Attached to chickens!

I'm trying really, really, hard to thin out my flock a little. I have three peafowl and a breeding flock of six bantys, I gotta let go a couple unfortunately.


I should sell my Jersey Giant pullet, but she's buddied up with my little Lavender Orphington and I don't want her to be lonely. The little Orphington could buddy up with my Peachicks though.

I could also sell my big Blue Orphington pullet, but she's growing up so nice I'd like to see how she turns out.

I could sell my Welsummer pullet, but she was one of the first chicks I ever bought so obviously she can't go.

I should sell my Black Copper Marans rooster, but he's so beautiful and regal and I love watching him stroll around.

I'm definitely not selling my two Lavender Orphington, I'm hoping to get a matching rooster for them.

My little Delaware pullet can't go anywhere, since I already named her Delly (original, right? XD). I can't sell a chicken I named! And she's such a snuggly little sweetie...

I could also sell my little Bantam Cochin, but I paid $19 for her. And she's laying so that's always a plus.

I can't sell my standard Cochin hen, because she's old enough to lay and once the little Polish Crested is sold (I have to sell him, because it's a cockerel).


My dad is absolutely no help at all. He doesn't care if I have two chickens or a hundred and two chickens, or a flock of turkeys that shoot lasers out of their eyes. I just don't want the feed bill to get out of control. Everyone ranges in a large, bug infested yard. We boarder a hay field where insects prosper so they do get plenty of forage. My ducks are a couple of piglets, they stuff themselves on bugs, THEN chow on feed. Oi!

I'm thinking about getting some cracked corn as a filler, it would probably stretch my bag two, maybe even three weeks. The chickens love to scratch for stuff like that. Right now I'm feeding grain to make sure they get all the nutrients and vitamins they need. Probably over feeding them slightly to be honest with you


I could just hold onto them and maybe see how the chicken run over at the new place will be setup...

We feed tons and tons of chickens at the farm. What seems to keep them fat and sassy is a 50/50 ratio of laying feed and cracked corn. They get more corn, almost 2-1 in the winter. They love to scratch, its a good forage for them and the little buggers will eat you out of house and home otherwise!

If you find a way to keep & feed all 'em reasonably, go for it.

Otherwise, finding a cold, hard rank order for it which ones you want to keep most and which can go would be one of solutions. Not very nice though .

Arg...I think I'll just keep the flock. My dads griping for eggs anyways, a couple should HOPEFULLY start laying in the next few weeks. My Welsummer in particular has been acting very hen-ish.

My darned ducks haven't made a single egg yet. I swear their holding out on me

When I had laying hens I used to go to the local elevator and buy their screenings. Basically it was everything that had been caught in the screens when the farmers would bring in loads of their grain. It was always a mix and different everytime but it was cheap. I would supplement with laying feed and oyster shells (for the egg development) and the hens did really well. The screenings I would throw out and they would scratch for it so it.