Recent content by Shadrach

It looks good in the growing season usually. It's all a bit bleak there at the end of the winter.

That looks to be a decent feed. I don't know why it should be so, but the feed I've found so far in the UK has been rather poor quality compared to the feed I used to get in Catalonia. It's the main reason I started making my own.

Actually, it's not a garden. :) It's a shared smallholding. The chickens live there. It's about an acre of not very fertile ground leased by the local council.

I used to feed what the Americans call All Flock. Basically it's a 18% protein, 1% Calcium and I made a mash with it by adding about 50% water. If you have juveniles who aren't laying yet then the usual 4% plus calcium is far too much for females who are not laying yet. 4% plus calcium is also...

Not definitely, usually.:) The broody monster. If your hen looks like this off her nest she's broody. To combat some of the nonsense people write about roosters... Henry (dad) with Mow and Dig, two of the chicks he fathered last year.

If she is broody then yes she's fine. That depends on the outcome you want. If you want her to sit and hatch then all you need to do is to make sure she's gets off her nest once a day to eat, drink, dust bathe and have a leg stretch. I can explain more once I know the path you intend to take...

I've a bag of what's described as mixed grit that has oyster shell in it that I leave a handfull of by the feeder a couple of times a week. I feed smallholders pellets as well. They do work through the grit and shell but very slowly.

What feed to you give them and what is the percentage of calcium in the feed? Yes you can make your own calcium supplement by smashing up oyster shells. Wash, rinse and put them in the oven a 200C to dry them out properly. Smash the shells up with a hammer.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732227/code-of-practice-welfare-of-laying-hens-pullets.pdf https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bird-flu-avian-influenza-housing-your-birds-safely Many keepers are not going to be able to follow the AI...

Another vote for cotton buds.

No I don't suppose. I'm delighted to report that none of the chickens I've known are subject to any superstitious beliefs.