"Enjoy the LITTLE THINGS in life for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."


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Come on in and sit awhile while I talk about the "Little Things" in life. I will share my journey of everyday life.... homeschooling, raising my children, homesteading, gardening, health and wellness, and real life.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Adding To Our Flock & Feeding The Flock

So, I added 6 Aracauna chicks and 2 Buff Orpington chicks to our flock today.  I am not sure we really should, but we wanted some "Easter Eggs".  {Grin}.  We are seriously getting way more eggs than we need, but getting those colored eggs from the Aracaunas in a about five months will be so much fun!!!  And since there were some other choices I decided to pick up a couple of the Buff Orpingtons.  We are going to have eggs running out our ears!  Maybe we will start selling some to offset the cost of feeding and housing our ladies.  I originally thought we would do that anyway to teach the kids and let them run the business part; however, after the hens starting laying I have really enjoyed sharing with others.  There is just something wonderful about knowing that you have something to give and share with others.  It blesses the heart so!  I love knowing that my friends have left my home with something healthier than the store bought alternative. 

And on that note, I want to say that I am so THANKFUL that I can drive to the store and pick up the things I need when I need them.  I just wish that we could rely on those things being the best they can be.  Simply put... I know what is going in my chickens.
  • Our chickens are fed on Chick Starter for the first few weeks of their lives. 
  • As they get older we mix Chick Starter and Hen Scratch and they feed on that until they are can eat the Hen Scratch.
  • We switch them to Hen Scratch only until they are near laying age.  This is also around the time they have almost reached their full size and we allow them to "free range".  We keep them in up to this time to protect them from predators.  Once they begin to free range, they show little interest in any of the feed.  They will only eat it when they are closed up. 
  • After that we mix Hen Scratch and Lay Mash Pellets for them to feed on as they wish.
  • ***We also give our hens scraps of all sorts.  They LOVE leftover pasta.  I am pretty sure they think a shell noodle is a nice juicy bug.  ;)
I am looking forward to a little bit of this.  So pretty!
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2 comments:

  1. Starfish MommaThursday, March 22, 2012 at 8:51:00 PM CDT

    Ooooh girl, I will buy your eggs when and if you sell them :) We don't go thru eggs very fast, but I'd rather buy from people I know than a store.

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  2. EveryGoodGiftFriday, March 23, 2012 at 11:32:00 AM CDT

    An interesting fact: once your hens get older...near ful grown, check the color of their ears...this will let you know which hen laid the blue egg...which one laid the green one...which one laid the peach one! they lay eggs the color of their ears! We LOVE our colored eggs! The breed hasn't proven to be constant layers...very affected by the climate...but with my current need to watch my diet very closely...the blue egg theory helps me feel good about eating eggs ;o)

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