There are very few exceptions to this rule. The feeders - The successful poultry man does not throw down so many measures of feed and leave the hens. He pauses a moment or two and notices the eagerness with which the fowls partake of their food and later goes through the pens again to see whether all of it has been eaten up. Watch the dropping board, it is the secret of proper care and will reveal the physical condition of the fowl.
Normally the droppings should be firm, greyish black mass, terminating on top with a light greyish substance which is the secretion of the gall-bladder. If the droppings are soft and of a yellowish or brownish color, it indicates too much carbohydrates. Too much protein will produce droppings that are watery, with dark red splashes of mucus. A greenish, watery diarrhoea usually indicates unsanitary conditions in the surroundings, the feed, or the water. The egg yield is very good indicator of the overall health and condition of the flock.
Keep a daily tally of eggs. Fresh eggs in winter are a delicacy. The secret for getting winter eggs is proper stock, feed them the proper elements and make them "scratch" to keep busy and active. The proper stock will consist of April hatched pullets and yearling hens, in good health.
There is a difference of opinion as to the variety but to me it is not so much variety as it is proper care. In winter I prefer giving a moist mash feed for first meal as it is ground and being moist passes quickly into the gizzard. Do not feed too much. Let the hens be hungry enough to scratch for additional grains.
The mash feed formulas differ with different localities and access able grains. The following are two good ones: About noon I feed the grains in the litter. I like to get as great a variety as possible as I think variety causes the hens to do more hunting. The first time over they will not get all and will keep at it. I prefer cracked to whole corn. In extremely cold weather I like to throw them some whole corn or wheat just before roosting time, this keeps the chickens digestive system working longer at night.
Remember whole corn is a strong fat producer and too much will produce fat and not egg. Further, quick, light, active hens can partake of more corn without serious disturbance of egg production than the large sluggish fowls. Of course, fresh water, grit, oyster shell and a dust bath should be accessible at all times and be sure there is no vermin in the pen.
Chicken lice is a great enemy to egg production. The water should not be hot nor should it be allowed to freeze. The dust bath is best when made from road-dust and wood ashes, with a little DE or lime. Green food must be supplied in winter if the best results are to be obtained. I use sprouted grains from early fall. They are prepared by placing some wheat, barley or oats in a box having sides about 6 inches high and by moistening the oats and keeping them warm and they will sprout.
In about 7 days they will be fully twice the size and much more relished by the chickens than whole oats and much more beneficial. By having seven boxes a continuous daily supply can be kept up. The grains should be first soaked over night in luke warm water then spread in the boxes about an inch deep and moistened daily. They should be stirred daily until they start to sprout after which moisten only. In seven days the sprouts should be about six inches long making a matted mass which can be broken up and scattered in the pen or mixed in with feed.
Chickens will not hurt themselves eating too much of this feed. For a small flock a six inch flower pot will do and seven of them are not out of place on a kitchen window.
After emptying the growing pans they should be washed thoroughly with a disinfectant and dried or the growing oats will develop a mould which may prove injurious to the fowls. Like my content? Sign up to be on our email list. Feeding bantams and chickens: It can seem sometimes like the rules for feeding are almost as numerous as the poultry feeders. Chickens need food that is specific to their diet, which includes: Layers pellets, or age appropriate feed like crumbles or growers. Whole grains.
Mixed whole grains of different types are excellent feed for the backyard flock. I also give the birds a large tray of hardwood ashes—which I clean out every two months.
They take dust baths in that to "wash" off parasites. Bantam chickens are great at setting on eggs many chickens aren't. I count my hens every day so I'll notice if one starts wanting to make a nest gets "broody" and begins laying her eggs in a separate place from the rest of the flock. If you notice one is missing, look in any hiding spots that have straw or hay until you find her nest.
When you have a broody hen, mark the eggs you want hatched with a pencil and take out the rest. You can even take other hens' eggs—up to 12 total—and give them to her to hatch. After 21 days have passed, move the broody hen and nest into a crate in a stall with feed and water. Other than that, disturb her as little as possible. If you startle her suddenly, she might reject the eggs.
Hatching is fun to watch. The chick pecks neatly down the center of the egg until the shell breaks right in two. The chick then sticks its head out and starts peeping.
It doesn't stop this sound for one month—the constant peeping helps keep the mother from pecking the baby. Be sure to take out the shell so the mother does not eat it, or she may start to peck the unhitched eggshells. After the bantam chicks have hatched, move the water and feed use chick feed, available from a feed mill close to them.
The mother will teach them how to eat and drink. Some chicks don't eat for three days. That's OK. I feed my bantam chickens poultry mash—ground-up corn, minerals, and supplement from the local feed mill.
I mix hot water with this ration and feed them twice daily, as much feed as they want. I also give them chopped-up grass and a handful of grit a digestive aid every day. And I make sure the adults' feeders and waterers are not under their roosts.
Otherwise, the chickens' manure will foul them. If you have lots of land for your bantams, cut down on their feed in the summer and let them roam for worms and other things they find. This is called ranging and is very good for your flock. Some bantam breeds are very wild, but I try to buy or make mine as tame as possible. I sit with my chickens about a half-hour every day so they get very used to me.
Worming with a broad-spectrum wormer needs to be carried out every three months. Chickens are an animal that love to roam around and forage. When possible they should be let out to roam the garden throughout the day, however it is very important to remember to lock them back in their coop each night before dark. The skill with chicken keeping is to make them work for you, not against you, and as they can be quite destructive you should take careful consideration before letting them loose amongst your favourite plants.
If your backyard has low fencing it may be an option to trim their wings. For their foraging time outside the coop it is a good idea sprinkle a scratch mix or other grain feed around the lawn so your chickens can scratch and forage throughout the day.
Chickens naturally love having dust baths, where they will flap, roll and sit in a particularly dusty patch to spread the dust throughout their feathers. This is their natural way of ridding themselves of lice and other bugs, so it is important for their well being. If there are no dusty patches within your yard, you should try to provide your chickens with a large clay planter dish filled with fine dirt and sand instead.
Respiratory Infections: Usually caused by bacteria infecting the respiratory system of birds due to vitamin A deficiency, however can be caused by many other factors such as fungi, parasites and environmental toxins. Worms: These parasites live in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry and can cause malnutrition or intestinal obstructions and if left untreated can be fatal. Infestations can cause anaemia, a drop in egg production and reduced fertility.
Without treatment, serious infestations can lead to death. Is your Bantam Chicken showing any of the signs of disease or illness? If yes, please contact your vet.
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