The Middle Tennessee Thread

[Cinny]

One thing I picked up from a farmer who's had chickens forever…..give them pumpkins this time of year, they love them and it is a natural wormer…KNOCK ON WOOD, 3 years now and no trouble from worms at all !!! I'm no expert but it's worked for me and I noticed some of us are having worming troubles.

 

[TNBielefelder]

A long time poultry farmer told me the same thing about the pumpkin.

 

[DMRippy]

Glad/and sad to see that we aren't the only ones whose chicks have gone on strick. ONE egg a day if we are lucky from four Rhodebars(year old) and 5 Black Australorps(also 1 year). Hopefully it's a communal molt as they seem to be. There is one trooper we call houdini, she is the smallest hen we have and gives us 6/7 eggs a week. Bless her believed heart. We treated them for mites again today, building a new fence/coop and bedding(almost done). Have treated them for worms too and put ACV in their water all the time. They are 100% A-Okay except for the laying issue.

Next step is wood ash in the coop and run after we get finished burning the branches we pruned this week. I've heard that helps with mites.

Funny thing is, the RB were laying up a storm while in quarantine, then we moved them back to the grow out pen and they continued to lay for a few days, but now, nothing. Maybe an egg a day. We watch for predators, they eat high quality, fermented feed. . . etc., I don't know what gives. We've tried cucumbers, red pepper, etc., etc. . . . Maybe a really fast rat snake is getting them? In which case, we'll . . . . relocate him. . . . nicely.

PS: Hi, thread!

They are going to molt. Don't worry and don't push them to NOT molt. They need a break to recoup. Can take up to 3 months before they kick back in. My WL come out the quickest usually only about 3 week with them but some breeds take 3 to 4 month. Don't do anything to stop it. Once they have lost the old feathers and grown in new ones THEN you can start adding light to the coop in the morning to make them start laying again. Only add light in the MORNING. You want them to know when bed time is so just adjust your lights to come on so they get 12 then move it up 30 mins a week till they get 16 hours of light. Also we have wet falls usually so it is dark more than it might be some places and that will if you supplement light. They don't really need calcium while they are molting but they do need HIGH protein.

My barred rocks lay well and recover quickly to during molts. Over all my second best layers on the farm are my Rocks, all my colors lay really well. Just wish they laid bigger eggs.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ugh, I haven't gotten an egg from any of my breeds in 2 weeks! Everyone is molting. My ducks keep leaving piles of feathers all over the place, it looks like they've been hit by a hawk almost and weirds me out every time I find a new pile

 

[jlynnp]

Here is are a couple pics of one of my Black Langshan's which I think is a rooster. Any ideas??

 

[tarheel79]

Does anyone have any Australorps,Rhode Island Reds or Production Reds available? Have a good weekend everyone!

 

[Gentry1350]

Does anyone have any Australorps,Rhode Island Reds or Production Reds available? Have a good weekend everyone!

Fireman0298 has Australorps...I think he's south of Nashville?

 

[tarheel79]

Fireman0298 has Australorps...I think he's south of Nashville?

I will pm him and see if he has any. Thanks Gentry

 

[EastNashChick]

So were putting out Halloween decorations today and grabbing last minute items- (first Halloween in our first house) & @ 7:05 I hear a commotion in the coop. Thankfully all of our windows are open due to the nice weather.

I run outside, just knowing it's a predator. I hadn't closed the coop yet as it had just gotten dark.

Our sweet rooster, Cluck Norris, a SFH/ Dominique mix was lying headless in the run and all of our girls and our other roo are frantically running around the yard.

We we're trying to sell him on craigslist as we really shouldn't even have our AM roo - we're in the city. He was such a good boy, we just really liked our AM roo and have a trio. A lady was going to pick him up today and was a no-show. I feel so bad for him- but I guess he died doing his job.

RIP- Cluck Norris. What a weird day. Tomorrow's goal after work, buying a varmint trap and some rat poison.

 

[Ravynscroft]

So were putting out Halloween decorations today and grabbing last minute items- (first Halloween in our first house) & @ 7:05 I hear a commotion in the coop. Thankfully all of our windows are open due to the nice weather.

I run outside, just knowing it's a predator. I hadn't closed the coop yet as it had just gotten dark.

Our sweet rooster, Cluck Norris, a SFH/ Dominique mix was lying headless in the run and all of our girls and our other roo are frantically running around the yard.

We we're trying to sell him on craigslist as we really shouldn't even have our AM roo - we're in the city. He was such a good boy, we just really liked our AM roo and have a trio. A lady was going to pick him up today and was a no-show. I feel so bad for him- but I guess he died doing his job.

RIP- Cluck Norris. What a weird day. Tomorrow's goal after work, buying a varmint trap and some rat poison.

So sorry for your loss, hon!!

Could be possum but I bet it's a coon... hope you get it, those are nasty... had one almost wipe out all our bantams before he was finally stopped... warning, if they have been trapped before they may not go near a trap again... :/