Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[potterycat]

Hi All,

I need your thoughts. My pullets spend 6-8 hours free ranging daily but I know they are hungry because when I put out chicken feed they go NUTS! I recently bought layer pellets but realize this might not be best for the 10 week olds and they seem to have a hard time eating it because of the size. I ground some up and that works but I wonder about nutrition.

We lost one the other day. Her beak was broken and I wonder if she just couldn't eat well because of it. We have another barred rock that seems a bit lethargic. We isolated her last night with a heat lamp and gave her water with a bit of vinegar and electrolytes but that really got me thinking about the feed and its appropriateness for this young age.

What do you feed your free range chicks and pullets? I'm expecting eggs anytime from my 20 week olds..........

I thought of 2 other things.

1. How do you teach them to drink from nipples? They won't do it and they dump water from the hanger everywhere!

2. I use sand in the coop. Its dirty! and wet.... How often do you clean your coops. What do you use?

 

[corewassen87]

Hi All, 

I need your thoughts.   My pullets spend 6-8 hours free ranging daily but I know they are hungry because when I put out chicken feed they go NUTS!   I recently bought layer pellets but realize this might not be best for the 10 week olds and they seem to have a hard time eating it because of the size.   I ground some up and that works but I wonder about nutrition.

We lost one the other day.  Her beak was broken and I wonder if she just couldn't eat well because of it.   We have another barred rock that seems a bit lethargic.   We isolated her last night with a heat lamp and gave her water with a bit of vinegar and electrolytes but that really got me thinking about the feed and its appropriateness for this young age. 

What do you feed your free range chicks and pullets?   I'm expecting eggs anytime from my 20 week olds..........

I feed starter grower until they're at point of lay. Until maybe 18-20 weeks.

 

[bigzio]

No pellets for week old chicks...they belong on starter....it prolly starved.....follow directions on commercial bags, and buy another bag of starter...don't think they are anything but babies yet.

bigz

 

[jvls1942]

a 10 week old should have no trouble eating pellets.

as far as nutrition goes, there is plenty of that in layer pellets. the only drawback would be the extra calcium, and that is not life threatening.
I would feed the layer hens before they go freeranging..

I do not feed commercial feed after a couple of weeks old.
but in your case, I would get a bag of grower and feed that to everything. when the older ones start laying, then switch to layer for them.

I got 2 carbs rebuilt today. It takes a college degree to fugure out how to reinstall the carb on the Murray cultivator. I did it, though. It still doesn't keep running, though. runs just at an idle speed.
I will set that one aside and go after the weed whacker.

kept the young pullets locked up for the past two days. didn't lose any. they spend their freeranging days in the blackberry patch. that is where I think the fox is waiting.

........jiminwisc.........
I

 

[bigzio]

Sorry for not answering you Cind...my ability to miss things that I read are many.....yep, we managed to collect funds to cover cost for the weekend...and it was special friends that attend with good thoughts that keep it going.
You were missed as you know...and hope you can make another one...we did the pizza cutter on a special $5 raffle and that seemed to work well...keep in mind that the fire will be burning for friends like you always.

Hope to get after weeds in the garden fore long....it rained all night here, and up to the ankles in mud won't be a weedin option here....the harvest will be plentiful and weeds prolly part of the program here this year.

bigz

 

[jvls1942]

good evening,
going to shut down for the night pretty soon.

I think I figured out why the Murray would not go into high speed. plugged fuel filter in the tank ? IDK for sure. but I doused it good with carb cleaner and will let it soak over night. tomorrow I will put fresh gas in and see what happens.

I have turkeys due to hatch, according to my hatch record board. but that was just a guess, so I will just watch and see.

a large tree fell on my nephews house in Manitowoc in that last storm Friday, I just saw a picture.

.......jiminwisc.....

 

[chikenscratch]

Cind...thanks for the recipe! How much orris root and citric acid do we put in and when do they go in?

Dang Cookie is afraid of the dark. Delisha did you have a problem with her at night? I thought it was the fireworks, then I thought she was in heat, but starting at dusk she starts to flip out and her flight scenario takes over. Tonight I've got her on a wire tie out and we spent some time adjusting it so she couldn't reach door, window, stairs, etc.

 

[Cindlady]

Hi,

I don't have access to my books or notes now, but you are going to want to strain it more than once, once for the big stuff, then a finer strain. They go in between the 2 strains. The root is optional, but smells nice and will help keep any other scent you want strong. 1/8 teaspoon per cup. citric acid is a preservative, 1/4 teaspoon per cup (I think, it might be less).

Glad you made the money needed. We bought as many tickets as we did because even spending $40 or more, it was a cheap weekend and it was for a good cause.

Night.

 

[jvls1942]

Cind...thanks for the recipe! How much orris root and citric acid do we put in and when do they go in?

Dang Cookie is afraid of the dark. Delisha did you have a problem with her at night? I thought it was the fireworks, then I thought she was in heat, but starting at dusk she starts to flip out and her flight scenario takes over. Tonight I've got her on a wire tie out and we spent some time adjusting it so she couldn't reach door, window, stairs, etc.

You might be mis-interpreting her actions.
It is quite normal for Maremma to act skittish at times.
Zeke goes into that mode almost every day for short periods of time..
some of them stay in that mode for long periods of time.

I was concerned about Zeke until I talked to a breeder friend of mine.

Now when Zeke is acting like that, we play a little game ,
I bend forward and jump toward hem, he shys away and then comes back for more. if I do this, he will always come to me to get petted after about 4 jumps.

Whenever he sees something unfamiliar, he goes into the shy mode. Like when people come to visit. He barks at their car, but keeps his distance. If they hang around outside, Zeke makes himself very scarce .
Many people have petted Frankie,, NOBODY but us has ever been close enough to pet Zeke. We both are fine with that..

........jiminwisc........


.........jiminwisc........

 

[Firstchic]

Soooo DUHHHH, I am starting to figure this here computer thing out. Always wondered why some peoples posts were bold like this and mine were not.....guess I should have used my eyes. My babies were born end of March, I switched them to layer pellets end of May...............they are doing fine, did not lose any and they all are fat and happy to be in with the big girls. Getting a new coop pretty soon. They do not have quite enough room in the present coop........at roosting time.