Chicken Questions

[patandchickens]

Today I went to buy layer crumbles and the guy said I do not need oyster shell. I bought the Purina Layena brand...can any one confirm what he said?

In principle, if ALL they are eating is commercial layer feed, they "should" not need oystershell.

In practice, I think it's stupid false economy not to offer it (or dried crumbled eggshells, same difference), because a) you are probably also feeding them other stuff like kitchen or garden scraps which would put them back to being calcium-deficient; and b) not all individual hens have identical calcium requirements.

Hens WILL self-regulate calcium when it's available free-choice; so you are better off having it available. Especially towards the end of the lay cycle before the molt.

Also I bought a bale of hay for the nesting boxes...should I toss some of that on the ground as flooring or should I use the same shavings I used when they were babies? I just want something on the ground that can absorb poo & oder that i can rake out every now and then.

Shavings are easier to clean and less apt to mold; also some people on BYC have had crop impaction problems from chickens eating hay (tho most haven't) whereas that does not happen with grown chickens with shavings.

OTOH you can try the hay and see how you like it.

lastly, the guy at the feed store says that my chickens won't lay (much) if the temp is not 90+ and that they should have a heat lamp in the coop year round.

He is an idiot. Ignore him.

90 F is actually around where chickens start to get thermally *stresssed* from being too *hot*.

There is some evidence that whne the temperature dips well below freezing, temperature per se (as opposed to diet or daylength) may have some effect on decreasing egg production... but that is never going ot be an issue for you.

When feed store guys say things, nod and thank them and then just ignore it all

Have fun,

Pat

 

[dacjohns]

My coop is a playhouse, converted. The floor is dirt. There is currently wood chips down as that just happened to be what was the ground cover when we set up the playhouse.

Today I went to buy layer crumbles and the guy said I do not need oyster shell. I bought the Purina Layena brand...can any one confirm what he said?

Also I bought a bale of hay for the nesting boxes...should I toss some of that on the ground as flooring or should I use the same shavings I used when they were babies? I just want something on the ground that can absorb poo & oder that i can rake out every now and then.

lastly, the guy at the feed store says that my chickens won't lay (much) if the temp is not 90+ and that they should have a heat lamp in the coop year round.

I think I'm pretty much in agreement with Pat.

I give my girls oyster shell in addition to Layena. They also get some scratch in the afternoon. The girls are out of the pen most of the day eating other things besides the Layena and I found that the more time they spent outside of the coop the more soft eggs I got.

The floor of one of my coops is dirt and the other floor is plywood. I put down pine shavings in both of them and stir it all up when it starts to getting caked or the ammonia smell gets noticeable. I put straw in the nest boxes which eventually makes it to the floor but pine shavings are the primary material for litter. I have read that straw is not good for the floor because the straw is hollow which makes a place for mites to hide and because it is more susceptible to mold.

Heat lamps for mature birds. I only use them to keep the water from freezing in the winter and prefer to use a water heater with a thermostat. 90+ sounds way too hot for mature birds.

 

[homesteadmomma]

I use pine shaving in my coop and completely change them twice a year - once in fall and once in spring. In the fall the shaving go on the garden, in the spring they go on the raspberries. I stir the shavings around once a week, but I do have dropping boards so I scrape those every morning.

I only use a lamp when the waterer freezes, other than that I don't use one.

I have actually discovered my egg production drops a little when it gets extremely warm.

I have discovered that most feed store employees don't know as much as they think they do.

Enjoy your chickens and have fun with them!

 

[freemotion]

Dace, you are in Southern California.....I can't imagine that you will ever need a heat lamp once the chicks are feathered out. I am in MA and I don't use a water heater or a heat lamp in my un-insulated coop. I don't keep birds with large combs, though. And not only is my coop not insulated, but there are "ventilation" spaces near the top. The little barn was built for horses, and I had the guy leave spaces at the top, where the siding should meet the roof, so there would be airflow even when all doors and windows are closed in the winter, for the health of the horses. Cold is ok, ammonia and dust are not.

Our winters can get quite cold here, with nights at -10 at times, and well below freezing for about four months or more. My girls do fine, and lay all winter without heat lamps or lights to mimic daylight. Production goes down with extreme temps in both directions. Worse is 90 and up!

Much of the "math" is geared towards the minimums/maximums for keeping chickens in overcrowded and cruel conditions common in industrial-style operations without having too many croak as a result of the legal neglect and cruelty. Your chickens will be in chicken heaven!

 

[Dace]

Thank you so much everyone, for taking the time to educate me I agree that the guy must be an idiot.

I put down some of the straw last night but the overwhelming majority here seems to prefer shavings, so I will change it out today since I have some and then I'll just use the hay for nesting boxes.

My girls spend their days eating from one side of the yard to the other so it sounds like I should add in OS since they are not eating the Layena only. Guess I will go back and pick some up this week.

Thanks agian!

 

[TanksHill]

Hey Dace glad to hear you got some chickens. I have never used a heat lamp in my coops. No electricity. I also have an old playhouse on one of my coops it's built well and keeps them nice and snug on our very few cold days.

I use pine in the boxes and deep litter pine metod on the floor. Once or twice a year I rake it all up and spread it under my fruit trees. Some say compost it first but I am too lazy for that.

I do think though that the heat may be your only issue. When it gets really hot in the summer my girls are not as productive. I sometimes even put a sprinkler on their run to cool things down.

I hope this helps, have a great day. G

 

[tamlynn]

Another ditto that the guy at the store was an idiot. lol. chickens are really not hard to take care of. Glad to see another SoCal chicken lover!