hawgrider (02-23-2017),shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
Right now we are doing about 40+ dozen per week. When we had temps in the twenties we got down to as low as 10 dozen per week. Our best month, before cold weather set in, we were averaging 80+ eggs per day.
That's just the chickens. When the quail are at full steam, we usually get about 8-12 eggs per day.
It can be a job sometimes.
I fear the nation I loved may be gone. The best I hope for now is to die with honor in the coming civil war, and that my grandchildren be spared the pain of a tyrannical government.
News Flash: Statistics show the last time Blacks had a 100% employment rate was 1863
Baglady (02-23-2017),hawgrider (02-23-2017),Inor (02-23-2017),shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
I know my numbers fluctuate, but all kinds of factors play in. For instance, we had a hawk hanging around. Took out a chicken or two. That week, we got hardly any eggs. A sudden temperature change can cause a drop or a spike.
The wife keeps a more accurate tally. I'm going off of he top of my head right now. She tallies each day and notes temps, weather, feed, etc.
I fear the nation I loved may be gone. The best I hope for now is to die with honor in the coming civil war, and that my grandchildren be spared the pain of a tyrannical government.
News Flash: Statistics show the last time Blacks had a 100% employment rate was 1863
hawgrider (02-23-2017),Inor (02-23-2017),shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
We started with factory birds a few years ago we used to get them from a guy who had a state contract. It is funny watching their first couple weeks of freedom. They don't even know what a blade of grass is. Let alone the scraps from salads and what not that the wife throws out to them. Ours mainly free range most of the year and that lowers the feed cost. In the winter though they are wimps and will go into the covered run I have for them but if there is more than a 1/2 inch of snow they want nothing to do with the main free range area.
The feed-
Ok I'm no 20 or 30 year chicken keeper but I got a few years under my belt now... I'm a little surprised at the ratio of your mixture. I know a lot of folks feed different mixtures from mash to pellets and fodder. We use scratch as a treat only and the reason we do that is if the hens get too fat they will stop laying. So I'm a little surprised at the ratio of scratch, whole corn, and layer feed. I'm not saying its wrong and maybe Ive been led to believe the wrong info ?
It may also be the difference that maybe your birds are not free ranging because of how many you have?
Our yolks are deep orange and the shells are hard as a rock. So that tells me we have a good ratio of free range food and supplemental feed.
Now all that said it does cost me more dough to feed a quality layer feed than if I was using more scratch and whole corn. So this is interesting to me as maybe we could be using more scratch which would lower costs?
Good thread Coastie I always like to hear what others are doing with their flocks
Last edited by hawgrider; 02-23-2017 at 05:49 AM.
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Our birds were young and thin as rails when we got them. All they knew was the house. We feed twice per day with 2-3 scoops from a coffee can. We tried free ranging some of them, but they would lay where ever, and several didn't come home to roost, so to speak. I would go out after dark and find them huddled under the yard light, 20 yards from the coop.
We started getting the hard shells after introducing the corn into their diet. At first they refused to eat the corn. They would literally stand and look at it. We're now getting the golden yolks and full flavor.
The scratch is cheap, and made at the mill in town. We use it not only to cut the pellets, but to teach the hens to scratch at the dirt. Sounds funny, but these girls knew nothing. Turned free, I believe most would have died in a week.
The nice thing is they are very social towards people. Most of them clamor for attention. The granddaughter brings friends over and grab a chicken each to pet and carry around. They will follow you around like a dog.
I fear the nation I loved may be gone. The best I hope for now is to die with honor in the coming civil war, and that my grandchildren be spared the pain of a tyrannical government.
News Flash: Statistics show the last time Blacks had a 100% employment rate was 1863
Baglady (02-23-2017),hawgrider (02-23-2017),Inor (02-23-2017),shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
Hawg, you need to remind me this weekend to get pics of the feed tags so you can see what's in the scratch. And pics of the feed after mixed.
I'm thinking that when spring comes I'll have to adjust my mix again .
I fear the nation I loved may be gone. The best I hope for now is to die with honor in the coming civil war, and that my grandchildren be spared the pain of a tyrannical government.
News Flash: Statistics show the last time Blacks had a 100% employment rate was 1863
hawgrider (02-23-2017),Inor (02-23-2017),shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
We had to go thru a short training process with the factory birds we had. I took golf balls and put them in the nesting boxes they caught on with in a couple weeks. We also introduced the birds to the coop for most of a day(kept them in there) when we first brought them home and they then had a instinct to know where to come back at night.
Also we had to teach them how to roost on a perch.... stupid birds.
Now that sounds easy and it was for less than a dozen birds. But I can see how the training would be a huge undertaking with a hundred birds...WOW!
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Baglady (02-23-2017)
shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
From the Picture they Look like ISA browns which is the typical factory bird they lay way over 300 eggs a year. They will burn themselves out in about 3 to 4 years though. We did fairly well with the ISA's. Eggs all winter from those egg laying machines.
We are down to just one old ISA brown she is 4 years old still lays a couple eggs here and there she was our best layer for several years. We went to Black sex links, Barred rocks, Ameraucana, And Black copper French Maran only 9 birds.
"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." W. C. Fields
Baglady (02-23-2017),shootbrownelk (02-23-2017)
I've got barred rocks and americaunas also. Training was easier once we took the birds out of quarantine and integrated them with our older chickens. Our rooster put the training on them too. He's a leghorn, and when he starts crowing if they don't come to him he flogs hell out of stragglers.
I fear the nation I loved may be gone. The best I hope for now is to die with honor in the coming civil war, and that my grandchildren be spared the pain of a tyrannical government.
News Flash: Statistics show the last time Blacks had a 100% employment rate was 1863