Chickens

[wpage]

Which came first...

Chickens or the Egg?

[Dutch3]

We have had 5 hens for a couple of years now. Basic layer pullets from TSC raised from chicks.

On average, we get 3-4 eggs per day. They free range for a few hours per day and eat lots of bugs. They do crap everywhere and tend to tear things up scratching around.

But they are enjoyable, put themselves to bed every night and earn their keep by providing protein. I am thinking about getting some more.

With providing a big feeder how do you prevent over eating as they will have access to food 24/7. I only ask as several of the bags of feed/scratch provide a ratio per chicken. How can one control that if food is just placed into a big hopper device.

Mine have access to food 24/7 and haven't shown any tendency toward overeating. It seems they prefer to be out scratching around the yard over eating the layer feed. A 50lb. bag of feed lasts 5-6 weeks and costs about $15.

[sdnative13]

Agreed

We have had 5 hens for a couple of years now. Basic layer pullets from TSC raised from chicks.

On average, we get 3-4 eggs per day. They free range for a few hours per day and eat lots of bugs. They do crap everywhere and tend to tear things up scratching around.

But they are enjoyable, put themselves to bed every night and earn their keep by providing protein. I am thinking about getting some more.



Mine have access to food 24/7 and haven't shown any tendency toward overeating. It seems they prefer to be out scratching around the yard over eating the layer feed. A 50lb. bag of feed lasts 5-6 weeks and costs about $15.

Yes I agree. I have roughly 10 and they would much rather be out scratching than in their coop, problem is I like my grass more than their freedom. They do get out but not as much as before as the tore huge holes in my yard. I made a cheap feeder by using a 4 foot section on vent pipe for a water heater and although it works great they seem to throw all of the feed on the ground anyways.

[Sunday]

We have had 5 hens for a couple of years now. Basic layer pullets from TSC raised from chicks.

On average, we get 3-4 eggs per day. They free range for a few hours per day and eat lots of bugs. They do crap everywhere and tend to tear things up scratching around.

But they are enjoyable, put themselves to bed every night and earn their keep by providing protein. I am thinking about getting some more.



Mine have access to food 24/7 and haven't shown any tendency toward overeating. It seems they prefer to be out scratching around the yard over eating the layer feed. A 50lb. bag of feed lasts 5-6 weeks and costs about $15.

do you feed them GMO food?

[CSACANNONEER]

A few weeks ago we put 42 eggs in the incubator. Yesterday, 2 hatched early. One just popped out a few minutes ago and they aren't due until tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll get +50% hens and a be able to turn most of the roosters into soup.

[Dutch3]

do you feed them GMO food?

Late reply.

I feed them Purina Layena crumbles, which according to the specs is 100% natural and non-GMO.

They also get plenty of scraps from my garden and whatever they scratch up in the yard. They have oyster shell readily available as well.

[chris]

lost my barred rock hen about 3 weeks ago. the breast feathers were torn off her. not sure as to what killed her. I saw her that morning and later that day she was dead. I found at the outside door of the coup.


the other 3 are fine.

[Falstaff]

Any ideas on how to train dogs not to eat chickens?

[chris]

Any ideas on how to train dogs not to eat chickens?

some people's dogs don't care. I have two hunting dogs one doesn't care much for them my dog however would love to get a hold of one and bring it to me.

they drive him nuts on a daily basis.

[Dutch3]

My dogs are small and have sort of an uneasy truce with the chickens. Occasionally, a dog will try to start some sh*t, but the chickens retaliate with beaks and end up chasing the dogs off.

The only real issues have been with larger neighbor dogs getting through the fence.

In my experience, once a dog gets the taste of blood, whether it be goats, sheep, calves or chickens, there is no resolving it.

I am sure there are exceptions, but I have never witnessed any success in that regard. I think that a dog would need to trained to respect livestock from an early age, if not a breed that naturally has that tendency.

[Falstaff]

The free range chickens my neighbor has somehow get way up high in the oak trees between our property, my malamute waits for them to come down on our side and as soon as they do boom he's on 'em 1 bite and then he eats them whole in about 30 seconds. Between him and the coyotes, almost all of them are gone...( the yotes got his rooster, a few nights ago don't miss that one though annoying as heck)
He almost took a deer down too, this predation behavior is getting troublesome.

[Sunday]

I hate @#$% yotes.

[chris]

We have had 5 hens for a couple of years now. Basic layer pullets from TSC raised from chicks.

On average, we get 3-4 eggs per day. They free range for a few hours per day and eat lots of bugs. They do crap everywhere and tend to tear things up scratching around.

But they are enjoyable, put themselves to bed every night and earn their keep by providing protein. I am thinking about getting some more.



Mine have access to food 24/7 and haven't shown any tendency toward overeating. It seems they prefer to be out scratching around the yard over eating the layer feed. A 50lb. bag of feed lasts 5-6 weeks and costs about $15.

same here their food lasts about the same amount of time which is good for what I get in return.

I only have 3 one died from what I don't know it wasn't any disease or anything she was killed.

but they are in my old garden scratching it up looking for bugs and what not. they like your put themselves to bed and seem to eat just about enough.

I get about 2 to 3 eggs a day.

[Dutch3]

same here their food lasts about the same amount of time which is good for what I get in return.

I only have 3 one died from what I don't know it wasn't any disease or anything she was killed.

but they are in my old garden scratching it up looking for bugs and what not. they like your put themselves to bed and seem to eat just about enough.

I get about 2 to 3 eggs a day.

I am down to 4. One got sick about a month ago and went downhill quickly. She looked a little off one day and was done a day or two later. Maybe eggbound?

The rest seemed to go into a mass molt around the time of the first cold night we had a couple of weeks ago. Egg production gradually dropped to zero. We planned on deviled eggs for Thanksgiving, and I actually had to buy some eggs for the first time in years. (!)

Store-bought eggs are horrible! I need more chickens.