Texas

[chickkrzi]

"are your shells complete on yours? my shells are all kinds of lumpy and misshapen"
Yes mine are complete, and almost perfectly round.

 

[chickkrzi]

Help ya'll! We are "chicken sitting" and one of the hens well.. I will show the pics if you wish (they are kinda gross so I wasn't sure) ...is missing feathers on her back..I am not talking molting here.. she is like bald! Now.. there are only 3 hens and 5 roos in the coop so how can I tell if she has mites/lice or if it's from over mating? She seems to be the only one like this and she was like this before we started watching them but I feel terrible and want to help her so bad.. can anyone help me out at what to look for?

Way to many roos to hens. I don't even keep roos and hen together except when breeding them. Helps cut down on stress on your hens. Well I can't really say that. I do have 1 white silkie roo with my RIR And BR hens. But he's so short legged that he can't get anything accompolished

 

[Cockle-Dood]

do any of you use any cover crops between planting seasons? if so what works best around here?

 

[chickkrzi]

I use Rey grass in my garden, the let my Chickens and goats feed on all winter long. Thinking I get 5# for about $6-7. Covers my 40x50 garden real nicely.

 

[Cockle-Dood]

I use Rey grass in my garden, the let my Chickens and goats feed on all winter long. Thinking I get 5# for about $6-7. Covers my 40x50 garden real nicely.

thats exactly what i was hoping to hear! i need to start getting my soil going for next spring, and was wanting to plant something like that to start working the soil and that the chickens will go scratch in as well! and that pricing fits well in my budget!

 

[chickkrzi]

Get my Rey grass seed at a mom an pop feed store. Just done let your Chickens in there until seedlings are 5-6" tall

 

[back2simplelife]

Sounds like a fart egg. Crack it open and see if it has a yolk. If it doesn't, it's a fart egg. This is one one of my EEs laid a while back. She laid 3 or 4 and then hasn't done it since then.

A "fart" egg?

ok.. I will crack it open and see! Thanks!

 

[back2simplelife]

There is no magic number - but there are less problems with fewer males to females. It all depends on the flock dynamics, which can change quickly, sometimes seemingly for no reason. You just have to watch for problems, be proactive as much as you can.

That number may work for you but it wouldn't work for me. At most if I want high fertility I would use 5 hens/1cock. But it really depends on what breeds you are mating. Some cocks can handle more hens than others.

Thank you both! All I have is 5- 4 weekers but I am most def learning from his flock and experience!

 

[Little Wing]

Well the texas size chicken tractor is now officially part of the coop. My new grow out pen.

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[Little Wing]

Dang phart smone. Wouldn't let me upload 2 pics at once.