Hi, new pullets here and one cockrell. We try to feed the best possible feed and are limited from our local feed stores choices. Are there any brands or websites that you think would be helpful in our search for the best for our budget? Thank you!
Thank you for your question! Here are a few ways that I strive to provide my chickens with excellent nutrition on a budget. Per RUclips community guidelines unless a company has given me permission to, I’m not allowed to name or endorse specific brands. These are the tips I use personally to get the most out of my chicken feed. When I purchase a high-quality bag of chicken feed, and for me high quality is the $20 and up bags, I ferment it. That way, I double the volume as well as nutritional availability for my chickens. I currently feed box store generic feed as my free choice option, but I supplement with safe kitchen scraps 3 times a week to give my flock a nutritional boost. I also make my own chicken treats. I use GrubTerra soldier fly larvae as part of my treat regimen and I have been very happy with the results and my chickens really enjoy them. I have a product review that includes a coupon code. I also have a video about fermenting your own chicken feed and making your own treats. I will link it below. I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you have any additional questions. Ways To Stretch Chicken Feed And Make Your Own Treats ruclips.net/video/eu7gRyFoCiI/видео.html
Thank you for your question. I would not recommend separating your flock unless it is medically necessary. The stress of separation could cause your hen to stop laying. Also, reincorporating the flock even if they have only been separated for a few days can result in aggression. Pullets will all become laying hens at different times even if they are the same breed. Each chicken will mature at their own pace. If one of your pullets has become a laying hen, her flock is likely not far behind her. You can use a camera to watch their activity and determine which chicken is laying. There are more options now than ever for inexpensive cameras. The cameras can also serve a double purpose as additional predator protection because they will allow you to monitor your flock. Are you curious which hen is laying or is there a potential health or environmental issue that has you concerned? Let me know if you have any additional questions. I will do my best to help you find the information you are looking for.
@@ChuckTheRooster I was just curious about which one was laying. Can I separate them by 1/2 for a few hours? They are not using the nesting boxes at all (even have fake eggs in boxes) but lay on ground or while their roosting which causes crack eggs 🤷♀️
@@Crusher14 I can see why you’re concerned. Let me see if I understand what’s happening. From what you’ve told me about your set up, your chickens are in a tractor during the majority of the day. They are in their coop in the early morning and at night. Since they don’t have access to their coop during the majority of the day you have provided them with a nesting box in their tractor for them to use. That’s important since they are in their tractor the majority of the day. For my own flock my hens will lay throughout the morning and through early afternoon. Some chickens are early morning layers and some lay eggs later in the day. You’ve tried leaving them in the coop slightly longer for example if they usually go their tractor at 7am, waiting until 8am so they have additional access to their boxes. If they don’t seem to use their boxes even if with the addition of fake eggs, here are some things to check. Are the boxes big enough? Can they get into them and do a full turn without feeling cramped? Can they access them? Are they off the ground but low enough that the chickens can easily climb to them and if not, you can add a ramp or a bale of straw to give them additional places to climb from. I also have a roost bar in front of our nesting boxes so the chickens can step from the bar and into the nesting box. You can try changing your nesting box material. I used to use fine pine chips for my nesting boxes but my flock prefers straw or grass from the yard as nesting material. You can also try a different style of nesting box. I don’t know what style you’re using but some prefer different types of containers. Milk crates, boxes, baskets, plastic reusable pans, and buckets turned on their side can all make different styles of nesting boxes. You can try adding a new style of box to your set up and see if they use the new style. Other things to check are is the coop quiet and somewhat dark? If it is too light or subject to disruptive noises of some kind, they might not feel safe laying eggs there. Also, predator pressure. Something to check, to examine your coop very carefully all over for any signs of predators. Even the ceiling! Holes, droppings, scratches, bedding having been made into a predator nest, or anything suspicious that isn’t chicken activity. Predators like rodents and snakes can actually make a home in the coop which would impact your flock. When members of a flock are separated, they immediately begin to reorganize their pecking order. The longer the separation, the more the changes to their pecking order become confirmed. When the flock reintegrates, they will have to reorganize. The stress of this can impact productivity as well as result in behaviors like excessive aggression, feather pecking, and other undesirable behavior. I don’t remove members from my flock unless it is a medical necessity. Ultimately, they are your flock and you will discover what is best for them. I hope some of these suggestions will be helpful.
@@ChuckTheRooster I have an Amish built coop & run. The nesting boxes are really a good size. I am using pine shavings but not the fine as I thought it had too much dust & was hard on chickens respiratory system. I will change to straw. You brought up a good point my GSD barks at them sometimes when I am bringing treats or changing cold water & maybe stressing them, even though he can’t get in their cage. I don’t use my 4 x 8 tractor anymore, as I have them in a covered 10 x 10 kennel during the day. I have put boxes in the kennel too but it could be too much light in those. Do you have any suggestions for material to hang over those plastic nesting boxes. I will not separate them except the time it takes me to carry them to kennel. Thank you for all your help.
@@Crusher14 I’m happy to help however I can. I also want to recognize your efforts to take excellent care of your flock. Thank you for being patient with your chickens and thank you for being willing to learn and try different things to help them be happy and productive. Don’t worry, your hens will eventually figure things out! When my hens first came on lay, I got the occasional floor egg or surprise egg in an odd place. Once one hen figures out how to use the nest boxes, she will likely teach the others. My hens really enjoyed when I switched to straw as a nest box liner so I hope that works for you too. As far as material for a nesting box curtain, I wouldn’t use anything fancy. I would prioritize it being washable and breathable. I would attach it in such a way you can remove it and wash it when needed. You could even use an old bed sheet, discount, or thrifted fabric. If you’re talking about roofing material, the roof for our run is a tarp. I hope someday we can upgrade to metal roofing but it is a tarp for now. Just a thought, is there any way to attach your run to your coop and create a door or tunnel so your chickens can move between these areas freely? You would need a door that could be secured at night as to not let in predators, but that is a possible solution and it would mean less work for you moving them between their areas. Let me know if you have any additional questions and let me know how things go!
Hi, new pullets here and one cockrell. We try to feed the best possible feed and are limited from our local feed stores choices. Are there any brands or websites that you think would be helpful in our search for the best for our budget? Thank you!
Thank you for your question! Here are a few ways that I strive to provide my chickens with excellent nutrition on a budget. Per RUclips community guidelines unless a company has given me permission to, I’m not allowed to name or endorse specific brands. These are the tips I use personally to get the most out of my chicken feed. When I purchase a high-quality bag of chicken feed, and for me high quality is the $20 and up bags, I ferment it. That way, I double the volume as well as nutritional availability for my chickens. I currently feed box store generic feed as my free choice option, but I supplement with safe kitchen scraps 3 times a week to give my flock a nutritional boost. I also make my own chicken treats. I use GrubTerra soldier fly larvae as part of my treat regimen and I have been very happy with the results and my chickens really enjoy them. I have a product review that includes a coupon code. I also have a video about fermenting your own chicken feed and making your own treats. I will link it below. I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Ways To Stretch Chicken Feed And Make Your Own Treats
ruclips.net/video/eu7gRyFoCiI/видео.html
New pullets here, I’m only getting 1 egg every other day, is there anyway to tell who is laying the egg other them separating the chicks?
Thank you for your question. I would not recommend separating your flock unless it is medically necessary. The stress of separation could cause your hen to stop laying. Also, reincorporating the flock even if they have only been separated for a few days can result in aggression. Pullets will all become laying hens at different times even if they are the same breed. Each chicken will mature at their own pace. If one of your pullets has become a laying hen, her flock is likely not far behind her. You can use a camera to watch their activity and determine which chicken is laying. There are more options now than ever for inexpensive cameras. The cameras can also serve a double purpose as additional predator protection because they will allow you to monitor your flock. Are you curious which hen is laying or is there a potential health or environmental issue that has you concerned? Let me know if you have any additional questions. I will do my best to help you find the information you are looking for.
@@ChuckTheRooster I was just curious about which one was laying. Can I separate them by 1/2 for a few hours? They are not using the nesting boxes at all (even have fake eggs in boxes) but lay on ground or while their roosting which causes crack eggs 🤷♀️
@@Crusher14 I can see why you’re concerned. Let me see if I understand what’s happening. From what you’ve told me about your set up, your chickens are in a tractor during the majority of the day. They are in their coop in the early morning and at night. Since they don’t have access to their coop during the majority of the day you have provided them with a nesting box in their tractor for them to use. That’s important since they are in their tractor the majority of the day. For my own flock my hens will lay throughout the morning and through early afternoon. Some chickens are early morning layers and some lay eggs later in the day. You’ve tried leaving them in the coop slightly longer for example if they usually go their tractor at 7am, waiting until 8am so they have additional access to their boxes. If they don’t seem to use their boxes even if with the addition of fake eggs, here are some things to check. Are the boxes big enough? Can they get into them and do a full turn without feeling cramped? Can they access them? Are they off the ground but low enough that the chickens can easily climb to them and if not, you can add a ramp or a bale of straw to give them additional places to climb from. I also have a roost bar in front of our nesting boxes so the chickens can step from the bar and into the nesting box. You can try changing your nesting box material. I used to use fine pine chips for my nesting boxes but my flock prefers straw or grass from the yard as nesting material. You can also try a different style of nesting box. I don’t know what style you’re using but some prefer different types of containers. Milk crates, boxes, baskets, plastic reusable pans, and buckets turned on their side can all make different styles of nesting boxes. You can try adding a new style of box to your set up and see if they use the new style. Other things to check are is the coop quiet and somewhat dark? If it is too light or subject to disruptive noises of some kind, they might not feel safe laying eggs there. Also, predator pressure. Something to check, to examine your coop very carefully all over for any signs of predators. Even the ceiling! Holes, droppings, scratches, bedding having been made into a predator nest, or anything suspicious that isn’t chicken activity. Predators like rodents and snakes can actually make a home in the coop which would impact your flock. When members of a flock are separated, they immediately begin to reorganize their pecking order. The longer the separation, the more the changes to their pecking order become confirmed. When the flock reintegrates, they will have to reorganize. The stress of this can impact productivity as well as result in behaviors like excessive aggression, feather pecking, and other undesirable behavior. I don’t remove members from my flock unless it is a medical necessity. Ultimately, they are your flock and you will discover what is best for them. I hope some of these suggestions will be helpful.
@@ChuckTheRooster I have an Amish built coop & run. The nesting boxes are really a good size. I am using pine shavings but not the fine as I thought it had too much dust & was hard on chickens respiratory system. I will change to straw. You brought up a good point my GSD barks at them sometimes when I am bringing treats or changing cold water & maybe stressing them, even though he can’t get in their cage. I don’t use my 4 x 8 tractor anymore, as I have them in a covered 10 x 10 kennel during the day. I have put boxes in the kennel too but it could be too much light in those. Do you have any suggestions for material to hang over those plastic nesting boxes. I will not separate them except the time it takes me to carry them to kennel. Thank you for all your help.
@@Crusher14 I’m happy to help however I can. I also want to recognize your efforts to take excellent care of your flock. Thank you for being patient with your chickens and thank you for being willing to learn and try different things to help them be happy and productive. Don’t worry, your hens will eventually figure things out! When my hens first came on lay, I got the occasional floor egg or surprise egg in an odd place. Once one hen figures out how to use the nest boxes, she will likely teach the others. My hens really enjoyed when I switched to straw as a nest box liner so I hope that works for you too. As far as material for a nesting box curtain, I wouldn’t use anything fancy. I would prioritize it being washable and breathable. I would attach it in such a way you can remove it and wash it when needed. You could even use an old bed sheet, discount, or thrifted fabric. If you’re talking about roofing material, the roof for our run is a tarp. I hope someday we can upgrade to metal roofing but it is a tarp for now. Just a thought, is there any way to attach your run to your coop and create a door or tunnel so your chickens can move between these areas freely? You would need a door that could be secured at night as to not let in predators, but that is a possible solution and it would mean less work for you moving them between their areas. Let me know if you have any additional questions and let me know how things go!