What did you do with your flock today?

[fuzzi]

My girls absolutely love grapes and tomatoes. They also love canned corn especially cream style. I purchase no salt.

Mine too, though when the tomatoes were in season they preferred them to the grapes.

Today they got cut up grapes, pear cores, and a little shredded Gouda. Then I cut the small oldest leaves from my collards plants and the chickens LOVED them, grabbing beakfuls of leaf as fast as they could, then swallowing them.

One of the Dominiques ran out the run door when I opened it, and tried to eat some weed leaves. She came right back when she realized the others were getting treats inside the hoop coop!

 

[PopoMyers]

Here's a story about these. This past year, I bought 6 faux eggs to thwart my egg eater. Recently, I took these out of the boxes, and threw 4 of them on the grass for the rain to wash off, as they were poopy, and left 2 in another nesting box. The damages were on the ones that were in the grass, and the 2 others disappeared. Looks like some rat or raccoon didn't get what they thought.

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[LTAY1946]

I went out with my wife to get eggs out of the new pullet coop of 15 RIR's. As we picked up eggs 3-4 of them were right there in the middle of the operation as if to inspect every egg we picked up. They are some of the most curious ladies we have ever had.

 

[akroberts1085]

I went out with my wife to get eggs out of the new pullet coop of 15 RIR's. As we picked up eggs 3-4 of them were right there in the middle of the operation as if to inspect every egg we picked up. They are some of the most curious ladies we have ever had.

I absolutely adore and love my RIR'S. They are so sweet and fun to be around. I went out and gave them some cream corn mixed with their food.

 

[Debbie292d]

I went out with my wife to get eggs out of the new pullet coop of 15 RIR's. As we picked up eggs 3-4 of them were right there in the middle of the operation as if to inspect every egg we picked up. They are some of the most curious ladies we have ever had.

An hour or so ago I went out to the coop to lock them up and check for eggs. Usually, we get 4 or 5, but today, there was just one. I went to walk out and it dawned on me my older white silkie was missing. I walked to the other end of the coop to the big nesting box where all the younger fluffy butts all gather and looked around but didn't see her.

Remember that movie ET where he hid in the closet with all the stuffed animals? I found her behind them 7 fluffy butts and had to dig through them to get the 3 eggs she was sitting on. Caught her haha, so tomorrow she goes to broody jail.

 

[LTAY1946]

An hour or so ago I went out to the coop to lock them up and check for eggs. Usually, we get 4 or 5, but today, there was just one. I went to walk out and it dawned on me my older white silkie was missing. I walked to the other end of the coop to the big nesting box where all the younger fluffy butts all gather and looked around but didn't see her.

Remember that movie ET where he hid in the closet with all the stuffed animals? I found her behind them 7 fluffy butts and had to dig through them to get the 3 eggs she was sitting on. Caught her haha, so tomorrow she goes to broody jail.

I need some silkies just for brood hens. I have a chirping Delaware grill now but now decent arrangement yet for a broody to use. I love a hen and chicks that will hang out around underfoot. That's just one more thing not getting done this week as scheduled.

 

[PopoMyers]

So, the battle with the red mites. I ordered a steam cleaner and blasted them today. Better than trying to spray some sort of insecticide in the coop cracks every 2 weeks. Will check in a few days if it was successful.

 

[LTAY1946]

So, the battle with the red mites. I ordered a steam cleaner and blasted them today. Better than trying to spray some sort of insecticide in the coop cracks every 2 weeks. Will check in a few days if it was successful.

I think one of the plus points for the hoop coops like I'm using now is that mites have very few places to hide. I've been checking under the roosts and am finding none and that is only place I can see them hiding. Most every thing else is either metal of vinyl. I can't see mites hiding in pine shaving deep litter?

 

[PopoMyers]

I went out with my wife to get eggs out of the new pullet coop of 15 RIR's. As we picked up eggs 3-4 of them were right there in the middle of the operation as if to inspect every egg we picked up. They are some of the most curious ladies we have ever had.

Pepper, my Barred Rock, was such an inspector. May she rest in peace.

 

[Shetland lover]

I'm a huge proponent of probiotics and am fermenting grains and chia mostly for that reason alone. I only do one jar so every 3 days until snow covers the ground so free-ranging is out, then I'll do it daily.

I also do a short ferment but all year round. I also make sure I feed plenty of prebiotics as these are required for the probiotic bacteria to proliferate in the gut. The importance of prebiotics to 'feed' probiotics is often overlooked. Without prebiotics, probiotics can't do their lob effectively.