Petee Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Hey LFG, is this something that would be good for the chickens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I don't think it would hurt them, but don't know if they would like it. How would you feed it, as an additive to their food? I'm trying to visualize how the meal would work. Sounds interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 It is an organic source of nutrients, and you only add about 1 tablespoon per 10 pounds I think? Don't quote me on that but it's a very small amount in a lot of feed. I did order it. The Barred Rock is so naked even though I got rid of the egg eater that I thought was tormenting her. All of the chickens look thin although they are laying more and more eggs. They have plenty of water, Layer Mash, grit and oyster shell. I'd be happier if they were warmer although they go right out in the snow to eat and dig. John tosses a handful of whole corn into the coop when he closes them up for the night. Then they can dig away to mix the bedding and get a warming snack at the same time. The Marans seem to be handling the cold better, but the original four were late season chicks and laid right through their first winter. The Marans didn't start till right at the winter Solstice. The Leghorn still isn't laying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 I'm having a big problem with egg eaters in one pen, my pen with the blue rooster. Three of the older original hens are in there, and I think one or two of them are trying to run the younger girls out of the nests. It's driving me crazy, because I'm not home during the day to pull the eggs before they can eat them, I'm just coming home to wet nests and bits of shells at the end of the day. If I knew for sure which girls it was I would get rid of them, I need to be hatching those blues. I'm going to hang some oyster grit to curb the calcium craving, then I'm thinking about building some roll out nesting boxes in that coop to get the eggs away from the girls before they get a chance to crack them. Thats a nasty habit that's hard to break once it starts, and it's contagious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 That's why the younger Buff Orphington went to the stew pot. I saw her lay an egg, then turn around and eat it. Important eggs aren't chicken feed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 42 minutes ago, Petee said: That's why the younger Buff Orphington went to the stew pot. I saw her lay an egg, then turn around and eat it. Important eggs aren't chicken feed! It's driving me nuts in the blue pen. Not only do I have customers begging me for blue chicks, but that rooster is my only blue. I'm one chicken away from extinction of the color. I never like having only one rooster of anything. I planned on having a dozen or so for myself by now, these egg eaters are setting me back a month. Egg production is picking up, and they will be in full swing by mid-February. I've got 2 incubators that need to be running full time, and I'm about to order a third. Having a pen that's not giving any eggs ruins the whole plan. Roll out nest boxes are really expensive, but I saw some DIY builds online. The way my coops are built, there is a row of 5 nest boxes along one wall sitting about six inches away from the wall. I have a long hinged door with a latch that I open from the outside to retrieve the eggs. I think what I'm going to do this weekend is elevate the floors of those boxes with about a 3 inch slope from front to back, then raise the slat at the back of the nests where the eggs can roll all the way to the wall. I've seen they line those nests with artificial grass rather than shavings to let the eggs roll, so you could pull it out and wash it when it gets soiled. I'll let you know how it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 The guy from the Swedish Homestead just did a You Tube on this exact thing, and it sounds like the same plan. He altered it because it wasn't working as well as he wanted. You may want to view that video to see what he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 There's one more after this one where he was discussing changes he was going to make but I can't find it right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 16 hours ago, Petee said: The guy from the Swedish Homestead just did a You Tube on this exact thing, and it sounds like the same plan. He altered it because it wasn't working as well as he wanted. You may want to view that video to see what he did. That is ideal Petee, thank you. That is about the same design as my nest boxes, same sixe, but the floors are flat. It would be easy to go back and retrofit those elevated floors, but I was debating on the design. That gives me some great ideas. Man that guy has a nice table saw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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