# A few I know nothing questions?



## Nobody (Apr 13, 2017)

I haven't found a book yet that gives this information. Seems like it's just some of those things that everybody knows but doesn't realize that the extreme beginner doesn't. So here goes. 

1. How much should you feed chickens or do you just let them eat as much as they want? 

2. Do all hens eventually lay eggs or do some just not lay eggs ever? 

3. How high or low should a roost be?

4. When or if we would have chicks do the hens start by feeding the checks in the nest or do they just jump right up and start eating on their own? 

5 Can chickens become too fat? 

That's it for now but I'll probable think of few more later on. I know these may sound like a five year olds question but I really meant it when I said that I don't know anything. 

Thank you


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Hello Nobody! These are my answers, but you'll get other opinions if you hang around.
(#1) My chickens eat "at will" , but they get plenty exercise in their very large run and sometimes free ranging. (# 5 ) yes, they can get too fat and have issues if , like a human, they eat too much and don't get enough exercise. 
(#2) Hens will all lay eventually if they are healthy, unless there is something genetically wrong.
(#3) My roosts are like ladders with the bottom rung about 18 inches off the floor and the top 5 or 6 ft off the grd. ( #4) Chicks will begin to eat and drink pretty much as soon as they dry out and the momma starts clucking at them and shows them were the food tidbits are.
The nesting boxes should be 12 to 18 inches off the ground to keep ants out....
No question is too silly to ask esp. when you're just starting out.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Huh, those are all great questions. I haven't thought about any of them in years.

1. Chickens are like horses and cattle, they're grazers. If they're not dust bathing, sprawled out in the sun, they're hunting good stuff.

2. For the most part, yes they do. Like NP said, a genetic issue would/could prevent them from laying.

3. It depends on the breed and the space. Some Silkies will roost, most don't. Heavy breeds like Orps should have roosts that prevent them from jumping down to the ground to prevent leg and foot problems. 

4. By day three Momma brings chicks out to begin foraging. Peeps have adequate stores to keep them going during the first three days after they rest up from all the work hatching.

5. Yep, they can. It doesn't seem to happen with birds that have exercise and a human that doesn't feed them a ton of treats.

And because you're not afraid to ask your birds will have a great life. And it takes some of the stress off the keeper going in prepared.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Just remember we all started somewhere and had basically the same questions.Plus,I've been keeping chickens for 16 years and I continue to learn.I keep feeders full so the flock can eat at will and they graze on vegetation and bugs if it's the right time of year.I've also seen my birds eat frogs ,snakes and baby birds that fall out of the nest.I give them most of the leftovers and other treats but not everyday.Where about in SE Ohio are you in?I'm in SW Ohio.We'll have the same weather....


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

If you get chicks, they should be fed chick starter feed up to about 20 weeks old. It comes in medicated or non medicated feed sacks at your feed store. Medicated feed contains a very small amount coccidiostat that acts a preventative to cocci infection over time. It is not a treatment for cocci infection however. I might add that it is NOT an antibiotic.
At about 20 weeks old, pullets will need to be switched over to layer feed for egg production purposes.
Some pullets lay eggs as early as 18 weeks old, some start laying later at 26+ weeks or even older. But most start laying eggs around 22 weeks old.
Eggs will be small at first but will get bigger as time goes by.
After a hen lays an egg, normally she will "announce" that she has laid an egg. "Announce" means she will be squawking a lot for a short time after laying her egg, this is normal.

Dont forget to provide clean freshwater for your birds all the time. Try to keep the waterer out of the sun, warm or hot water isnt good for birds. There are many different waterers available; here's what I use and I have several. They hold 3 gallons of water, easy to clean and refill, easy to hang from a rafter:


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I guess you all left me nothing to add!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

seminolewind said:


> I guess you all left me nothing to add!


Doesn't mean you haven't encountered something we haven't.


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## Nobody (Apr 13, 2017)

chickenqueen said:


> Just remember we all started somewhere and had basically the same questions.Plus,I've been keeping chickens for 16 years and I continue to learn.I keep feeders full so the flock can eat at will and they graze on vegetation and bugs if it's the right time of year.I've also seen my birds eat frogs ,snakes and baby birds that fall out of the nest.I give them most of the leftovers and other treats but not everyday.Where about in SE Ohio are you in?I'm in SW Ohio.We'll have the same weather....


I'm in Pedro oh. Started out sunny and went to windy and rainy today.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Never heard of Pedro.I'm in Blanchester.It started rainy and windy,cleared up then stormed.Is it really soggy there,too?


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## Nobody (Apr 13, 2017)

chickenqueen said:


> Never heard of Pedro.I'm in Blanchester.It started rainy and windy,cleared up then stormed.Is it really soggy there,too?


Soggy's not the word and I'm in south central oh. I must have been out of it when I put that east in there. Go to the farthest point to the south in Ohio and you'll be close enough. It's actually called South Point. 

Those chickens are as bad as the horses if there's a mud puddle with enough water in it they'll drink that instead of the water we get for them. 
Don't know what it is about muddy water.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I noticed that,too.Maybe rain water is sweeter.My yard has standing water again and the Cochins don't like it.


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