What breed for egg laying?

[sealer39]

Chicks are messy. If you have a typical feeder, you can raise it off the floor a little. I set mine on a roll of duck tape. It helps to keep the bedding out and the feed in. At two weeks, I put them on horizontal nipples for their water.

 

[danieltony010]

Chicks are messy. If you have a typical feeder, you can raise it off the floor a little. I set mine on a roll of duck tape. It helps to keep the bedding out and the feed in. At two weeks, I put them on horizontal nipples for their water.

The type of feeder that I am using is pictured below. As well as peck feed out of the feeder they like to scratch at least half of it out. In my brooder, I have flaky pine shavings that are covered by two layers of paper towels. I read that this helps the chicks the first 4 to 5 days to keep them from trying to eat the pine shavings until they get use to their food source. Currently the paper towels keep the feed from getting lost in the pine shavings, so I am considering keeping it down for a longer period. The chicks poop on the paper towels where they have scratched out feed. My question is "If the chicks accidentally or intentionally eat their poop, will it harm them?".

 

[sealer39]

I’ve never lost a chick to eating pine shavings. Raising the feeder higher will help to prevent them from scratching out their feed. Chicks will peck at their own poop, I’m sure it’s not healthy for them but there is not much you can do about it. Pretty soon they’ll probably start eating the paper towels too. I made this feeder that helped a lot to prevent chicks from billing out their feed.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-homemade-no-spill-chick-feeder.75566/

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I will let you know. Thanks for responding.

Hi Daniel,
You will really like the Orpingtons. Our Black//Lavender Orpingtons are very sweet. They are very curious and either of the three we have will alternate flying right out of the brooder pen to me. It just depends which one is the most excited at the time. They are never very scared though. They just want to get to the treats. They will stand on top of one another to get to me if I am giving out pets or treats. It’s on then. They will fly to the top of the kennell if I call or encourage them to and it a huge kennell for a brooder. We are going to be purchasing a giant schnauzer after our chickens are laying and this brooder pen is it’s kennell so it is large. It big enough for two large German Shepherds to lay down in comfortably so 9 chicks that are 8 to 10 pound full grown birds to be have room to have a blast in there on a daily basis for a brooder. I think you will really enjoy your Orpingtons no matter which color you get. Post some pictures of them. I’d love to see them.
good luck with them!
Pam

 

[knurse1]

I am new to raising chickens and today I completed the finishing touches on my chicken coop and run. I am anticipating ordering my first chickens in the next few weeks but I am clueless as to what breed to purchase. For my initial chickens, I want them for egg laying. I live in central North Carolina and we have four distinct seasons -- hot summers and moderate winters. Do you have any suggestions as to what breed that I should purchase for my purpose?

I have golden comets and I love them. They lay pretty much everyday. They have a great personality and are easy to have around.