No reason whatsoever, I do that myself. I think it’s ideal, really.
Is there a reason to do this? I’m fairly new to chickens, have all young laying hens, and they eat their layer crumbles quite well. If it is an advantage to feed them grower, I’ll do that. They eat supplemental oyster shell now.
Typically layer feed is 16% protein, and that’s really geared toward commercial laying hens. I (and many others) really like the protein to be 18% or higher, so feeding grower or an all-flock accomplishes that. The downside is it’s a little more expensive. They tend to lay a little better with more protein, and it helps avoid possible issues like feather picking and egg eating. They also come through molt nicer when they have more protein.
Many never have a complaint feeding layer, many choose to feed higher protein. Personally, I really like it because I also hatch chicks and will have various ages of birds plus a rooster (the extra calcium is hard on their kidneys) so it’s super simple to just buy one feed that works for everyone. Plus oyster shell and grit available.
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I didn’t read all 11 pages of this (I see all you crazy chicken ladies out there :lol:) but I just wanted to share that I’ve raised two batches of chicks in a dog kennel in my house. The first batch lived there for 8 weeks because it took us longer to finish our coop than we thought! Thankfully there were only 4 of them because things were getting tight in there! But because they were inside with us and my dogs got to see them everyday, they never considered hurting them. One of my dogs was actually distraught the first night I put them out in the coop by themselves. She couldn’t figure out why we were leaving them outside! But now even if one of the hens jumps their chicken fence when they’re out of their run, the dogs don’t offer to chase them. Could be different if you have a dog with herding instincts but Labs and Boston Terriers apparently do not :winkgrin:
Hijack!!!
@Mosey_2003 Some pages back you talked about hatching some Isabar chicks.
In June I’d like to add to my wee Flock of 3.
Any chance you’d have 2 or 3 pullets you’d sell by then?
@4LeafCloverFarm Still not too late for chickens.
Our County Fair in August always has a display of hatching eggs & you can talk to the 4Hers about buying some chicks or older off them.
Kids always buy more than they show 
Thank you; that is very helpful. I think I’ll switch them.
I forgot to come back and tell you, I looked up that lady and it doesn’t appear that she has anything purebred anymore 
I did see Isbar somewhere though, maybe in the APA group? Would you want me to try and hatch you some if I could get eggs shipped? I had to put my own hatching program on hold, so my incubators are open. Or I could do some digging and see if there are any breeders near you.
Mosey_2003, can you tell me about merging adult chickens vaccinated for Marek’s with unvaccinated adults? There seems to be conflicting information about this. I’m not planning on doing it, but I’m curious.
Ok, so how did I miss that chicks needed a vaccine? Or, are they already vaccinated when you buy them as chicks?
The issue is that vaccinated chickens can still harbor and spread Mareks, without showing symptoms or dying from it. The vaccine protects them from the illness, but not necessarily carrying it. That’s why a lot of people refuse to have vaccinated birds, they view them as silent infectors. It’s really a personal choice whether you vaccinate or mingle them. Mareks is EVERYWHERE, spread by wild birds. Many choose to keep breeding until their birds show a natural resistance, those people are the staunchest “no vaccinated birds here” people, because they could be breeding a weak bird into their line without knowing it. They basically let the Mareks kill off all it will, and breed from the survivors, over and over, until nobody dies.
Personally, I have both because my breeder vaccinates and the place I got my previous birds didn’t. Honestly, I’m just not worried about it. If I lose a bird or two, so be it. I’m not choosing to vaccinate in the future, but I don’t have a really strong stand on it either way.
Misinformation gets spread that the vaccine is “leaky” and vaccinated birds will give unvaccinated ones Mareks because of the vaccine itself. That is not true. The vaccine is actually a turkey strain of Mareks, so even if it was “leaky” and shed, the chickens still wouldn’t be affected. Like I said earlier, they do tend to spread it because they can still harbor the disease if exposed, they just don’t get sick.
IF you buy vaccinated chicks, make sure you find out how old they are because they must be kept completely separate, with biohazard precautions, for a set period of time until the vaccine is fully effective, because if exposed too early they can get sick and die. So, for instance, you’d want to do chick chores first before you saw your other birds, and change clothes and wash your hands if you wanted to mess with them again after seeing your other birds.
As for mixing adults, I don’t really see a big problem with it myself. If you’ve ever had a chicken die seemingly of nothing, especially under 6 months old, you can bet it’s likely from Marek’s, and your flock is already infected. If wild birds mingle with your chickens, it’s fairly likely they may be infected. If you feel the risk of losing some to possible infection is too high, pass on the vaccinated adults.
Typically they are not vaccinated if you buy them from a store or a private breeder. If they are, they will be labeled as such. If you order your chicks to be shipped to you, it’s an option you can pay extra for, they typically offer a Mareks vaccine and a Coccidiosis vaccine. You may or may not want to have them done for Mareks, it’s up to you. I wouldn’t bother with Coccidiosis regardless, I’d rather feed medicated feed and have Corid on hand.
Thanks, but I don’t want to put you to the trouble of a special hatch.
If you could locate a breeder in NW IN, I’d appreciate that effort :encouragement:
I’m getting itchy to add some pullets 
- good for you to treat the farm as a team effort. Yes, we can just shrug off our partner’s reluctance as meaningless, but farmkeeping is so, so much more fun when you’re on the same page and both excited about the menagerie.I know I could add a hamster or whatever to the farm without inconveniencing Mr. HH, but I wouldn’t do so unless we were in agreement. It’s his farm too.
- Actually fall chicks in your neighborhood would be ideal. Still warm enough that you won’t need much energy to keep them from freezing, but you’ll have eggs come springtime
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Chickens are so much fun.
Pick thru the different ones what you think will work best and you like and let him pick some from those, so he feels like they are also his chickens, which they are.
I began with chickens very early last spring, and I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed it. My husband didn’t have any strong objections, but he didn’t seem particularly thrilled with the idea. Now we both enjoy watching them just do chicken things.
I completely agree with having something kind of pretty in the chicken department. We don’t need tons of eggs, so I’m okay with having non-production breeds, which include some unusual looks. FWIW, after having foals and fostering kittens, I have no desire whatsoever to raise chicks. At best it looks rather intense, and an worst it is full of tragedy. I have 12 hens, and all of them have come at the point of lay.
Our weather can literally go from 32° one day to 72° the next during “fall”. But fall doesn’t start until mid to late Oct. Last year it was actually mid-November before we had regular cool weather. Next 14 days are in the high 80’s to mid 90’s, but heat index will be close to 100° for a number of days.
That said, our priority on the pig stable conversion (as soon as the weather finally starts to cool down, and I can get outside to work), is to get the horse stall retrofit completed before really cold weather sets in. During this time, we will also get the chicken coop roughed in. But the priority is the stalls.
So the coop should be finished over the winter - ready for spring chickens. It will also give us a good cushion of time to not overstretch our budget, which has had little wiggle room since June.
But at least now DH seems more on board with the idea. You should have heard him at the fair… I was giggling so hard. My husband is a city boy who grew up in Detroit and Chicago.
DH: “Ooooo, this one is so cool. Can we get one like that?”
Me: “That’s a rooster”
DH: “So roosters don’t lay eggs?”
Me: :lol:
DH: “Is that a kind of chicken?”
Me: “Sort of. A cock/rooster is a boy chicken. A hen is a girl chicken.”
HD: “A cock?!? That’s not very nice.”
Me: :lol:
HD: “So you need both to make eggs?”
Me. “Oh dear.” :o
DH: “What?”
Me: “Were you absent a lot in biology class in highschool?”
DH: “I hated science in school.”
Me: "Well, that explains a lot. Maybe you should read that Barnyard in the Backyard book I got years ago. "
And it went on from there… I tried to explain about the different breeds of chickens and their different purposes. He fell in love with the breeds that had the wild poofs of feathers on their heads and their feet (Polish and Silkies). I tried to explain that the “cool” looking chickens weren’t necessarily the best layers or pets. So I have an idea that we may end up with a very eclectic group of chickens - because of course I want him to help to pick them out.
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So cool! Usually TSC will have popular breeds that do well in the local climate, so it’s not a bad place to start. Does he have any interest in Americaunas (they can lay blue and green eggs)? I guarantee you that if you get the chicken coop set up and then “run to TSC to get some little stuff” when chicks are in, you will come home with chicks. And once you start getting those fresh eggs, his interest will change from looks to production. FYI, the Barred Rocks lay big, beautiful brown eggs and they are egg laying machines. PS - you do not need a rooster. They can be a PITA.
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If you get a/some roosters, I hear a badminton racket is imperative to teach them about the human gods amidst them.
Better start when they are still young.
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You’ll probably want to do your chick shopping online in the spring if you want “cool looking” breeds. Some have minimum order sizes. Last time (2017), I got 5 chicks from mypetchicken.com. They were five different breeds. Some of the super fancy ones are also pretty expensive, but I got a nice variety for no more than a few dollars per chick. The Golden Laced Wyandote and Easter Egger were the coolest looking ones (also got a cuckoo marans, golden comet & black australorp). Sadly, a raccoon broke into what I thought was a secure run this summer and killed two of them.
:lol:
I wasn’t planning on having a rooster. But if we got one in error/accident, then so be it. I’m worried more about how noisy one might be. I do like my beauty rest! 
