stop laying? A year or so old hen should still be producing for a while, right?

I read the other day someone had one 8 yrs old that lays. I think around 12 to18 mos is their prime laying age and they decline from there.

I am having HUGE issues with my chickens scratching all of their feed out of their feeder...i use a 5lb feeder and they will completely empty and spread it out all over the ground in a single day. I buy a Lay mix from a LFS and am starting to wonder if they are picking around certain things to get to their favorite bits? i dunno.

Do you all feed like a daily ration to avoid this? or do i need to rethink my feeders? i use on the hanging feeders and it hangs about 6" off the ground because of the varying sizes of my birds currently...i just feel like im going through feed twice as fast as i should be...

Try to keep it as high as you can. Make them reach for it, they have long necks. I screwed up and mixed scratch in with their feed once, and they made a huge mess digging out the corn.

 

[GFamily]

All you need now is some ham.
I read the other day someone had one 8 yrs old that lays. I think around 12 to18 mos is their prime laying age and they decline from there.
Try to keep it as high as you can. Make them reach for it, they have long necks. I screwed up and mixed scratch in with their feed once, and they made a huge mess digging out the corn.

Thanks for the picture littlewing! That is great in helping me too!

 

[Little Wing]

Thanks for the picture littlewing! That is great in helping me too!

Your welcome.