Activity Feed

Matthew Newton replied to Jessica Smith's discussion Water Conservation in Water
"Watershed management group does workshops almost every weekend. Check them out at watershedmg.org"
Mar 19, 2015
Matthew Newton replied to erniee85017's discussion Swamp cooler for chickens? in Micro Livestock
"I have a 5 nozzle mister (misting system) pointed in their run and they "chill out" when they need to. I move it around to avoid a muddy (stinky) puddle.
They do not need a large misting system, just a nozzle or two really.
 "
Jun 2, 2014
Sheri Schmeckpeper replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"Good point, Kelly. We have ours go on at 4am and off at 6pm."
Nov 4, 2013
Sheri Schmeckpeper replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"I should add to this, younger birds may moult in only 8 weeks, but older birds may take twice that long or more."
Nov 4, 2013
Kelly replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"Also remember with the days getting shorter you will need to put a light on your chickens to get them to lay.  They need 14-17 hours of light.  You can just put a light in the coop on a timer.
 
Right now there is only 10 hours and 43 minutes from…"
Nov 4, 2013
Sheri Schmeckpeper replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"No, some birds seem to stay in molt for a long time. It's an individual thing, kind of like adolescence or menopause. :)  If you get a broody hen, it's the same thing. Some pass through it quickly while others seem to go on and on and on..."
Oct 22, 2013
Matthew Newton replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"I gave them an ultimatum and it payed off yesterday! They had to deliver one egg by the end of the month. Still, is 10 weeks a long time for a molt? Seriously!"
Oct 22, 2013
Matthew Newton replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"Thanks everyone for responding. I'll give it another couple of weeks and see if production increases."
Sep 13, 2013
Sheri Schmeckpeper replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"Heat and moulting are the two most common reasons for reduced production this time of year. If they're free-range, a low food supply can do that, too, so they may need and increase in supplemental food. In the winter the problem shifts to a lack of…"
Sep 10, 2013
Kathryn Henzerling replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"I have 5 hens that will be 2 years old in January. Normal egg production is 4-5 daily with slight drop off by the end of this summer to 3-4 eggs daily. I noticed a few hens were starting to molt and I did have a lot of veggie & fruit scraps given,…"
Sep 10, 2013
Liz & Dan replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"I have to say my ladies are looking awful and scraggly as well...I expect the feathers to start dropping any day now!"
Sep 10, 2013
Ericka replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"Ditto on Jenny's thoughts. We have the same situation, only I also think our 4 youngest gals are starting to molt. Sometimes you can't tell so much by feather loss, but the feathers on look darn scraggly. Our 2 older hens are still laying so that is…"
Sep 10, 2013
jenny kelly replied to Matthew Newton's discussion egg production drop off in Micro Livestock
"The heat from last week was my guess for our drop in production. I'm hoping it goes back up once the weather stays under 100°. Good luck!"
Sep 10, 2013
Matthew Newton posted a discussion in Micro Livestock
Hi peeps!We have had a drastic drop off in production of eggs. We have 10 hens, and used (3-4 weeks ago) to get 6-8 eggs daily, and were very happy with our hens. While we are still happy with them, we are only getting 0-3 a day. Anyone else…
Sep 10, 2013
Matthew Newton left a comment for William Fox
"Property-2up.pdf

William, Sorry for not getting this to you yesterday. Hope it helps. If you need it a different way, let me know.

Matt"
May 19, 2013
Matthew Newton replied to Debbie Fishell's discussion Tour de Coops 2013 is coming!!! in Micro Livestock
"This is Matt. Thank you Debbie for posting!

The next meeting is Sunday the 12th from noon to 2pm. If you would like to be included on the invite, please email to tdc_chair@vpaaz.org"
Aug 2, 2012
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