You are going to have to remove the soil occasionally and change it if it is to be a permanent place-in my experience anything put on the ground -straw -whatever gets scratched about.
I have just rigged up a cover to cover the chicken area to keep the wet weather off.
Does anyone know if chicken layers pellets have a shelf life and if so, how long?
I ask this question because the smallest bag I can buy is 20k and having only three ladeez, they last for months i.e. I've only just about used up a bag I bought at Christmas.
The reason I use so few is due to some extent because they don't seem to particularly like them.
I seem to remember when I first started buying these 2 years ago there was a use by date of around 6 months-have,just for you, checked the latest bag and there is no date just the date of manufacture
My feeling is that a bag bought at Christmas and just finished now is fine.
Is it normal for chickens to lay eggs out in the run?
Well yes & no, Loz. They will lay anywhere until you educate them otherwise. I had my chucks as point of lay pullets and from the start they were aware of their (2) nest-boxes. I provided 2 dummy eggs in each and they soon got the idea...although I must say they, have slipped-up a couple of times laying in the shavings of their shed/coop floor.
I have a down-in-the-dumps chicken (Maggie). She's been trying to sit quietly away from the others all day and looks a bit hunched and fluffed up. Presumably all I can do for now is to keep any eye on her as there are no noticeable symptoms - as there were when Aggie did whistley breathing.
I lost half-3- of my brood whilst in sunny Spain-a fox had them on the Sunday afternoon
Now one sits on the nesting area virtually all day- have some china eggs that she seems happy to protect-other than that don't know what else is to be done.
They still seem to be laying ok but it is a lot quieter-one of the downsides that you don't want to consider when taking this on
Will buy replacements in September as going off again in August-will not be deterred
Posts
You are going to have to remove the soil occasionally and change it if it is to be a permanent place-in my experience anything put on the ground -straw -whatever gets scratched about.
I have just rigged up a cover to cover the chicken area to keep the wet weather off.
i will do that let you know how i do in time thank you . i think i may consider a removable cover to.
Does anyone know if chicken layers pellets have a shelf life and if so, how long?
I ask this question because the smallest bag I can buy is 20k and having only three ladeez, they last for months i.e. I've only just about used up a bag I bought at Christmas.
The reason I use so few is due to some extent because they don't seem to particularly like them.
David
I seem to remember when I first started buying these 2 years ago there was a use by date of around 6 months-have,just for you, checked the latest bag and there is no date just the date of manufacture
My feeling is that a bag bought at Christmas and just finished now is fine.
Thanks, Geoff....you're a star!
Is it normal for chickens to lay eggs out in the run?
Well yes & no, Loz. They will lay anywhere until you educate them otherwise. I had my chucks as point of lay pullets and from the start they were aware of their (2) nest-boxes. I provided 2 dummy eggs in each and they soon got the idea...although I must say they, have slipped-up a couple of times laying in the shavings of their shed/coop floor.
I have a down-in-the-dumps chicken (Maggie). She's been trying to sit quietly away from the others all day and looks a bit hunched and fluffed up. Presumably all I can do for now is to keep any eye on her as there are no noticeable symptoms - as there were when Aggie did whistley breathing.
I lost half-3- of my brood whilst in sunny Spain-a fox had them on the Sunday afternoon
Now one sits on the nesting area virtually all day- have some china eggs that she seems happy to protect-other than that don't know what else is to be done.
They still seem to be laying ok but it is a lot quieter-one of the downsides that you don't want to consider when taking this on
Will buy replacements in September as going off again in August-will not be deterred
That's really sad but, unfortunately, goes with territory. I dread the day when one/some of mine get nabbed.