Texas

[lovingmyhens]

Ok I gave a question. Maybe dumb not sure. What's the difference between layer pellets and crumbles (other than the crumbles are just that...crumbles, and I'm assuming the pellets are like rabbit pellets.) but are there different types of pellets? And does a hen who is around 30 weeks and not laying yet need a certain food? They free range all day and barely eat the crumbles that I leave out in the yard all day. They get treats daily of all sorts of things.

 

[hungnguyen]

Greeting to All from VN

Officially we now Mr and Mrs Smith (VNese version). My son and his GF kind of little sick yesterday so I had to delay their trip to Hue for 2 days and skipped their street shopping and eating; they ate only banana last night and felt fine by today dawn. I went street shopping too and purchased a bunch of Nha Trang gifts. Anyone interests in a little NT souvenir can PM me for your address and i will be glad to mail out after Jan 8

Until now ... shopping time again.

Wild newly wed ... HN

 

[lovingmyhens]

Congratulations!!! You're missing out on some good football, but, I guess getting married, feeling the baby move, kinda trumps football!

 

[TexasLisa]

Greeting to All from VN

Officially we now Mr and Mrs Smith (VNese version). My son and his GF kind of little sick yesterday so I had to delay their trip to Hue for 2 days and skipped their street shopping and eating; they ate only banana last night and felt fine by today dawn. I went street shopping too and purchased a bunch of Nha Trang gifts. Anyone interests in a little NT souvenir can PM me for your address and i will be glad to mail out after Jan 8

Until now ... shopping time again.

Wild newly wed ... HN

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Smith (VNese version)!!! Sorry to hear about your son and GF.

Thanks for the offer but you should spend the money on your wife and baby. I just want to see pictures.

Lisa

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I've thought about ordering mine, but I think I would rather look at them and pick the ones I like. I know most of the places around here get their's from Ideal Poultry. I figure they are not as good as from a breeder, but just starting out they should be fine for me.

I did some more work on my coop today. Got part of the back and side walls up. I'm working on buying my wire. It's kinda pricey, so buy some every week or two so it doesn't hit me all at once.


I wish my coop was done and I could get my chicks this week. *sigh*

I found Tractor Supply to have the best price on most wire.

Ok I gave a question. Maybe dumb not sure. What's the difference between layer pellets and crumbles (other than the crumbles are just that...crumbles, and I'm assuming the pellets are like rabbit pellets.) but are there different types of pellets? And does a hen who is around 30 weeks and not laying yet need a certain food? They free range all day and barely eat the crumbles that I leave out in the yard all day. They get treats daily of all sorts of things.

Do you feed them first thing before you let them out to free range? If not, try that.

Greeting to All from VN

Officially we now Mr and Mrs Smith (VNese version). My son and his GF kind of little sick yesterday so I had to delay their trip to Hue for 2 days and skipped their street shopping and eating; they ate only banana last night and felt fine by today dawn. I went street shopping too and purchased a bunch of Nha Trang gifts. Anyone interests in a little NT souvenir can PM me for your address and i will be glad to mail out after Jan 8

Until now ... shopping time again.

Wild newly wed ... HN

Congratulations!!

 

[bnjrob]

Ok I gave a question. Maybe dumb not sure. What's the difference between layer pellets and crumbles (other than the crumbles are just that...crumbles, and I'm assuming the pellets are like rabbit pellets.) but are there different types of pellets? And does a hen who is around 30 weeks and not laying yet need a certain food? They free range all day and barely eat the crumbles that I leave out in the yard all day. They get treats daily of all sorts of things.

The difference between pellets and crumbles is as you said - just a texture difference. There really isn't a difference in pellets except a size difference in some feeds/supplements that come in pellet form.

The other difference is the word "layer", which means that it will have a higher calcium level for egg shell production in laying hens. You don't want to feed "layer" feed to growing birds because the calcium level will be too high and can harm growing birds. One way to get around this problem is to offer an all-flock type of feed and have free choice crushed egg shells or buy oyster shell for the birds - the females will eat what they need of the oyster or egg shells to give them the extra calcium for laying. The females will use the shells as their grit source also.

I would be wary of giving daily treats depending on what you are giving and how much. Daily treats don't have the balanced nutrition that a chicken needs and too many treats over a period of time can cause health problems/egg problems etc. If they are foraging, that is great and they will most likely be fine and eat the manufactured feed as they need to, to supplement their foraging to get a well balanced diet. Which means that you can save money versus having chickens that only eat manufactured feed and do very little foraging.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Ok that's the answer! Thanks so much! I probably can decrease the amount of treats they get...I usually put a cereal sized bowl of various left overs for the 4 hens. I stick it out in the morning and usually when I get it in the evening it is gone. But they are really good foragers...they spend most of the day digging and scratching. I have a huge bag of crumbles and didn't want to go get something else until that was gone.

 

[Teri Metcalf]

Greeting to All from VN

Officially we now Mr and Mrs Smith (VNese version). My son and his GF kind of little sick yesterday so I had to delay their trip to Hue for 2 days and skipped their street shopping and eating; they ate only banana last night and felt fine by today dawn. I went street shopping too and purchased a bunch of Nha Trang gifts. Anyone interests in a little NT souvenir can PM me for your address and i will be glad to mail out after Jan 8

Until now ... shopping time again.

Wild newly wed ... HN

Congratulations to the wild newly weds!

 

[bnjrob]

Ok that's the answer! Thanks so much! I probably can decrease the amount of treats they get...I usually put a cereal sized bowl of various left overs for the 4 hens. I stick it out in the morning and usually when I get it in the evening it is gone. But they are really good foragers...they spend most of the day digging and scratching. I have a huge bag of crumbles and didn't want to go get something else until that was gone.

If the treats you are giving are things like leftovers with a variety of fruits/veggies/meat/etc like we eat, then that probably is just fine. It's when people start throwing out TONS of scratch every day, or a ton of one kind of thing like sunflower seeds, that you can see a problem with things like getting too fat and not laying, having a fatty liver, or having a vitamin deficiency. Remember, chickens way-back-when ate mostly foraged food along with kitchen scraps/leftovers that didn't go to the hogs, and spilled feed/grasses from larger livestock - they didn't have manufactured feeds. So well-rounded leftovers shouldn't be a problem unless it's the same thing every single day.

 

[TexasLisa]

Good Morning Fellow Texans!!

It is reading 38 degrees out and the wind is brisk.

Have a wonderful day!!

Lisa