chickens!

[jensco]

My "girls" run around too! This year we will be replacing the building floor with a heated cement one. We bed with a combo of straw and shavings. They will be getting a larger penned yard too.

My oldest are just two but they seem to be doing fine. I'll have to look for those other mashes. Feed supplies around here are somewhat limited for chickens.

Cowman, your nesting setup sounds great. Right now we just have a single row (about 12) that are 12x12" boxes with a bottom that is 16" deep. We have natural branches for roosting. A couple of the girls will attack eggs, if they see me coming to get the eggs. I'm going to let these girls (3) have chicks this year as the "cluckers" are looking to produce a family. Redhen, any experience here - What do I need to provide them? The roosters already know which house contains the girls!

Good luck with the pedators all! Too bad I'm not closer Cowman, I have a cat population that needs thinning.

[cowman]

I think the idea of the enclosed nesting boxes was to keep the hen in the dark while laying eggs. I believe it was supposed to stop them from eating the eggs. The folddown door gave you easy access to the nests.
Redhen: I considered Isabrowns. They seem to have impressive egg production. Are they wild like leghorns? Do they lay white or brown eggs?
I wonder if anyone has ever tried feeding chickens a bit of whole canola? I remember once my cousin had this kid hauling canola to the bin from the combine. He let it overrun and there was a big circle of canola around the bin. I shovelled it up and got about 10 pails. I had three little steers I was feeding and I would give them a couple of hand fulls of canola on top of their rolled barley. They sure got nice and shiny!

[jensco]

Isa Browns are not as wild as leghorns. They lay brown eggs and are hardier layers through the winter months. The severe cold seems to be the thing that will stop their production. They are also a larger hen and thus, lay larger eggs. My biggest problem is that I cannot fit the eggs into standard egg cartons.

With my girls, the other thing that I find with the enclosed boxes is that the hens do not try and double up or attack a hen in their favourite nesting box. Always an advantage. Some will still lay on the floor or on top of the boxes.

They sure like whole grains with their egg layer ration. I've never tried canola-oats, wheat, flax I've had success with. I would also be interested in finding out how it changes the eggs.

[redhen]

Hey Cowman, Jensco and chicken advocates!

The Isabrowns we've had have been "layed" back and extremely personable. You will likely get to know a few of them individually, by their combs, voices, colours, or a combination of all three. )

*Hen Trivia* Hens can identify and remember up to 100 of their sisters and can spot an intruder instantly.

The Isabrowns are big girls and they lay huge eggs. Our 5-year-old hens weigh 8 lbs on average. If you are so inclined, they make exceptional stewing hens when their laying peak has passed.

You can expect to get 12 to 24 Jumbo eggs per 100 Isabrowns per day. Our largest egg weighed in at 4 ozs (I blew out the contents and saved the egg), but we've never had another like it to break the record. We'll see with this new flock, LOL.

Jensco, you can get "Jumbo" egg cartons if you hunt around. Before I found them, I used to cut the top and bottom of a regular carton apart, package the eggs, and tape the carton together again. Not pretty, but functional, and the customers eyes always popped to see eggs too big for a carton, LOL.

Our flock of 200 Isabrowns maintained a production rate of 85 to 90 percent for about 6 months, with one day boasting 98%!! (that's right - 196 eggs in one day!) That was likely a fluke of timing, since each hen does not lay every day, but it is certainly NOT typical of the ready-to-lay pullets (Hi-Line Browns) we bought last year from a local supplier. Out of those 50 hens we're lucky to see 25 eggs a day - a disappointing 50%. We're hoping the Isabrowns can get us back on track this fall.

Cowman, I used to include canola in the hens' winter ration for additional, economical energy, and to help keep the yolks a deep yellow. I discovered the benefits of canola by accident when another egg producer was cursing his hens for getting into his canola bin. He said all their eggs had dark yellow yolks and none of his customers wanted them!! If only he knew the premium price folks are willing to pay these days!!

If you have ANY trouble marketing your eggs, poke around your local health food store, or the offices of alternative health practitioners like chiropractors and homeopaths. We are not legally able to retail eggs without quota, but we can sell from the "Farm Gate." This includes eggs we deliver to one or two central locations in town for customers to pick up. I keep a list of our clients and their phone numbers so I can substantiate the existance of a direct relationship.

Happy Henning everyone!

[cowman]

You know I never thought about what I would do with the eggs when I bought these chickens. Bought them on a whim when I was in the local Peavy Mart! My mother lives in this retirement village type thing and all her old widow friends just spoke right up when she told them I'd got some chickens. She says she can get rid of all I can produce. I guess these old grannies aren't too impressed with the "modern" eggs! A lot of them were also interested in chickens to eat...I guess they aren't too interested in "modern" chicken meat either. I guess I could become the chicken king of the senior citizens condo complex!!!

[cakadu]

Redhen, I am interested in finding out about this flax mash that you're feeding. Is it a particular brand and what is the actual flax content or percentage? I wouldn't mind trying to find some and adding it to the girls' diet. How much of it do you feed at one time?

Cowman, sounds like you've got potential there for a good thing. If you find your demand outstripping your supply, just give a holler. Might just as well get this cooperative thing going if we can. It would seem that all you have to do is mention that you've got eggs for sale and right away people want them. Also, if you're in the market for a cat/kittens, we do have some that we'd be willing to share with you.

Linda

[redhen]

Hi again!

The form of flax we feed is milled flax, and is sold under the Equi-Glo trade name at our (UFA) feed store. Intended for horses, flax meal is flax seed milled to a coarse flour texture. The meal is highly digestable. It should be stored in the dark at a cool temperature.

For our hens, I put out the plain mixed grain ration first, then start over in the feed room with 2 quarts rolled wheat in the feed pail, to which I add about 1 cup (scoop is provided in the big bags) of milled flax, 1 quart of soy meal and just enough hot water to make the supplements stick to the rolled wheat (quantity to feed 60 hens). I recently added dried molasses/beet pulp to give our girls a little extra potassium and some great-tasting carbohydrates. ) (hens have a real sweet tooth!)

You can get milled flax for people at health food stores, but it is prohibitively expensive in small sizes. We buy the big horse-sized bag (25 kg) and take some up to the house in an ice-cream pail to keep in the fridge for our own use. It's great added to salads, bread, cereal, etc. and is an excellent source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Milled flax is used extensively in cancer-prevention food programs.

Hope this info helps!

- Elisabeth

[cowman]

In a weak moment I went out and ordered another 50 chickens! 25 Isabrowns and 25 Cornish giants! How long until I can mix them in with the big chickens? My red sussex crosses are growing like weeds. The red ones are definitely females! I'm a little vague on when I should expect them to begin laying(I know not for a long time yet) and if at that time I should feed them differently? My mother is still gadding about Scotland so I am sort of winging it!
Right now I'm feeding them about one third chick starter/one third fine rolled barley/one third fine rolled wheat. Also should I be providing them with some sort of grit? How about a couple of shovelfuls of road gravel? Or should I buy something? Do chickens require salt or minerals? They are going outside everyday in a fenced corral.
I'm afraid I'm fairly ignorant about these things. But if you don't ask how will you ever learn?

[redhen]

Dear Winged Cowman )

Your hens will begin to lay at about 5 months of age. I'm not sure if the Isabrowns can be mixed with the older birds until they are all about the same size. I'd be afraid the older birds would bully them a bit.

The Cornish Giants will need to be monitored closely so they don't gain weight too quickly. Keep them away from the layers or they'll eat themselves to death.

All birds need access to granite grit, #2 for small chickens and hens, and #3 for larger chickens and turkeys.

Hope this helps.

[jensco]

Having mixed flocks before...make sure they are the same size before they can get at eachother. If you can, try and keep them close together as they are growing up and then they have an easier time.

Your "girls" must love the mixed ration. The breeders will tell you that the ISA's will come into production between 17 and 20 weeks with the majority at around 19 weeks. I try not to introduce 18% laying ration (this is vitamin enhanced) until most of the hens have layed their first pullet eggs (great pickled by the way)or 20 weeks whichever comes first. Again, I mix it with other grains as it keeps them more interested. Unfortunatley, since we don't grow grain, I have to rely on the feeds available locally. Looks like flax meal is only available in the city. Next time I'm there, I want to pick some up.

I take my Cornish off chick starter at 3 weeks or they do that eat themselves into heart attack stuff. I mix grower then with some mixed chicken feed (grains and oyster shell etc.) to slow down their growth. They seem to put on less fat and a firmer meat. One week before butcher I soak whole grain in water over night and give it to them. They love it and it finishes them nicely - an old local farmer gave me this one. Has worked well for the last few years now. Works on turkeys too!

Your Mom will be quite surprised on her return from bonny Scotland. Sounds like a great trip - must do that one day!

Redhen, the last couple days the girls are resorted to ground laying vs their nesting boxes. Any ideas why? I was wondering if it had something to do with wanting their own brood. The roosters sure are hanging around the coop more and more! I was hoping to stretch out letting them have chicks until the end of the month.

[redhen]

Hi Jensco!

When my hens go off laying in their boxes, the first thing I do is clean and re-bed them. (I do this once a month anyway.) I'm not sure if you use shavings, but I have found them easier on my arthritic wrists than straw, LOL. Sometimes the nest boxes get some feather mites, so the hens move on to "clean" sites.

Another factor could be lighting. Are any of the nest boxes in the line of sunlight during the day? Darker is better, apparently.

A third factor might be a rogue hen who is eating eggs or intimidating the other hens in their nest boxes.

Let us know how your brooding hens do. I've never had the experience of hatching out our own babies. It must be delightful to see them reared as nature intended!

hugs, e.

[jensco]

Well, since I just cleaned and rebedded the boxes, it must be one of the two other things you mentioned.

I do know that the change in length of daylight and sun direction may be an issue. It just wasn't last year.

Now the rogue hen...that is interesting. There have been more eggs attacked recently and the cluckers seem to be becoming more aggressive. Two persistent girls have been "released" from the coop with the "boys". We will see if coop life calms down a bit. I'll keep you posted on the brooders in the Pork&Poultry area. I think I may have to help out with providing alternative nesting sites or the predators will move in.

Never a dull moment! Later all!