I gave the hens and pullets a few bowls of wetted down All Flock crumbles. Regular food becomes a treat when it's wet.
I have a pair of New Hampshire cockerels now to go along with the 7 NH pullets I got last month. Now I can start working on a self sustaining flock. I bought a couple Rhode...
The pullets are 6 or 7 weeks old now and (I think) are big enough to fend for themselves so I integrated them into the flock of 2 year old barred rock hens today. They're all getting along great at the moment. They're sharing the feed bowl without any fighting.
Thanks! They're getting bigger by the day and will be cut loose with the big girls in the next week or so. I'll provide them plenty of "hiding" places if they need to get away. LOL
My new rooster chicks will arrive in the mail sometime next week, but they'll be inside in a box for the first...
I bought 6 new chicks at the Wilco store on April 2nd, and was given a 7th one that had pasty butt. They are New Hampshire reds, which are supposed to be an improved version of the Rhode Island red. Quick growing and feathering. I think they were about a week old when I got them so they're 4...
My hens will turn 2 years old in a week so they shouldn't be at the end of their laying life. I've forced them to eat extra calcium a couple times (powdered eggshells/oyster shell mixed in wetted feed) and that seems to help shell hardness, but with some of my hens going through soft molts...
One of my chickens started molting last night, lots of feathers scattered around and she's looking scraggly. I gave them all some cooked pork today for extra protein.
I hope their egg quality improves soon. One or more of them keeps laying thin shell brittle eggs, which get eaten in the nest...
I gave the girls some apples from the tree and scraps from the Thanksgiving rib roast and butternut squash. They really liked the beef bone, fat and squash seeds but they're getting bored of apples. LOL
I refilled the feeder with a 5 gallon bucket full of 2 parts 17% layer feed mixed with one part 27% game bird feed. I'll take care of the waterers tomorrow. I gave them a dozen small to medium tomatoes this morning that they ate right up.
Got both waterers cleaned and refilled with fresh water, filled up the feed bin and topped off the oyster/eggshell calcium box. I could leave home for a week and the girls would have all they need.
I went around the entire foundation of the house, pulled up the weeds and gave the girls two 5 gallon buckets full of greenery. I bet I get an above average egg count tomorrow.
Yeah, chickens eat a lot of stuff that will supposedly cause them problems or kill them, depending on what you read. I think they'd have to eat a whole lot of apple seeds to cause problems, even if they are actually a problem.
There's something in apple seeds that the human digestive system...
Chickens can get the runs if they some new veggie, or too much of some veggies or fruits. Nothing to worry about, but it can make their butt feathers messy, and could attract flies in warmer weather.
I gave my chickens an apple each today and they're probably used to them by now. They each get...
I splurged and bought my flock a special treat the other day... 2 fresh ears of corn. Gave them one a day to share between the 6 of them. I guess they're worth the 50 cent cost of the corn.
It's a blue moon supermoon. Rare and pretty cool!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/when-and-where-to-see-augusts-rare-supermoon-blue-moon/ar-AA1oXqHF?ocid=BingNewsSerp
I filled the grit box in the chickens' day run with a mix of crushed eggshells, oyster/coral calcium granules and granite grit. Bought a new bag of layer feed yesterday which should last through most of next month.
They're still laying machines, averaging close to 6 eggs per day from the 7...
I think you're talking about trichinosis, and I've read that for the most part it's not a threat any more in commercial pork. I think it was more prevalent in the old days when most hogs were raised outdoors.
So no, I wasn't really worried about giving them the raw pork bone to peck on.