ChickenQandA

Q: Could you tell me the difference between Broiler
Feed, Layer Feed and Starter Feed?

A: The general difference in poultry feeds is the amount of
protein. According to McMurray Hatchery's feeding program,
when chicks are 0-3 weeks of age, it is recommended that they
are fed Chick Starter, which contains 22% protein. As chickens
get older, their protein requirements gradually goes down,
especially if they are free-ranging. They can be fed Chick
Grower from 3-5 weeks of age - it contains 20% protein.
Layer Ration is generally fed around 10 weeks of age, and is
supposed to nourish the hen to the extent she needs in order to
lay well. Hens know how to regulate their calcium intake as long
as they are provided with a good source of it. Nowadays people
mainly put out ground Oyster Shell in a separate feeder for this
purpose (that's the set up we have now). But it used to be more
common to feed them raw skim milk (left overs from making
cheese and butter, I suppose). We want to be able to supply
our chickens with that some day!
Broiler Finisher is fed to broilers (meat birds) from 5 weeks of
age until butcher. It contains 18% protein to help them gain
weight quickly. Similarly, Broiler Starter Feed Kits are sold with
extra vitamin boosts such as Broiler Booster. However, the
starter feed that I see for Broilers is usually medicated.
Scratch is just a mixture of the whole grains of corn, oats, wheat
and so forth that you can toss out to them as a treat. I'm always
told in more recent books that it's just "like candy" for chickens,
but I would think that there is more value to it, since people used
to feed them that way.

Q: Will the chickens bother my neighbors?

A: The smell of our chickens never got bad, because the
henspa coop was moved daily (occasionally twice daily if it was
really muddy or anything like that). I make sure that the nest box
and roosts stay clean by simply scraping droppings away with a
small garden spade when necessary. Our stationary coop is
fine as long as we keep the straw fresh and dry (we even bought
a new waterer system to prevent spills and leaking). Odor
should be no problem for you if you keep things tidy and efficient.

If you ever let the chickens out from the pen, make sure
someone watches over them while they're out. They can get like
sheep without a shepherd pretty quickly. When we lived in
Marion I remember making the mistake of thinking that they
could just roam free by themselves and obediently stay within
our imaginary backyard boundaries. Joseph and Abigail came
up to me one day saying that the neighbors behind us
threatened to have a chicken dinner if we didn't keep the hens
from scratching up their yard.
Though chickens generally prefer to stay within sight of their
coop (they feel safer that way), they can get bold after awhile
and go in all different directions. I made that same mistake
again after we moved here and 2 hens got devoured by
neighbors' dogs before we even realized there was a threat.
As far as chicks are concerned, brooders should really be put in
a building somewhere if they can't be watched all the time -
otherwise, if the brooder is tipped over or opened up some how
by a predator, the chicks are just chicken nuggets on a platter
for them - they can't get away. As far as warmth is concerned,
chicks only need to have the temperature around 80 - 90
degrees (you can tell if they're too hot or too cold by watching
them) for the first 2 weeks.

Q: Is the little brooder from Nasco big enough for my
chicks? How long do they stay in it and when can you
move them to the outside coop?

A: The brooder worked fine for our 15. We kept them inside
for close to 4 weeks, I believe (I need to check back in our
records or my journal). We were taking them for little outside
runs regularly by the time they were 2 weeks old. We got our
henspa when they were around 3-4 weeks old, and then Ivan hit
and we were briefly delayed. They had to stay inside during the
bad weather - and I remember them starting to get crowded. But
they managed to stay healthy.
When we first put them in the henspa, I put the brooder on the
top floor of the coop to encourage them roost up there. It didn't
take them long to learn how to climb up the ladder to the roosts.
It's very important to show them where their water is first thing -
whether they are being put in the brooder or put in the coop.
You have to hold some of the young chickens' beaks up to the
drinker valves on the automatic water bucket that comes with the
henspa when you first put them in the coop. That way they
should remember that water comes from there. Usually you can
show a few and the others learn from them.
I think the mistake I made this time was in not showing all of the
chicks the water trough in the big brooder, and some of the
smaller chicks got the short end of the stick when it came to
standing in line (for awhile they had this idea that they all had to
drink from the same spot, which was closest to the
heater/lamps). In a natural situation, the chicks learn best by
following the hen to get a drink.
That little brooder kit from Nasco also includes a 5lb bag of chick
feed, which is nice, although it probably isn't organic. However,
it's still good to get an Organic Starter feed kit from McMurray
because they include a 1lb bag of grit along with the 5lbs of feed
and QuikChick (vitamins and electrolytes for their water). You
have to sprinkle some grit on their feed once daily starting on
the 3rd day. That helps their digestive system - all birds need
grit because they don't have teeth. The 1lb bag is an adequate
enough amount for their first 3-4 weeks, if I remember correctly.
I don't think we had to order anymore. Once they're outside in
their coop and all they don't need it anymore (I think the rations
for grown chickens may include a little grit anyway). Otherwise,
if you buy grit separately, the smallest quantity McMurray sells
individually is 5lbs worth for $12.30.

Have a question? Send it to amanda@fairhillsfarm.com.

Letters Regarding
Chickens
{A question and answer session with
Amanda Read}

Amanda Read
www.amandaread.com