iPickYupik
Songster
I'm so excited about the little sizzles I got from rcstanley a few weeks ago. They are so cute!
Awwww! Those are cute!
Utah!
- Thread starter Naztrain
- Start date
Awwww! Those are cute!
I'm so excited about the little sizzles I got from rcstanley a few weeks ago. They are so cute!
Super cute ! Love the splash <3
Did some chickens chores this afternoon, a few days left before the cooler winter blast predicted for Monday & Tuesday. At times I am amazed at how much time one can invest in your birds… seems to be an amazing number of things one can do for your, or your birds comfort. I've stockpiled about a hundred gallons of my special prize winning scratch mixture for the soon to be upon us winter time. I keep telling the birds to stock up on that green grass I still have, cause it will soon be gone, but they do not seem to believe me.
iPick what is that yellow hatcher you are using in your photo a few posts back?
Is a frizzle different from a sizzle? I suppose they are ok to look at, but they just don't seem quite right to me.
But I am trying.
Best to you and your birds,
RJ
iPick what is that yellow hatcher you are using in your photo a few posts back?
Is a frizzle different from a sizzle? I suppose they are ok to look at, but they just don't seem quite right to me.
Best to you and your birds,
RJ
Did some chickens chores this afternoon, a few days left before the cooler winter blast predicted for Monday & Tuesday. At times I am amazed at how much time one can invest in your birds… seems to be an amazing number of things one can do for your, or your birds comfort. I've stockpiled about a hundred gallons of my special prize winning scratch mixture for the soon to be upon us winter time. I keep telling the birds to stock up on that green grass I still have, cause it will soon be gone, but they do not seem to believe me.
iPick what is that yellow hatcher you are using in your photo a few posts back?
Is a frizzle different from a sizzle? I suppose they are ok to look at, but they just don't seem quite right to me.But I am trying.
Best to you and your birds,
RJ
You sound just like my husband! He loves our "big girls" the buff orpingtons that give him his breakfast.
I'm all about the cuteness factor. But honestly they're all cute to me!Frizzle is actually the type of feather. You can have a lot of different breeds of frizzles. Sizzles are silkies with the frizzle gene. Personally I think they are so much fun!
RJ- I'd love to know what's in your prize scratch mix. I'm always looking for new treats to share with my girls.
Isn't she dreamy? I am in love with her. One of the chicks that hatched from your eggs is looking like she might fluff up like this one. I'm loving her! (and crossing my finger's that she really is a she!)
iPickYupik
Songster
RJ, it's a Brinsea Mini Advance that I bought from Amanda. Great little incubator. Emphasis on little. Haha! 
iPickYupik
Songster
The 4 little Seramas we hatched from Diana's eggs. <3
LOL!
Well the contents of my prize winning special scratch mix is handcrafted from these fine ingredients: two parts IFA chicken scratch (contains ~ milo, red wheat and cracked corn) one part Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) and one part white wheat. I mix by volume, not by weight.
There are things that are much better for your birds to eat than scratch, either plain store bought or my special mix. But it is a hard thing indeed… to keep a bird owner from embellishing his/her flock with it. The protein level is just too low for todays birds, but as a 'treat' and or as something for them to do, it works, it would seem for everyone. Cracked Corn is fatty, it is what is fed to grain feed beef and the reason why they do it. Protein is 9% at best, often lower. Whole corn keeps its full compliment of nutrients, as does any whole grain. But once cracked, milled, ground & etc. it starts to lose its vitality. So fresh is a must in cracked grain, or it may become the equivalent of cardboard, something to eat but nothing of value in it. Milo is I supposed a filler. Low in protein, less than cracked corn, the birds eat it, they like variety and it is a whole grain. The best ingredient in the IFA scratch mix is the Red Wheat, it is at or just over 10% protein and as a whole grain, you get all you pay for.
I add White Wheat because it is 12% protein, a whole grain but a bit softer than the hard red wheat. It passes the most nutrients directly to the bird of any of the items noted. Now there are millet, flax and soy products and I suppose a bunch of other items that could be used, but for something I am going to toss on the ground… the above items in the amounts noted seem to work for me and my birds.
Last but not least, BOSS. The protein is up there in the 25% range or better, but there is a lot of insoluble fiber in the hull. Enough so that it is best diluted by volume as I do. The birds do like it however, a lot at my place. So the goal is to provide the birds with variety of seeds, more with higher protein levels, less with poor levels. And I just have trouble using ANY more cracked corn than I do, the birds do seem to like it however. It needs be said, that if you can feed whole corn the feed values can be better, my mixed flock(s) with banty birds, can not choke down a whole kernel. Large Fowl seem to be able to eat them up.
My prize winning special scratch mix might come out to around 12% protein for the mixed batch. I don't think it would be more. But this +3% protein is better for the birds. Ideally I would like to just feed white wheat. The birds tire of it and won't 'scratch' as intended. Keeping your flock doing something natural goes a long way toward keeping feather picking and other unwanted activates at bay. So scratch does have benefits for you and your birds. Where I free range 360 days a year, I have not needed to trim the nails of any of my birds, I try to scratch on hard packed gravel when I can. So I count that as a benefit as well.
As an aside, your flocks staple feed, be it a pellet, crumble, mash or whatever, is all milled grain(s). Because of this I choose to not stock nor store any more feed than I can readily use. Extra chick feed and such should be mixed in and fed out. Don't save it season to season, ninety days is the max I would recommend. You could still feed it, they may eat it, but the essential elements will have deteriorated to what is approaching unacceptable levels, call it cardboard. It is a false economy to use old 'ground' feed.
Perhaps more than one wants to know about my special prize winning scratch mix… but perhaps it could be insightful for some of our members. As a grower of grains and a harvester of crops my insight into this topic might be of use. Everyone here in the Utah thread has something of value of which can be shared. Farmers get paid for their crops by moisture level (should be low) and protein content (should be high). I won't go into it here, but my thoughts on Organic feed is pretty low.
I also feed some barley, oats, and sometimes peas. I believe each and every grain has some special value to it. The C.O.B. (corn/oats/barley) I tried recently is rolled, so the hull and or kernel is crushed, not a good feed to keep on hand as noted above. It has not been a hit. Whole grain(s) can be stored for years and be of good use, as long as it is dry, so keep your cans up off of the floor, if possible.
Best to all and your birds,
RJ
Edit: iPick, thanks for the kind reply!
There are things that are much better for your birds to eat than scratch, either plain store bought or my special mix. But it is a hard thing indeed… to keep a bird owner from embellishing his/her flock with it. The protein level is just too low for todays birds, but as a 'treat' and or as something for them to do, it works, it would seem for everyone. Cracked Corn is fatty, it is what is fed to grain feed beef and the reason why they do it. Protein is 9% at best, often lower. Whole corn keeps its full compliment of nutrients, as does any whole grain. But once cracked, milled, ground & etc. it starts to lose its vitality. So fresh is a must in cracked grain, or it may become the equivalent of cardboard, something to eat but nothing of value in it. Milo is I supposed a filler. Low in protein, less than cracked corn, the birds eat it, they like variety and it is a whole grain. The best ingredient in the IFA scratch mix is the Red Wheat, it is at or just over 10% protein and as a whole grain, you get all you pay for.
I add White Wheat because it is 12% protein, a whole grain but a bit softer than the hard red wheat. It passes the most nutrients directly to the bird of any of the items noted. Now there are millet, flax and soy products and I suppose a bunch of other items that could be used, but for something I am going to toss on the ground… the above items in the amounts noted seem to work for me and my birds.
Last but not least, BOSS. The protein is up there in the 25% range or better, but there is a lot of insoluble fiber in the hull. Enough so that it is best diluted by volume as I do. The birds do like it however, a lot at my place. So the goal is to provide the birds with variety of seeds, more with higher protein levels, less with poor levels. And I just have trouble using ANY more cracked corn than I do, the birds do seem to like it however. It needs be said, that if you can feed whole corn the feed values can be better, my mixed flock(s) with banty birds, can not choke down a whole kernel. Large Fowl seem to be able to eat them up.
My prize winning special scratch mix might come out to around 12% protein for the mixed batch. I don't think it would be more. But this +3% protein is better for the birds. Ideally I would like to just feed white wheat. The birds tire of it and won't 'scratch' as intended. Keeping your flock doing something natural goes a long way toward keeping feather picking and other unwanted activates at bay. So scratch does have benefits for you and your birds. Where I free range 360 days a year, I have not needed to trim the nails of any of my birds, I try to scratch on hard packed gravel when I can. So I count that as a benefit as well.
As an aside, your flocks staple feed, be it a pellet, crumble, mash or whatever, is all milled grain(s). Because of this I choose to not stock nor store any more feed than I can readily use. Extra chick feed and such should be mixed in and fed out. Don't save it season to season, ninety days is the max I would recommend. You could still feed it, they may eat it, but the essential elements will have deteriorated to what is approaching unacceptable levels, call it cardboard. It is a false economy to use old 'ground' feed.
Perhaps more than one wants to know about my special prize winning scratch mix… but perhaps it could be insightful for some of our members. As a grower of grains and a harvester of crops my insight into this topic might be of use. Everyone here in the Utah thread has something of value of which can be shared. Farmers get paid for their crops by moisture level (should be low) and protein content (should be high). I won't go into it here, but my thoughts on Organic feed is pretty low.
I also feed some barley, oats, and sometimes peas. I believe each and every grain has some special value to it. The C.O.B. (corn/oats/barley) I tried recently is rolled, so the hull and or kernel is crushed, not a good feed to keep on hand as noted above. It has not been a hit. Whole grain(s) can be stored for years and be of good use, as long as it is dry, so keep your cans up off of the floor, if possible.
Best to all and your birds,
RJ
Edit: iPick, thanks for the kind reply!
Last edited:
iPickYupik
Songster
RJ, what do you feed your birds for layer and chick feed? Did you finish your covered dust bath? What do you put in for dust?
you know you have many friends that can help make your flock bigger
Haha true! I need to be careful of what I say on here
I'm tempted of late to try and talk DH into a fourth chick this spring - Red Sex-link. I keep seeing cute picture of RSL's and Production Reds and I waaaant one...... They just look so cute and friendly. Knowing my luck, though, mine would turn out psycho or something. Ha!IPick, cute babies!
And the shape and lacing on those SLW's are gorgeous!
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