Hi Becky, I noticed you’re a bit confused on the chickens’ digestive system. They do have a stomach. Food goes down the Oesophagus into the crop, where it sits, the Oesophagus leads from the crop to the Proventriculus (stomach), this is where digestion starts, the food will be mixed with digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid. The food then travels to the gizzard, where it’s completely ground up and mixed with digestive enzymes. The crop is just storage, they eat what they can through the day and digest it on a night.
Becky's Homestead yes they do, the proventriculus is a glandular stomach. The gizzard comes after the proventriculus. www.poultryhub.org/physiology/body-systems/digestive-system/
Becky's Homestead I’m not calling it a stomach, chicken biology is calling it a stomach, and no one can argue with that. The Proventriculus is a glandular stomach, it secretes digestive enzymes, then the food moves into the gizzard where it’s actually digested. Both together make a stomach, there isn’t just the gizzard. I never said anything about rice. Though it’s always advised not to feed it raw as it can swell. www.geauga4h.org/poultry/chicken_digestion_labeled.jpg 1.bp.blogspot.com/-VYLc7FR4a6A/Wbs5cliL7-I/AAAAAAABG38/N-ED8Gzi7F8LW8Nc6kwP4V7Q_clXKj1xACLcBGAs/s1600/Chicken%2BDigestive%2BTract.jpg
True that, adult chickens and layers eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound of feed a day. This is, however, dependent on breed, life stage, and how much other stuff they eat, such as greens and bugs. Broilers eat more. They will eat pounds of food a day unless you limit it. However, I ferment the commercial feed, so that it gets more palatable, the birds eat less but quickly get full and there is less waste when they eat fermented feed. I also prefer buying pellets and crumbled feed as compared to chicken mash because when fermented, pellets and crumbs multiply more than mash which is not machine compressed.
I agree. So helpful and informative !! Not a lot of bugs around here right now so we went fishing with the kiddo and brought back some little brim he caught !! Cut them up and it was a chicken frenzy !! Ha ha.
Hey Becky! I was given four chickens for Christmas from my Brother and my Sister in-law. one mother hen and three of her little ones, when we got them the young ones were just over four weeks old. I feed them a general feed my brother gave me with them and I mix a birdseed mix and also table scraps.
Scratching and pecking is what they do! You are right. Ground casting feed is the best way to ensure that everybody is fed and inspected for health. Growing black fly larva is also a natural “fast food” that they love and will provide a constant natural source of protein. Thanks!
You are really right sometimes my chickens don't eat all the food throw them in the coop I would want to what are the best times of the day to feed my chickens
Side note!! Do NOT give them a lot of corn in hot weather. They can't handle heat in general and corn will heat them up more then normal. So feel free to add more in the colder months. 😊💖
Hey Becky I live in Portugal ( warm - hot weather here) I did the same way you explained it, but my chickens seem not to stop eating When I butcher some I see that they have very much fat like two/three hands full One white chicken had even 4kg 8,8 pounds, seems like way to much, right? :D I use them mainly for Eggs not for meat
mam I want to ask a question that iron sheet shed for chicken coop is comfortable for chicken specially in summers where temperature goes to 40 to 45 degree centigrade.....
Um Becky i know i haven't posted a comment for you to laugh at in a long time but alot of family stuff is happening and i just wanna say thanks for replying to me all those times you made my life happier thanks Becky
I feed by time rather than measuring out their food. They get all they can eat in 10 minutes, twice a day, the rest of the time they spend scratching in the compost and part of the garden.
Hey I have a question. I have two chicks and they’re about a month old. One of them has like a soft little ball under his neck and I wanted to ask: is that because he eats too much?
Yes, leave that alone. It's his crop. Make sure they always have fresh, clean water to drink and grit at all times. The crop fills up with food through out the day and is perfectly normal. If it is huge and bulging, you can cut down on their food just a bit☀️❤️☀️
Hi Becky your roosters and hens are gorgeous looking they radiate health. I have seen a lot of homestead videos from other homesteaders and their chickens don't look as good as yours.
Lol Lal hens will only brood when their hormones tell them. It’s just a matter of waiting. You can own breeds that have a tendency to go broody, but that doesn’t mean they will.
Do you have a rooster? A hen will lay 1 egg every day but will not sit on it, the next day she will lay another. Once she has enough ( she decides how many) she will start to sit on them. The reason it works like that is so all the eggs develop at the same time and will hatch within 2 or 3 days of each other. Just leave her alone, she knows what she is doing. You need to know not all hens are broody, so just wait and see. ❤️☀️
Lol Lal sorry I’m not Becky but giving my 2 pence, if she is not sitting on them, she is not broody, you would know if she is broody, the behaviour is very distinguishable from average behaviour, and of course, most obviously, she’d be brooding them. Lots of chickens are red, red isn’t a breed, do you know what breed she is? Is she a RIR? Hybrid? Gamefowl? Do you only have one hen? If the cockerel is stressing her out, she won’t brood at all, and she will be overbred.
Hello Becky 🙋🏻love when you go live. It’s so good and informative. I would like too request a live segment on just chickens. All that you can explain. Me and my husband has 15. We need more info for sure.
Hi Becky! I just got a new flock about 3 days ago and I have 2 sick chickens out of 8 of them. I was wondering if you could do a video on how to help a sick chicken to good health again. They are Irma Browns and very friendly chickens. I love watching your videos. I’d appreciate it a bunch if you could help. Thanks! Bye!
Becky, we love your channel and have been subscribed a long time. I was only trying to help people out by answering question. I never intended to step on toes. Please accept my apology. Rob
Soak and through into their run. They are perfectly capable of scratching around and getting it. It doesn't matter if sand gets on it, chickens eat grit (tiny rocks) ❤️😀
That was really a nice video. I wish those feeding rules would pertain to my cat. He cleans his bowl. If I gave him more he'd clean that up too. He's getting chunky and I have to reduce his food but he still wants fed more than he's supposed to get! Love your cute and informative videos.
I have 2 new hens and they stay up on the roost on one side of the coop and the other four hens that were already there continue with their day as normal. I have to feed the new hens up in the roof water and all and this is happening over a month now cause they are scared to come down...this morning one of the new hens came down and lay an egg. I was so surprised but I had to block off the best box so that the other hens did not bully her.....HELP PLEASE BECKY!
That is very typical when you add new hens to a coop. Those old hens will bully the new girls and starve them out and they will die if you don't intervene. Maybe section off a small area for the new ones in the hen house with food, water and a nest box of their own. Wait three or four months and try again and see if they get along. ❤️☀️
That guinea is Bubby and she is the drama queen bird out there ❤️ she does anything she wants and is so much fun to have around. Guineas do eat ticks which is always a good thing in the country. ❤️☀️
Build a small coop and get two. They are so much fun and the eggs are delish!!! I have plans for a small coop just for people like you. Look it up on my website, it's called "the flip coop"
Careful, a lot of people think chickens get a lot when they free range but they use more calories "hunting" around and also get more stress out there so they still need plenty of feed. ❤️☀️
If it's a sunny winter day and they want out, I would let them out for a few hours. Just make sure the coop door is open Incase they want back in their hen house. ❤️☀️
Give them a chance, just through a hand full in their run and don't feed them a lot of "junk food" bread, pasta, and stuff like that. Cracked corn has nothing in it but carbs, don't waste your money. ❤️😀
this was very helpful. I don't think I will use cat food because I consider that kind of junk food made in china. I love the rehydrated alfalfa cubes! I will start doing that. I wish I had a grinder but they love whole grains too.
Tracy Bruring - plenty of pet foods available that are not made in China But...as an extra source of protein, you could scramble up some extra eggs or give them meat scraps from the table. 🙂
Thanks for this info, very, very helpful. I love that healthy body, healthy mind for a chicken, luv that. Keep doin' videos we luv you. You look so healthy yourself keep it up!
Becky, I love you, and I love your videos! But damn, girl I cannot get used to the blonde hair. I miss you being redhead. This just doesn't look like you.
Great advice for those who have never raised chickens and want to try it.
Alice the Gmaw road
Hi Becky, I noticed you’re a bit confused on the chickens’ digestive system. They do have a stomach. Food goes down the Oesophagus into the crop, where it sits, the Oesophagus leads from the crop to the Proventriculus (stomach), this is where digestion starts, the food will be mixed with digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid. The food then travels to the gizzard, where it’s completely ground up and mixed with digestive enzymes. The crop is just storage, they eat what they can through the day and digest it on a night.
No they have a gizzard which is where their food is ground up and digestion takes place. A gizzard is not a stomach. ❤️☀️
Becky's Homestead yes they do, the proventriculus is a glandular stomach. The gizzard comes after the proventriculus. www.poultryhub.org/physiology/body-systems/digestive-system/
If you call the proventriculus a "stomach" so be it. It is not something that is going to pop if the chicken eats uncooked rice. ❤️☀️
Becky's Homestead I’m not calling it a stomach, chicken biology is calling it a stomach, and no one can argue with that. The Proventriculus is a glandular stomach, it secretes digestive enzymes, then the food moves into the gizzard where it’s actually digested. Both together make a stomach, there isn’t just the gizzard.
I never said anything about rice. Though it’s always advised not to feed it raw as it can swell.
www.geauga4h.org/poultry/chicken_digestion_labeled.jpg
1.bp.blogspot.com/-VYLc7FR4a6A/Wbs5cliL7-I/AAAAAAABG38/N-ED8Gzi7F8LW8Nc6kwP4V7Q_clXKj1xACLcBGAs/s1600/Chicken%2BDigestive%2BTract.jpg
charlie uh hum
True that, adult chickens and layers eat about 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound of feed a day. This is, however, dependent on breed, life stage, and how much other stuff they eat, such as greens and bugs. Broilers eat more. They will eat pounds of food a day unless you limit it. However, I ferment the commercial feed, so that it gets more palatable, the birds eat less but quickly get full and there is less waste when they eat fermented feed. I also prefer buying pellets and crumbled feed as compared to chicken mash because when fermented, pellets and crumbs multiply more than mash which is not machine compressed.
Your videos are so informative! Thank you for spreading the right way to treat animals!
Zoe Bergman indeed❤
Your welcome ❤️😀
I agree. So helpful and informative !! Not a lot of bugs around here right now so we went fishing with the kiddo and brought back some little brim he caught !! Cut them up and it was a chicken frenzy !! Ha ha.
Hey Becky! I was given four chickens for Christmas from my Brother and my Sister in-law. one mother hen and three of her little ones, when we got them the young ones were just over four weeks old. I feed them a general feed my brother gave me with them and I mix a birdseed mix and also table scraps.
My chickies Love cat food too!! It’s a great treat.
Scratching and pecking is what they do! You are right. Ground casting feed is the best way to ensure that everybody is fed and inspected for health. Growing black fly larva is also a natural “fast food” that they love and will provide a constant natural source of protein. Thanks!
I love watching your videos. They're so soothing and I wish you made more.
You are really right sometimes my chickens don't eat all the food throw them in the coop I would want to what are the best times of the day to feed my chickens
Side note!! Do NOT give them a lot of corn in hot weather. They can't handle heat in general and corn will heat them up more then normal. So feel free to add more in the colder months. 😊💖
I'm like Elly Mae Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies"... I'm a creature lover. LOL
How much does it cost roughly to feed them per month Becky? Love what you do here!!
That’s a beautiful white ameruacana rooster 😍
Hey Becky
I live in Portugal ( warm - hot weather here)
I did the same way you explained it, but my chickens seem not to stop eating
When I butcher some I see that they have very much fat like two/three hands full
One white chicken had even 4kg 8,8 pounds, seems like way to much, right? :D
I use them mainly for Eggs not for meat
Thanks becky your advice is real useful im buying a farm in a few months because i wanna get out of the city thank you for your tips
mam I want to ask a question that iron sheet shed for chicken coop is comfortable for chicken specially in summers where temperature goes to 40 to 45 degree centigrade.....
Thanx Becky. I am your new fan. Your videos are have helped me as a new chicken keeper
Um Becky i know i haven't posted a comment for you to laugh at in a long time but alot of family stuff is happening and i just wanna say thanks for replying to me all those times you made my life happier thanks Becky
Ooooh I'm so happy I add a bit of Sunshine to your life when I can. ❤️☀️
Becky, it’s none of my business but you look so pretty in brown hair. But It really isn’t any of my business. Thank you for your videos😊
Thank You I have 4 trying to figure out this. Also live in sw Florida. Red. !black and white ! Blonde, white. 2months or so old. Ok thanks again!
learned fast with my silkie XD I was feeding her out of a bowl and she just started to knock the bowl over and would scratch at it lol
thank you Becky, God Bless.
Hi Becky! Which type of chicken is this white rooster? Thank U
I feed by time rather than measuring out their food. They get all they can eat in 10 minutes, twice a day, the rest of the time they spend scratching in the compost and part of the garden.
Hey I have a question. I have two chicks and they’re about a month old. One of them has like a soft little ball under his neck and I wanted to ask: is that because he eats too much?
Yes, leave that alone. It's his crop. Make sure they always have fresh, clean water to drink and grit at all times. The crop fills up with food through out the day and is perfectly normal. If it is huge and bulging, you can cut down on their food just a bit☀️❤️☀️
You are adorable, & such a joy! 😌🐦😌
how much does it eat exactly? you can't just say '1 or 2 containers a day'. i'm getting 5 chicks and i can't find the right amount of feed they need!
Hi Becky your roosters and hens are gorgeous looking they radiate health. I have seen a lot of homestead videos from other homesteaders and their chickens don't look as good as yours.
Hahaha, thanks I love my babies and I enjoy taking care of my animals ❤️☀️
Read this plz .Becky when does a hen sit on eggs to hatch them . My hen layed 3 and not sitting
Lol Lal hens will only brood when their hormones tell them. It’s just a matter of waiting. You can own breeds that have a tendency to go broody, but that doesn’t mean they will.
Do you have a rooster? A hen will lay 1 egg every day but will not sit on it, the next day she will lay another. Once she has enough ( she decides how many) she will start to sit on them. The reason it works like that is so all the eggs develop at the same time and will hatch within 2 or 3 days of each other. Just leave her alone, she knows what she is doing. You need to know not all hens are broody, so just wait and see. ❤️☀️
Becky she laid 6 eggs but not sitting on them . So can u plz tell me is she broody hen?. Her colour is red. Eggs brown . And we have a rooster . Thx
charlie my frnd . Ahe laid 6 eggs and not sitting . So can u tell me is she broody hen ? . Her colour is red . Eggs brown . And we have a rooster
Lol Lal sorry I’m not Becky but giving my 2 pence, if she is not sitting on them, she is not broody, you would know if she is broody, the behaviour is very distinguishable from average behaviour, and of course, most obviously, she’d be brooding them.
Lots of chickens are red, red isn’t a breed, do you know what breed she is? Is she a RIR? Hybrid? Gamefowl? Do you only have one hen? If the cockerel is stressing her out, she won’t brood at all, and she will be overbred.
Hello Becky 🙋🏻love when you go live. It’s so good and informative. I would like too request a live segment on just chickens. All that you can explain. Me and my husband has 15. We need more info for sure.
Can broiler hens lay eggs
Laying feed is NOT safe for roosters.
Can you make a video about why whole corn is better than cracked corn !!??
My chickens free range on 2 acres. They never eat their feed, they get enough of bugs etc
Hi Becky! I just got a new flock about 3 days ago and I have 2 sick chickens out of 8 of them. I was wondering if you could do a video on how to help a sick chicken to good health again. They are Irma Browns and very friendly chickens. I love watching your videos. I’d appreciate it a bunch if you could help. Thanks! Bye!
Beautiful birds Becky ❤. Thank you for sharing.
Your welcome ❤️☀️
Oh I wanted to ask about the alfalfa mash. Do you give that in a separate bowl or throw it around for them?
Soak and through the cubes into their run. ❤️😀
What are those chicken name that are light to medium red in color? If you know. Man, they lay the biggest eggs I ever saw. Thanks
Becky, PLEASE! make a video about your great Pyrenees, and his or her role on the homestead. I saw em in the background.
your videos are always awsem...
thanks a lot for sharing
Hahaha glad you like them. ❤️☀️
What breed is that chicken in the thumbnail? He’s very pretty!
Dandy aka Dum Dum is a leg horn. My friend gave him to me. ❤️☀️
Maddy 248 without being able to see the leg colour, he’s a white Ameraucana or Easter Egger. Leghorns have single combs and are muffless.
charlie
Thank you both! I was thinking Easter egger too, but who knows.
Becky, we love your channel and have been subscribed a long time. I was only trying to help people out by answering question. I never intended to step on toes. Please accept my apology. Rob
Becky how do you "dispense" the alfalfa cubes? Do you scatter it or "plate" it somehow?
Soak and through into their run. They are perfectly capable of scratching around and getting it. It doesn't matter if sand gets on it, chickens eat grit (tiny rocks) ❤️😀
Thanks for the info Becky!
Your welcome. ❤️☀️
Hi, Becky. What does the cat or dog food provide for the chickens?
Animal protein. They especially need it in winter and when the hens get older to keep them laying eggs ❤️😀
I LOVE YOU BECKY ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks ☀️❤️
do they lay only one egg a day? or evey x hours?
every day or every other day I believe.
thanks Becky so helpful
Hi beacky great video your chickens a very pretty
Love your videos
Thanks please do more videos like that
That was really a nice video. I wish those feeding rules would pertain to my cat. He cleans his bowl. If I gave him more he'd clean that up too. He's getting chunky and I have to reduce his food but he still wants fed more than he's supposed to get!
Love your cute and informative videos.
Cat's have us trained ❤️❤️
Becky's Homestead They sure do!
I have 2 new hens and they stay up on the roost on one side of the coop and the other four hens that were already there continue with their day as normal. I have to feed the new hens up in the roof water and all and this is happening over a month now cause they are scared to come down...this morning one of the new hens came down and lay an egg. I was so surprised but I had to block off the best box so that the other hens did not bully her.....HELP PLEASE BECKY!
That is very typical when you add new hens to a coop. Those old hens will bully the new girls and starve them out and they will die if you don't intervene. Maybe section off a small area for the new ones in the hen house with food, water and a nest box of their own. Wait three or four months and try again and see if they get along. ❤️☀️
Becky's Homestead thank you Becky
Saw your videos on Amazon Prime. Good job!
Good info Becky :)
Thank you! Recently got a random chicken so this is helpful.
Is that guinea for tick prevention? Love your vids, you've got a new subscriber!😎
That guinea is Bubby and she is the drama queen bird out there ❤️ she does anything she wants and is so much fun to have around. Guineas do eat ticks which is always a good thing in the country. ❤️☀️
I never knew how much chickens eat. I just make sure they do not run out of food.
I want chickens 😍
Brenda Strand Rigdon come to Pakistan you will find billion of chickens
Brenda Strand Rigdon: me to
Build a small coop and get two. They are so much fun and the eggs are delish!!! I have plans for a small coop just for people like you. Look it up on my website, it's called "the flip coop"
Becky's Homestead
Is it okay if I only get two chickens or should I get more than that? Thanks for the video!
I am the parent 😀
If they are free ranged they need less feed because they eat grass and find bugs.
Careful, a lot of people think chickens get a lot when they free range but they use more calories "hunting" around and also get more stress out there so they still need plenty of feed. ❤️☀️
I am loving your hair. You look marvelous. Love your videos.
Thanks so much ❤️☀️
Good one love your videos
Thanks ☀️❤️
Very helpful video!
I love your vids when I grow up I wont to look after animals like you !
Can I feed them left over rice
JISHNU GANESH Hello, cooked rice is fine. Never feed chickens raw uncooked rice.
Hey thanks. You are the best.
Yes, I feed mine cook and uncooked rice. As long as they have grit they can eat just about anything. One thing I don't feed animals is chocolate. ❤️😀
Live Life DIY
What is the effect of uncooked rice
Karim Kingi
No don’t feed the uncooked rice! (Cooked is fine.) it will expand in their stomach, and can kill them or make them very sick.
Hi Becky Is it ok to let chickens out in the wintter
If it's a sunny winter day and they want out, I would let them out for a few hours. Just make sure the coop door is open Incase they want back in their hen house. ❤️☀️
thank you I got my first egg today I think they are happy
Love you thanks
Thanks ☀️❤️
Thank you for this information xxx
Awesome I love chicken!!!
My chickens will not eat whole corn. 😕
Laura Mize Our chickens don't like whole corn either. We use cracked corn.
Give them a chance, just through a hand full in their run and don't feed them a lot of "junk food" bread, pasta, and stuff like that. Cracked corn has nothing in it but carbs, don't waste your money. ❤️😀
You have the exact opposite problem of my chickens. They don't like cracked corn and much prefer the whole.
Just like kids. Ya never know what they will like and eat. Hahaha.
Just like kids, we have to feed them healthy food so they are strong and fit. ❤️☀️
this was very helpful. I don't think I will use cat food because I consider that kind of junk food made in china. I love the rehydrated alfalfa cubes! I will start doing that. I wish I had a grinder but they love whole grains too.
They need "animal protein" they get plenty of vegetables protein. Don't be hating on China, I love all people. All people have talent and ability ❤️😀
It is hard to not catagorize all of the people in that country when so many pets died from food produced in their country
Tracy Bruring - plenty of pet foods available that are not made in China But...as an extra source of protein, you could scramble up some extra eggs or give them meat scraps from the table. 🙂
I love sunshine.
❤️❤️
Thanks for this info, very, very helpful. I love that healthy body, healthy mind for a chicken, luv that.
Keep doin' videos we luv you. You look so healthy yourself keep it up!
Thanks so much, I'm glad you like it. Healthy body, healthy mind applies to people too. ❤️☀️
2:56 looks kinda like my rooster
XXOO to all your cute critters!
Thanks for sharing with all of us God bless
Your welcome ☀️❤️
I love what your videos Becky
Latest video huh, just 3 hours
My duck got taken by a fox last night. Bless him defending his girl
Great new video!! 🐔🐣🐓🐥🥚
You better call Becky with the good hair.
Your awesome
Your hair looks pretty 🙋♀️
Chikiens love oats they go crazy for that
You better call becky with the good hair
Don't you think that rats and other wild birds are eating instead ? .
You Get Rid Of Some Of are Your Chickens, I Heard You say You Only Had 7 ?
I have 2 horses And please can I have a shout out
I love horses but I love my mule the most ❤️❤️☀️
🖐
She looks like the white rooster
(This is not a hate comment )
Becky, I love you, and I love your videos! But damn, girl I cannot get used to the blonde hair. I miss you being redhead. This just doesn't look like you.
Only 75 comments Becky!!!!! I love your videos... Check out some of my videos if you have time.
Can we see more donkeycorns?
:)