The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[COChix]

I mix raw eggs in my dog's food every day and that gives me a few extra shells to crush. If you don't have a dog...you could always treat your girls to some scrambled eggs to get those extra shells. I honestly don't buy oyster shell regularly because they get all their own shells back and they do well. I supplement when the the ratio of those laying is exceeded by the number of girls not laying.

Thanks and yes we have four dogs who get eggs everynight and we still cannot keep up with the girls demands for eggshells.

I serve oyster shell free choice.  I don't know the brand.  It comes in a plain brown paper bag with the info printed on the outside.

I also serve eggs back to my birds.  I cannot possibly keep up with their production.  I hard boil them by the potful and chop everything up with my pizza cutter, mix into their ff ration for the day and serve.

Yes we cannot keep up with production either. I like your idea of hard boiling some,do the girls seem to have a preference as to how they like their eggs prepared?

We use coastal from rural king.  It works for us but it is not what is in your picture.

Thank and I will look up that brand.

I was getting some from my feed mill too.  When I ran out I ended up getting whatever TSC had on the shelf in a 50 lb bag.

Next time I'll probably order some more from the mill.

But...
Maybe it's not the calcium that's an issue...maybe it's just the time of year?

Maybe it is the time of year, however they are all 9 months and we did have one day where we got 12 eggs. We seem to be on an up trend right now. It is always hard knowing exactly the cause and effect with the flock. Hopefully, that just comes with more practice of being a chicken keeper.

I think mine is MannaPro. Isn't there calcium in layer feed, too.

two thumbs down on the Manna Pro, our girls didn't like it very much.

I have wondered about that.  Most layer rations have a note on the bag with the feeding instructions stating that you need to also supply free choice oyster shell along with the layer formulated ration.  That being the case, I have deducted that layer feed is fine for roosters.  If it's not enough for a hen, why would we need to also supply oyster shell?  Males need calcium too for strong beaks, bones, claws and tendons.

I have read that you should not ammend your feed with calcium if you have roosters, due to it being hard on their bodies. Our has always been free choice and I have seen both of our roosters eat some oyster shells and eggshells from time to time.

When I had my feed formulated originally (I got it from a feed mill made without soy), I had them do an "all-flock" level of calcium as I had to purchase so much of it at a time that I couldn't justify getting different formulations 300 lbs at a time when I only had such a small flock.  So from the beginning of my having chickens, I've always used the same formula from chick to adult. 

The chicks and young birds get more protein by adding other items to their diet and there is always free choice calcium source which is usually just the oyster shell or calcarb in some form available.  So far it has worked well.

Something that we often don't take into account is that if they are out foraging during the warmer months, the bugs and other items they get have calcium as well.  Since we can't control those levels I still think it's good not to go so high on calcium in the "forced ration" that they can't have some control over whether they need more or not.  Of course, that assumes that they really will seek out the free-choice source if they need it.  If it's really true that they do, it seems like a good plan to let them control that rather than have it in the feed at such a high level that they can't avoid it if it was too much....

The foraging is a good and valid point.

Thank you all for sharing! I did ask my Colorado thread gang options for around our area and got a lead on some flaky stuff from Pacific Pearl. Will be swinging by the feed store for a bag, hopefully it is the stuff the gang likes. I will continue to save eggshells for the gang as well.

On a side note, I got the Horizontal Nipples yesterday and am pretty excited for this project. Our heaters should be in next week, but I can get my buckets set up and it means I won't have to haul water to them . Any words of advice before I install them, the direction seem pretty straight forward. I am going to install the nipples at two different heights on the bucket. Just trying to plan ahead a bit for spring and having babies around as well.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thank you all for sharing! I did ask my Colorado thread gang options for around our area and got a lead on some flaky stuff from Pacific Pearl. Will be swinging by the feed store for a bag, hopefully it is the stuff the gang likes. I will continue to save eggshells for the gang as well.

On a side note, I got the Horizontal Nipples yesterday and am pretty excited for this project. Our heaters should be in next week, but I can get my buckets set up and it means I won't have to haul water to them

. Any words of advice before I install them, the direction seem pretty straight forward. I am going to install the nipples at two different heights on the bucket. Just trying to plan ahead a bit for spring and having babies around as well.

I'd really like to learn about the flaky type calcium if you can give us some info from the bag or a link. It looks like something easier to eat by looking at it.


On the horizontal nipples, I'd really encourage you to read through the thread about them here. Lots of helpful info about drill bit size, etc. I have the info somewhere around here if you want me to look it up.

I don't remember - have your birds used nipples before? I think I remember you saying that they've used the vertical ones? It will take a bit of time to train them to where the water is but they'll have an easier time figuring it out quicker if they used the other kind since they're usually both red and both on a bucket. Just a little familiarity helps.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a few people to say "Thank You" to. You know who you are!

Hey! Good to see you

You'll have to catch us up on what you're up to with your flock and how things are going. What's your flock looking like now?

 

[Lacy Blues]

I have read that you should not ammend your feed with calcium if you have roosters, due to it being hard on their bodies. Our has always been free choice and I have seen both of our roosters eat some oyster shells and eggshells from time to time.

I don't amend my feed. I guess I used the phrase "along with" instead of along side so my fault but I do not add calcium to the feed. I only have a hopper in each pen with oyster shell for the girls. When I refill the girls' hoppers, I'll toss a handful into the boys' yard as well. They do eat them sometimes. They also eat the egg shells.

I don't know if my birds have a preference for how their eggs are cooked. I used to whip them all up in a bowl, shells included and bake them in a big pan. Then I would chop all of that up and serve. That way seems to be a lot more work. Now, I just hard boil a pot full of them every once in a while. Chop and serve. They eat them eagerly any way they get them.

 

[armorfirelady]

We had a brief warm up today so I decide to turn over the DL in the coop. Girls couldn't decide where to scratch first. And you can't tell the peepers from the big girls anymore.

I had to take the door off the old run (brick in front of the door raised up) and turned that over as well and refreshed their 2nd dust bath. I even sifted thru my garbage can of wood ash. Hens couldn't decide what to do first.

I have oyster shell available on the side for the hens to eat as they need it. I just refilled their oyster shell ( it didn't stay dry in container I had it in outside so I hope it dries out in coop). Neither did their grit. I need to come up with a different plan for next year. The ouster she'll is whatever the feed store has available.

The eggs I get are hard like normal. Only Stella & 2 peepers are laying now.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Had enough melt here that I could get the sliding barn door open today. Everyone went out in the little strip of grass where the snow had melted...right up against the sliding door. Didn't get any photos but it sure was good to see them out for awhile. Snarfing up ever green blade of grass they could find.

 

[LindaB220]

I'd really like to learn about the flaky type calcium if you can give us some info from the bag or a link. It looks like something easier to eat by looking at it.


On the horizontal nipples, I'd really encourage you to read through the thread about them here. Lots of helpful info about drill bit size, etc. I have the info somewhere around here if you want me to look it up.

I don't remember - have your birds used nipples before? I think I remember you saying that they've used the vertical ones? It will take a bit of time to train them to where the water is but they'll have an easier time figuring it out quicker if they used the other kind since they're usually both red and both on a bucket. Just a little familiarity helps.

Got mine set up but not sure which way should be up. The little tab on the bottom or top? If this question sounds insane, please disregard it.

I tried it both ways and water comes out differently.

 

[ThePRfan]

Ok,not sure if this has to do with Natural Chickin Keeping,but I plan on hatching Production red chicks mix,1 problem,my PR hens don't brood much,any way I can get them?\

 

[lazy gardener]

Ok,not sure if this has to do with Natural Chickin Keeping,but I plan on hatching Production red chicks mix,1 problem,my PR hens don't brood much,any way I can get them?\

What do you have for a rooster? If you don't have a broody hen, you'll have to buy an incubator.

 

[ThePRfan]

Quote: My roosters a BarnYardMix for all we know...

This is him...He's 4 years old.