if you have a pond, they love duckweed, and anyone who's tried to keep duckweed under control knows how abundant it can be. you can also stretch their feed by fermenting it, crumbles, pellets, and grain all work. it makes the nutrients more available to digest. sprouting the grains to make fodder also stretches things way further (1 pound of grain typically makes 8 pounds of fodder). all of that combined with kitchen scraps and free-range/chicken tractor moving, you're saving tons. I also raise my own mealworms because the dried ones are usually processed and fed poorly and don't have all the nutrients they should. I freeze them instead of drying.
Flax seed boosts Omega-3 in the eggs. Chickens seem most happiest just foraging on a compost pile. They get very excited, very social, and they have a blast scratching through it finding all kinds of tasty goodies. Good for their gut health, too. I try to give my chickens compost time at least once a week, and their nitrogen "donations" are very welcome, along with their free labor turning over the compost to help it break down quicker.
We are currently setting up our property and we are thinking about putting the compost heap in with the chicken coop. Do you think it would be a problem to give them access to it on a daily basis?
When my chicks were very small I gave them scrambled eggs as "treats" regularly and made sure I said "chick-chick-chick" every time. Now that they've grown up, I use black soldier fly larva as treats, too. The girls love them! I still say "chick-chick-chick" to keep them in the habit of coming when called. It's been very helpful when I need them to come to me even if I don't have treats in hand! I don't do it often without treats to give them--only when they are getting into something/somewhere dangerous or when I see the hawk circling above our house before they do and need to put them back up quickly.
Even when free ranged, I was taught to mix about 1/4 grit/oyster shell with 3/4 layer feed for their feeder. This becomes really important in the winter when the dirt isn’t available.
Our girls all free range so I agree with you on less feed and a better diet. We've been at our homestead for over a year now and never a tick in the woods! Great video and some great ideas! Cheers from Minnesota!
My daughter and her guy bought an old farmstead up here north of Park Rapids and since it had sat empty for a year or so and was overgrown the ticks were terrible. They bought guinea’s along with other birds and let them go, the tick population went down to practically nothing ! Hi from Minnesota too 🥶❄️🥶❄️
We use dumor layer feed and grub tera too! We live in the city but our girls have a large run with a premier one fence too. We give them grass, weeds and basically every left over kitchen scrap we have. Love it that we don’t waste any fresh produce anymore. If we don’t eat it in time the chickens will.
Buckle up your seatbelts, i'm about to say what i feed my chickens 😂 soo, mostly it's layer feed, and then it's a lot of ✨mess✨. I give them zuchinni, cucumbers, apples, all kinds of salad, grass, when i let them out to free roam, we go collecting worms, bugs, snails, etc. They have the chance to eat oyster shells, but they don't really need it since i add,i don't remember what it's called but it's some kind of dust that has all kind of vitamins and minerals they need. Then i sometimes give them a little bit of curd, i also boil potatoes and porridges.
I do sometimes similar. I use a corn tortilla as a treat they love it over almost anything else. And I just go. Cheep.. cheep…. Cheep… and they know they are about to get a special treat ( corn tortilla) lol
So informative! You've answered all the questions I had, and more. Great video, and your chickens look incredibly healthy and well-kept. I grew up with chickens around, but never seen such well-developed ones.
Thank you so much for this video!! You don’t know how much I needed it 😂 I haven’t been having good egg production, and the black soldier fly larvae is what I’m going to try for my chickens
Thank you for your inspiring, knowledgeable and fun videos on your adorable pets, they are all beautiful, healthy birds with a glorious return of love, gentleness and a nourishing amount of delightful, colourful EGGS for all your TLC. My suggestion is they all are missing a Handsome Rooster to protect them and to fertilize their eggs. Love all of your projects and looking forward to many more upcoming videos. Congratulations on your pregnancy, may you have a very safe, comfortable and healthy pregnancy. Stay Blessed, happy and every success in all of your endeavours. Melroy Lopez, New Jersey.
My old flock (failed due to predator pressure) ate all manner of table scraps. We also feed table scraps to the dogs, and did it at the same time. The chickens never ate potatoes, bread or raw onions. Since we're also feeding stuff to dogs, they never had access to chocolate. I couldn't get them to do anything for soldier flies or mealworms, because we have high populations of both existing wild in the yard. As far as meat, they did more mousing than the cats, and ate any snake that was small enough and dug up and ate moles. Most of the meat from our kitchen went to the dogs and cats
I was sent a bag of that by grubterra a few weeks ago. It's great stuff. I typically feed it to my quail when I plan on incubating. It really boosts hatch rates with the extra nutrition added to their yolks. I'm definitely going to use it with my chickenscwhen they reach laying age
My chickens free range pretty much every day. They have layer feed consistently, but don't eat much of it while they free range. They do love some kitchen scraps I bring out, and always follow me around no matter if I have something for them or not. Mine are so spoiled, they will not eat lettuce or cabbage, they want more yummy stuff. LOL
You are a wonderful find! I'm a new owner of 2 -Orpington & Blue Andalusian. Love them more & more everyday. You are a great teacher/informationalist. What do you eat? You look oh so healthy too! Looking forward to watching more.
I feed our ladies Nature's Best Organic Feeds Egg Layer Crumbles or Pellets. They can be purchased from Tractor Supply (and likely other stores as well) are USDA Organic, Non-medicated and Non-GMO project verified. Unfortunately, we are not able to free range our ladies due to town ordinances so I sprinkle grit in with their feed and provide them with plenty of yard waste, kitchen scraps and insects (Japanese beetles with be attacking soon). I also like to scatter some scratch grain every couple of days. I have been hearing a lot of GrubTerra recently so I just used your discount code to purchase some for my ladies as well. I also have them on a water rotation of one tablespoon USDA Organic, raw-unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the mother per gallon of water and when I refill the waterer I switch to Durvet Vitamins & Electrolytes mixed in with the water. I find this rotation works pretty well for us so they still get the benefits of the vinegar without CONSTANTLY having to ingest it. The electrolytes are like Gatorade for chickens, they really like it. As for calcium, I was providing crushed oyster shells but have found that just baking their egg shells to kill any bacteria and pulverizing them to mix in with their feed occasionally works just as well and is free. Great video, you have an infectious personality and are very knowledgeable! Looking forward to future uploads.
I've never had an issue with thin shelled eggs (only raising for 3 years right now) and I've never used oyster shells, if anything my buffs have too thick of shells. I have had 1 egg that didn't have a hard shell at all, not sure which girl laid it but I'm sure she feels better. I feed them 16% layer crumbles and let them free range in my fenced in back yard, they love all the crickets.
Thank you very much. I learned more. Solder flys and treat training. For recall and recovery. And backing up the balanced lifestyle. For the birds and of course us.
Permethrin really helps get rid of the ants, even carpenter ants. As well as all the other pesky creepy crawlies. The liquid kind has worked better for us. Organic method would be cinnamon spray, but it's more of a deterrent than an eliminater.
Glad i found this video never have raised chickens/roosters in my life except for my parents when they were little, so my parents especially my mom wanted to get some chickens for their eggs and there fertilizing poop lol and i feed them and make sure the 2 baby chickens eat there food and the older adult chickens/rooster eat there own food i just switched the food for the adults which are about 4 months old to the Dumor Scratch feed but from the looks of it they eat it but no so much and they end up wanting to eat my chicks starter feed instead what im doing right now is mixing a bit of the starter feed with their scratch feed and my question is can i mix up the Layer Feed with Scratch feed? also what feeders do u recommend bc i bought them that long feeder with the holes for their head and it looks like they pick at it but end up not getting anything like if they were scared
It's funny, I've followed you on Instagram for quite a while. Only stumbled on the UA-cam channel because we now have chickens. Thanks for all the info. We ended up with some Marans, Americanas, sapphire olives, some of the fluffy footed ones (I forget what they're called and one leghorn just because it was the last one there and it was all alone. 😂
We call "CHUCK CHUCK CHUCK" to our chickens and then they know their either getting kitchen scraps or mealworms/black soldier fly larvae (depending on what we have available) and they always come
I'll give the larvae a try. My birds (RI Reds) are about the snootiest things when it comes to treats. Crickets, mealworms, pretty much any commercially available treats, they turn up their noses and walk away. The dogs, on the other hand, get absolutely ecstatic for them.
I have a mixed flock with one RIR. She is the pickiest thing when it comes to treats! She loves to kill random bugs in the yard, but then feeds them to her bff (a jersey giant). But she loves the larvae treats too much to share!
I had. chickens, when I was young now I'm tring it again. but I'm afraid there is a danger of them dieing before they grow up. we have foxes raccoons hawks mice etc. we do have a 8×8 building at 10×10 run that has a roof chicken wire under to protect from digging predators. I thought of getting a rooster off craigs list or a hen that is laying. I was hoping it may teach the chick's the basics? and protect th chick's from mice. what are your suggestions/ feedback or comments on my situation. thank you for your time.
I just checked here in Australia..., Black Larva fly..., 800gms (about 1 1/2 pounds) is $45 (our dollar is the same as Canada's) To buy a bag like you have I would need to mortgage my house. :((
You can easily set up a larvae farm on the cheap. All you need is a good plastic tub, dark warm spot and rolled oats and black fly eggs. I was thinking about setting one up with mealworms bought from the store, but I was planning after I get my flock. It’s way cheaper and very easy to maintain.
We can't really let out girls free range- too many hawks and Fox's, and free ranging neighbors dogs. I try to give them the most varied diet possible. I buy layer feed, but soak the feed 8-12 hours. This seems to begin the digestion process and the girls love it. It also stretches the feed out a lot, so I don't have to buy as much. Since the feed is swollen up, there is a lot less waste, too, so we haven't gotten grain eating pests in the coop since I started this. They get all fresh weeds, grass clippings, old veg, and cooked food from the house. I grow a couple of rows of mixed greens in the garden to give them once or twice a day. In the winter, I try to sprout their scratch until it's a couple inches tall or taller. I also mix hot pepper flakes, dried rosemary, and dried calendula flowers (all home grown) into the feed in the winter. Eggs stay vibrant, everyone looks fantastic.
the meal worms usually contain a bit more protein but no where near the calcium of black soldier fly larvae. I plan to build a black soldier fly larva bin that way they always have fresh live ones to eat.
Larvae should not make up the bulk of their diet, but each chicken isn't getting that many. Making them fairly scarce when you dole them out just encourages the chickens to run over quicker and make sure they get one or two before they run out.
we have 30 layers we raised from chickens very spoiled as my son has claimed them they get layer feed access 24/7 they also get a can of corn everyday and oats or barley once every 3 weeks (anymore and pasty butt is a thing) we also harvest wild clover one of thier favorite snacks as they are free range but our yard has no clover left :(
You’re lovely and have great hair but more importantly, I love the way you’re raising and treating these chickens, along with the info you’ve provided, thanks! Maybe some day I’ll have poultry ….
I feed grower feed to all my chickens no matter their age. With oyster shell on the side. I think that they need the extra protein. I also feed table scraps and yard scraps.
I just bought a couple chicks. At what age should I start feeding them all that stuff that you're talking about because right now I'm just doing the chick starter?
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. I'm planning on getting chicks next year, working on getting things ready for them. I would like to know where you got your chicks. I know a lot of people order online. Also I've been saving egg shells. Rinsing them, air drying and storing them in the refrigerator would you recommend giving chickens egg shells for added calcium? Thank you Christy from Salem Missouri.
I have a fenced in backyard with a 6 foot privacy fence. Would it be possible to let them out during the day when I’m at work? Or should someone be there at all times?
I feed my few hens a variety of mixed frozen vegetabblles defrosted of cource. I hope that is o k at times.i. also periodically make a pot of pasta with all th e spices sauces etc etc....
I would so love to free range my chickens in my garden and farm area but I have already lost some to a fox and that is devistating and I cant bring myself to harm the fox so I keep them in a safe run. Nothing more satisfying than to see chickens out in the grass and weeds eating bugs and tender greens!
Re tomato .. i have heard its the plant that is poisonous for chooks but the fruit is ok. Like the caterpillar apparently the chooks know not to eat it ... apparently lol
My chickens won't eat carrots is that bad for them ? but I've heard ginger & garlic is good for them & when they are baby chicks is it safe for garlic powder to help them poop better
Some of my chickens pick at each other to the point that most of them have bare bits and bare backs. Sometimes to the point of bleeding and then we have to separate that one. We just started free ranging them part time, they love it I really hope it helps.
They're bored, and probably too crowded. You have too many chickens in too little space, or you're not providing them with enough mental stimulation. Free ranging will help with both issues, but consider their living situation when they're not on the range. If an expansion isn't possible, you can at least try to give them more to do. Look into hanging cabbage/lettuce, and other such "toys".
How much of the black larvae should be fed to the chickens if you do it each day? Also, if chickens are getting fed cut up vegetables, fruit, corn, etc. will they avoid eating their layer feed. How do I know they are getting enough layer feed that is essential?
My natural take. The blue 5 lbs TSC bowls are still full so. I have three girls and maybe 🤔 used 4-5 lbs in 4.5 months. But more recently I’ll pulled more clover and weeds daily through inside the secure 70 square feet caged area I have 2/3 red tailed Hawaii and a big barn owl in my backyard so I feel letting them free range isn’t the smartest option Also use the native birds as a gauge. I have a berry tree that directly over the coop. The wild birds come daily and consume them. Do they get natural berries.
We don't have to feed ours oyster shells either. We just started following you guys bit have been doing the same diet (along with free-range time) and our eggs have always shown signs of good calcium.
When my chickens stopped laying I tried about everything and even wormed them but nothing and I was about to get rid of them but I build up some pasta I had about here and fed them that and I had a batch of eggs a few days later but I thought it might be just a bit of a coincides and I did not have many eggs showing again so I fed them pasta again and they started laying so I give them pasta every few days now and they are laying good
I have a question for you. What type of grit do baby chics need? I have had chickens for years. But this is my first time raising babies. Thanks for your advice. God bless you and your family.
You have the best videos!! Our chicks will be six weeks on Monday (6/7). Is it ok to treat them with the black soldier fly larvae or is that too much calcium at this point?
I sure wish I could free range my chickens, but despite having 3 acres, I live in a small city that demands chickens be "penned". I was given 3 chickens in December. I built them a massive run, sections covered, with perches and things for them to explore, and feed them a wide variety of feeds, scraps, vegetation, black soldier fly larvae, grit source, etc. And of course a nice coop that I built. I intent to increase the flock this spring. Problem/question: I am using 18% Layer feed crumbles as my main feed source. I have noticed that it attracts honey bees, especially on the warmer Indian summer days we get here in the south during the winter. When the bees are heavy around the feed, the chickens do not eat the feed (fear of sting?). I do intend to switch to pellets to reduce the waste, but will I have the same problem? Is there something Sweet? in the feed that is attracting the bees? Maybe because nothing is in bloom yet, etc? Appreciate any help, suggestions, advice, and thanks for a great channel.
I get the odd chicken that gets sour crop from eating too much grass hay and which leads to compacted crop and a yeast starts to grow in the crop. Its a pain in the butt!
Eggshells are like 60-70% calcium. Throw them in a freezer bag till you have amassed enough then cook them at 200F for 2 hours then throw it in A cheap coffee grinder ................ and feed it right back to them. Throw what you don't need/want to store of the calcium in the yard or garden.
if you have a pond, they love duckweed, and anyone who's tried to keep duckweed under control knows how abundant it can be. you can also stretch their feed by fermenting it, crumbles, pellets, and grain all work. it makes the nutrients more available to digest. sprouting the grains to make fodder also stretches things way further (1 pound of grain typically makes 8 pounds of fodder). all of that combined with kitchen scraps and free-range/chicken tractor moving, you're saving tons. I also raise my own mealworms because the dried ones are usually processed and fed poorly and don't have all the nutrients they should. I freeze them instead of drying.
Flax seed boosts Omega-3 in the eggs.
Chickens seem most happiest just foraging on a compost pile. They get very excited, very social, and they have a blast scratching through it finding all kinds of tasty goodies. Good for their gut health, too. I try to give my chickens compost time at least once a week, and their nitrogen "donations" are very welcome, along with their free labor turning over the compost to help it break down quicker.
What do you typically have in your compost pile that they'd like to eat? Just the worms?
Can I feed my chicks(5wks) flax meal/ it’s expired but it’s people meal.
@@christinejohansson-smith3479 as long as it is not moldy or rotten. Expiration dates mean little.
So does fish meal
We are currently setting up our property and we are thinking about putting the compost heap in with the chicken coop. Do you think it would be a problem to give them access to it on a daily basis?
When my chicks were very small I gave them scrambled eggs as "treats" regularly and made sure I said "chick-chick-chick" every time. Now that they've grown up, I use black soldier fly larva as treats, too. The girls love them! I still say "chick-chick-chick" to keep them in the habit of coming when called. It's been very helpful when I need them to come to me even if I don't have treats in hand! I don't do it often without treats to give them--only when they are getting into something/somewhere dangerous or when I see the hawk circling above our house before they do and need to put them back up quickly.
I love your presentation, good!
Even when free ranged, I was taught to mix about 1/4 grit/oyster shell with 3/4 layer feed for their feeder. This becomes really important in the winter when the dirt isn’t available.
Our girls all free range so I agree with you on less feed and a better diet. We've been at our homestead for over a year now and never a tick in the woods! Great video and some great ideas! Cheers from Minnesota!
My daughter and her guy bought an old farmstead up here north of Park Rapids and since it had sat empty for a year or so and was overgrown the ticks were terrible. They bought guinea’s along with other birds and let them go, the tick population went down to practically nothing !
Hi from Minnesota too 🥶❄️🥶❄️
We use dumor layer feed and grub tera too! We live in the city but our girls have a large run with a premier one fence too. We give them grass, weeds and basically every left over kitchen scrap we have. Love it that we don’t waste any fresh produce anymore. If we don’t eat it in time the chickens will.
I have been using black sunflower seeds for their treats, they love them!!
She is always so happy
Buckle up your seatbelts, i'm about to say what i feed my chickens 😂 soo, mostly it's layer feed, and then it's a lot of ✨mess✨. I give them zuchinni, cucumbers, apples, all kinds of salad, grass, when i let them out to free roam, we go collecting worms, bugs, snails, etc. They have the chance to eat oyster shells, but they don't really need it since i add,i don't remember what it's called but it's some kind of dust that has all kind of vitamins and minerals they need. Then i sometimes give them a little bit of curd, i also boil potatoes and porridges.
Diatomaceous earth 👍🏻
Hello can u pls tell me what dust u use? :)
I do sometimes similar. I use a corn tortilla as a treat they love it over almost anything else. And I just go. Cheep.. cheep…. Cheep… and they know they are about to get a special treat ( corn tortilla) lol
Please do not give any beans ever. Toxic for them!
@@RoslinLassiethat’s what I was about to say- diatomaceous earth is what I’ve heard is used.
I like the training part lol awesome! :)
So informative! You've answered all the questions I had, and more. Great video, and your chickens look incredibly healthy and well-kept. I grew up with chickens around, but never seen such well-developed ones.
I use a corn tortilla lol they love it. They will choose it over anything else
Grub terra is best! I also have my own BSF bin and raise my own! They love the live BSF larva. They fight over them.
I loved this, I also like the closeups of your hens. Also I like to learn as much as I can until I get my own chickens(:
We still do oyster shells on top of bugs because it's good grit supplement if they don't have a huge yard to run around in
Thank you so much for this video!! You don’t know how much I needed it 😂
I haven’t been having good egg production, and the black soldier fly larvae is what I’m going to try for my chickens
Thank you for your inspiring, knowledgeable and fun videos on your adorable pets, they are all beautiful, healthy birds with a glorious return of love, gentleness and a nourishing amount of delightful, colourful EGGS for all your TLC. My suggestion is they all are missing a Handsome Rooster to protect them and to fertilize their eggs. Love all of your projects and looking forward to many more upcoming videos. Congratulations on your pregnancy, may you have a very safe, comfortable and healthy pregnancy. Stay Blessed, happy and every success in all of your endeavours. Melroy Lopez, New Jersey.
My old flock (failed due to predator pressure) ate all manner of table scraps. We also feed table scraps to the dogs, and did it at the same time. The chickens never ate potatoes, bread or raw onions. Since we're also feeding stuff to dogs, they never had access to chocolate. I couldn't get them to do anything for soldier flies or mealworms, because we have high populations of both existing wild in the yard. As far as meat, they did more mousing than the cats, and ate any snake that was small enough and dug up and ate moles. Most of the meat from our kitchen went to the dogs and cats
I was sent a bag of that by grubterra a few weeks ago. It's great stuff. I typically feed it to my quail when I plan on incubating. It really boosts hatch rates with the extra nutrition added to their yolks. I'm definitely going to use it with my chickenscwhen they reach laying age
I add black su flower seeds to the layer feed, grits and oyster shells or egg shells
Yep - chickens are very social animals. Whenever I'm out they tend to scratch around where I am. They're so cute. :-)
6:40 green tomatos have solanine which is the same thing that makes potatos harmful. Once ripe the solanine goes away and they are safe.
My chickens free range pretty much every day. They have layer feed consistently, but don't eat much of it while they free range. They do love some kitchen scraps I bring out, and always follow me around no matter if I have something for them or not. Mine are so spoiled, they will not eat lettuce or cabbage, they want more yummy stuff. LOL
You are a wonderful find! I'm a new owner of 2 -Orpington & Blue Andalusian. Love them more & more everyday. You are a great teacher/informationalist. What do you eat? You look oh so healthy too! Looking forward to watching more.
I feed our ladies Nature's Best Organic Feeds Egg Layer Crumbles or Pellets. They can be purchased from Tractor Supply (and likely other stores as well) are USDA Organic, Non-medicated and Non-GMO project verified. Unfortunately, we are not able to free range our ladies due to town ordinances so I sprinkle grit in with their feed and provide them with plenty of yard waste, kitchen scraps and insects (Japanese beetles with be attacking soon). I also like to scatter some scratch grain every couple of days. I have been hearing a lot of GrubTerra recently so I just used your discount code to purchase some for my ladies as well. I also have them on a water rotation of one tablespoon USDA Organic, raw-unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the mother per gallon of water and when I refill the waterer I switch to Durvet Vitamins & Electrolytes mixed in with the water. I find this rotation works pretty well for us so they still get the benefits of the vinegar without CONSTANTLY having to ingest it. The electrolytes are like Gatorade for chickens, they really like it. As for calcium, I was providing crushed oyster shells but have found that just baking their egg shells to kill any bacteria and pulverizing them to mix in with their feed occasionally works just as well and is free.
Great video, you have an infectious personality and are very knowledgeable! Looking forward to future uploads.
Thank you for the great video! I am getting two girls tomorrow and I am so excited!
I've never had an issue with thin shelled eggs (only raising for 3 years right now) and I've never used oyster shells, if anything my buffs have too thick of shells. I have had 1 egg that didn't have a hard shell at all, not sure which girl laid it but I'm sure she feels better. I feed them 16% layer crumbles and let them free range in my fenced in back yard, they love all the crickets.
Thank you very much.
I learned more. Solder flys and treat training. For recall and recovery.
And backing up the balanced lifestyle. For the birds and of course us.
Oyster shell mostly serves as grit for their gizzards. You can use sand instead if you want
Learning so much from your videos. Getting my first chickens in a couple of weeks. Wish me (and them) luck.
Just learning “how to” do it right... have had a few hens but want to grow in knowledge...thanks for a well thought out and edited video
I ferment my layer feed and give it first thing in the morning then of the evenings I give some scratch or scraps.
This was so useful, thank you!
Very helpful video thank you!
Gave me peace of mind as a new timer letting the girls just roam free in our back yard! We also have an ant problem, but I think not for long!
Permethrin really helps get rid of the ants, even carpenter ants. As well as all the other pesky creepy crawlies. The liquid kind has worked better for us. Organic method would be cinnamon spray, but it's more of a deterrent than an eliminater.
Do they eat the ants?
We just got a pup so thank god for your channel 🙃 These are super helpful!
Glad i found this video never have raised chickens/roosters in my life except for my parents when they were little, so my parents especially my mom wanted to get some chickens for their eggs and there fertilizing poop lol and i feed them and make sure the 2 baby chickens eat there food and the older adult chickens/rooster eat there own food i just switched the food for the adults which are about 4 months old to the Dumor Scratch feed but from the looks of it they eat it but no so much and they end up wanting to eat my chicks starter feed instead what im doing right now is mixing a bit of the starter feed with their scratch feed and my question is can i mix up the Layer Feed with Scratch feed? also what feeders do u recommend bc i bought them that long feeder with the holes for their head and it looks like they pick at it but end up not getting anything like if they were scared
thank u so much for all the info .cant what to start.
Congrats on the new property! Looks wonderful...!
You are awesome. I didn't know chickens like meat. I am new to all this.
No oaster shells here either...we dry out their shells and feed them back to them. So far so good
It's funny, I've followed you on Instagram for quite a while. Only stumbled on the UA-cam channel because we now have chickens.
Thanks for all the info.
We ended up with some Marans, Americanas, sapphire olives, some of the fluffy footed ones (I forget what they're called and one leghorn just because it was the last one there and it was all alone. 😂
We call "CHUCK CHUCK CHUCK" to our chickens and then they know their either getting kitchen scraps or mealworms/black soldier fly larvae (depending on what we have available) and they always come
I'll give the larvae a try. My birds (RI Reds) are about the snootiest things when it comes to treats. Crickets, mealworms, pretty much any commercially available treats, they turn up their noses and walk away.
The dogs, on the other hand, get absolutely ecstatic for them.
I have a mixed flock with one RIR. She is the pickiest thing when it comes to treats! She loves to kill random bugs in the yard, but then feeds them to her bff (a jersey giant). But she loves the larvae treats too much to share!
I would just like to say you are AWSOME!!!
Thanks for the tips and I love that smile.
Love your barn.
I had. chickens, when I was young now I'm tring it again. but I'm afraid there is a danger of them dieing before they grow up. we have foxes raccoons hawks mice etc. we do have a 8×8 building at 10×10 run that has a roof chicken wire under to protect from digging predators. I thought of getting a rooster off craigs list or a hen that is laying. I was hoping it may teach the chick's the basics? and protect th chick's from mice. what are your suggestions/ feedback or comments on my situation. thank you for your time.
Great video!!
A lot of good information.😊
I just checked here in Australia..., Black Larva fly..., 800gms (about 1 1/2 pounds) is $45 (our dollar is the same as Canada's) To buy a bag like you have I would need to mortgage my house. :((
I am just starting chicken keeping. There are several videos on raising your own, if you're adventurous
You can easily set up a larvae farm on the cheap. All you need is a good plastic tub, dark warm spot and rolled oats and black fly eggs. I was thinking about setting one up with mealworms bought from the store, but I was planning after I get my flock. It’s way cheaper and very easy to maintain.
Hahaha, I know what you mean...its crazy expensive here
We can't really let out girls free range- too many hawks and Fox's, and free ranging neighbors dogs. I try to give them the most varied diet possible. I buy layer feed, but soak the feed 8-12 hours. This seems to begin the digestion process and the girls love it. It also stretches the feed out a lot, so I don't have to buy as much. Since the feed is swollen up, there is a lot less waste, too, so we haven't gotten grain eating pests in the coop since I started this. They get all fresh weeds, grass clippings, old veg, and cooked food from the house. I grow a couple of rows of mixed greens in the garden to give them once or twice a day. In the winter, I try to sprout their scratch until it's a couple inches tall or taller. I also mix hot pepper flakes, dried rosemary, and dried calendula flowers (all home grown) into the feed in the winter. Eggs stay vibrant, everyone looks fantastic.
the meal worms usually contain a bit more protein but no where near the calcium of black soldier fly larvae. I plan to build a black soldier fly larva bin that way they always have fresh live ones to eat.
I love your videos thank you!
thanks for your input 😉😉
How often do you feed Grub Terra? My understanding was it’s a treat that should only be given occasionally. Do you give it to them daily?
Larvae should not make up the bulk of their diet, but each chicken isn't getting that many. Making them fairly scarce when you dole them out just encourages the chickens to run over quicker and make sure they get one or two before they run out.
we have 30 layers we raised from chickens very spoiled as my son has claimed them they get layer feed access 24/7 they also get a can of corn everyday and oats or barley once every 3 weeks (anymore and pasty butt is a thing) we also harvest wild clover one of thier favorite snacks as they are free range but our yard has no clover left :(
A fellow Wisconsin backyard chicken rancher here... you have great views, thank you 🐔 🐥 🍗 🥚 🐣 🍳
We give are chickens organic layer feed, meal worms, and lot of greens.
Cool property, congratulations! We moved to acreage outside Burlington
You’re lovely and have great hair but more importantly, I love the way you’re raising and treating these chickens, along with the info you’ve provided, thanks! Maybe some day I’ll have poultry ….
I feed grower feed to all my chickens no matter their age. With oyster shell on the side. I think that they need the extra protein. I also feed table scraps and yard scraps.
I just bought a couple chicks. At what age should I start feeding them all that stuff that you're talking about because right now I'm just doing the chick starter?
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. I'm planning on getting chicks next year, working on getting things ready for them. I would like to know where you got your chicks. I know a lot of people order online. Also I've been saving egg shells. Rinsing them, air drying and storing them in the refrigerator would you recommend giving chickens egg shells for added calcium? Thank you Christy from Salem Missouri.
I have a fenced in backyard with a 6 foot privacy fence. Would it be possible to let them out during the day when I’m at work? Or should someone be there at all times?
Good video
I feed my few hens a variety of mixed frozen vegetabblles defrosted of cource. I hope that is o k at times.i. also periodically make a pot of pasta with all th e spices sauces etc etc....
very helpful..thank you!
I would so love to free range my chickens in my garden and farm area but I have already lost some to a fox and that is devistating and I cant bring myself to harm the fox so I keep them in a safe run. Nothing more satisfying than to see chickens out in the grass and weeds eating bugs and tender greens!
I have predators as well. I built a chicken tractor. Move it every day around the yard. Works great.
We feed our chicken Potato skins tour we’ve cleaned scan the potatoes to cook and give them the skins
Thank You Good recommendations!!
Awesome video! Thanks for the information!
Re tomato .. i have heard its the plant that is poisonous for chooks but the fruit is ok. Like the caterpillar apparently the chooks know not to eat it ... apparently lol
My chickens won't eat carrots is that bad for them ? but I've heard ginger & garlic is good for them & when they are baby chicks is it safe for garlic powder to help them poop better
It would be tomato leaves that are poisonous to chooks
Fine and good
Nice work
What age can you start giving the treats?
Some of my chickens pick at each other to the point that most of them have bare bits and bare backs. Sometimes to the point of bleeding and then we have to separate that one. We just started free ranging them part time, they love it I really hope it helps.
They're bored, and probably too crowded. You have too many chickens in too little space, or you're not providing them with enough mental stimulation. Free ranging will help with both issues, but consider their living situation when they're not on the range. If an expansion isn't possible, you can at least try to give them more to do. Look into hanging cabbage/lettuce, and other such "toys".
How much of the black larvae should be fed to the chickens if you do it each day? Also, if chickens are getting fed cut up vegetables, fruit, corn, etc. will they avoid eating their layer feed. How do I know they are getting enough layer feed that is essential?
My natural take. The blue 5 lbs TSC bowls are still full so. I have three girls and maybe 🤔 used 4-5 lbs in 4.5 months. But more recently I’ll pulled more clover and weeds daily through inside the secure 70 square feet caged area
I have 2/3 red tailed Hawaii and a big barn owl in my backyard so I feel letting them free range isn’t the smartest option
Also use the native birds as a gauge. I have a berry tree that directly over the coop. The wild birds come daily and consume them. Do they get natural berries.
Hi, are you feeling your Roosters tha same layer feed as the Hens or they have a different feed?
Would the oyster shells count as grit? Also, where do you buy oyster shells?
We don't have to feed ours oyster shells either. We just started following you guys bit have been doing the same diet (along with free-range time) and our eggs have always shown signs of good calcium.
I plan to make my own black soldier fly bin come spring . Too late for this year .
Very nice 👍
When my chickens stopped laying I tried about everything and even wormed them but nothing and I was about to get rid of them but I build up some pasta I had about here and fed them that and I had a batch of eggs a few days later but I thought it might be just a bit of a coincides and I did not have many eggs showing again so I fed them pasta again and they started laying so I give them pasta every few days now and they are laying good
If you keep roosters, one bag I was reading that they can never be fed layer feed, so how do you handle that?
What would you substitute the apple cider vinegar for?
Night shade veggies are ones that grow under ground so make sure there cooked above ground veggies good to go rawww easy pesyyyy🙌
Actually, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, tomatillos and potatoes are in the nightshade family.
Do you ever ferment feed?
How often do you feed them the black fly larvae
I have a question for you. What type of grit do baby chics need? I have had chickens for years. But this is my first time raising babies. Thanks for your advice. God bless you and your family.
You have the best videos!! Our chicks will be six weeks on Monday (6/7). Is it ok to treat them with the black soldier fly larvae or is that too much calcium at this point?
How about when you free range do you have cut there wing????
I sure wish I could free range my chickens, but despite having 3 acres, I live in a small city that demands chickens be "penned". I was given 3 chickens in December. I built them a massive run, sections covered, with perches and things for them to explore, and feed them a wide variety of feeds, scraps, vegetation, black soldier fly larvae, grit source, etc. And of course a nice coop that I built. I intent to increase the flock this spring. Problem/question: I am using 18% Layer feed crumbles as my main feed source. I have noticed that it attracts honey bees, especially on the warmer Indian summer days we get here in the south during the winter. When the bees are heavy around the feed, the chickens do not eat the feed (fear of sting?). I do intend to switch to pellets to reduce the waste, but will I have the same problem? Is there something Sweet? in the feed that is attracting the bees? Maybe because nothing is in bloom yet, etc? Appreciate any help, suggestions, advice, and thanks for a great channel.
I get the odd chicken that gets sour crop from eating too much grass hay and which leads to compacted crop and a yeast starts to grow in the crop. Its a pain in the butt!
Thank you. Good info with NO ANNOYING MUSIC!
Any plants or herbs to grow in summer and dry for winter to feed?
Eggshells are like 60-70% calcium. Throw them in a freezer bag till you have amassed enough then cook them at 200F for 2 hours then throw it in A cheap coffee grinder ................ and feed it right back to them. Throw what you don't need/want to store of the calcium in the yard or garden.