Newyorkrita said:

Price the bag of birdseed that you buy compared to the price of the same size bag of simply cracked corn only. You will find it is way, way cheaper. You could really economically stretch your seed by buying a bag and putting out extra cracked corn for your chicken visitors.

Next time I need to go to Tractor Supple (soon), I'm going to look at the cracked corn bags. I've thought about adding it to my mixed seed I put out daily. I always like to have white millet in the mix, since there are some birds that prefer that seed (Indigo Buntings for one - can't think of others in the breeding and/or the winter season).

Only saw one Rhode Island Red chicken here, since the last time they came.

Took the "10% off the total purchase" Tractor Supply coupon to use on birdseed today. They've been moving things around at TS and I found where the big bags of birdseed and the other bags of birdseed where, but I couldn't find the cracked corn.

It was around 5 pm when DH and I got there after a couple of other stops during the afternoon. I was tired and very warm in the store and didn't want to figure out where the cracked corn was, so I paid for my 3 bags of 50 pounds each of mixed seed and left (I've 3 trash cans dedicated just for bird seed and the pouring/storing containers). While walking out to the car, I asked the young woman (who was going to put the big bags in the SUV), where the cracked corn was in the store and she said they were in the chicken area and that they came in 50 pound bags. I'll have to check next time for it and get a bag and mix it in with the mixed seed.

It pays to be a regular customer of TS. In the mail, I'll get their ads and coupons to save on my purchases.

Marilyn said:Took the "10% off the total purchase" Tractor Supply coupon to use on birdseed today. They've been moving things around at TS and I found where the big bags of birdseed and the other bags of birdseed where, but I couldn't find the cracked corn.

It was around 5 pm when DH and I got there after a couple of other stops during the afternoon. I was tired and very warm in the store and didn't want to figure out where the cracked corn was, so I paid for my 3 bags of 50 pounds each of mixed seed and left (I've 3 trash cans dedicated just for bird seed and the pouring/storing containers). While walking out to the car, I asked the young woman (who was going to put the big bags in the SUV), where the cracked corn was in the store and she said they were in the chicken area and that they came in 50 pound bags. I'll have to check next time for it and get a bag and mix it in with the mixed seed.

It pays to be a regular customer of TS. In the mail, I'll get their ads and coupons to save on my purchases.

If you asked you would have saved lots of money!!

That's better than hiding everything that's economical "in the warehouse".

Found another dead hen the other day. There was a Red Tail Hawk eating on it, but when I went to pick it up, it wasn't a fresh kill, and the hawk hadn't eaten much. Not sure if it just died, and the hawk came later and started to eat it, but it was all stiff when I got there. One of my Buff Orpingtons

So sorry to hear it!

Sorry about your chicken Tom.

Buff Orpingtons have always been among my favorites. How old was she?

tveguy3 said:Found another dead hen the other day. There was a Red Tail Hawk eating on it, but when I went to pick it up, it wasn't a fresh kill, and the hawk hadn't eaten much. Not sure if it just died, and the hawk came later and started to eat it, but it was all stiff when I got there. One of my Buff Orpingtons

So sorry. Sounds as if the hawk was just trying to take advantage of a found meal.

So sorry about your hen Tom.

She was a 4 year old. Buff Orpingtons are such sweet chickens. My neighbor just told me that they lost about 14 chickens to raccoon. A hen and 10 little ones and a couple others. They did catch him, and I guess he was huge. He just killed them all and ate a bit of some of them. Typical of them. Now that some of the corn has been harvested they are looking for other things to eat. They had the hen and chicks in a cage, and he just reached in and got them.

Newyorkrita said:

If you asked you would have saved lots of money!!

I didn't see anyone available to ask in the store. When the young woman was walking with me to my car, I asked the price and she said $7.99 for a 50 pound bag. The only register open was pretty busy, so I didn't ask. I was tired, hot and looking forward to getting home after that stop we made. I'll get a bag next time.

tveguy3 said:She was a 4 year old. Buff Orpingtons are such sweet chickens. My neighbor just told me that they lost about 14 chickens to raccoon. A hen and 10 little ones and a couple others. They did catch him, and I guess he was huge. He just killed them all and ate a bit of some of them. Typical of them. Now that some of the corn has been harvested they are looking for other things to eat. They had the hen and chicks in a cage, and he just reached in and got them.

oh that's terrible. I truly despise raccoons...dirty gluttons. I've lost several birds to them in the past - kill, eat little and then kill again.

I came home late Thursday night with a new flock and am sure I saw a HUGE raccoon in the machine shed - somehow the light had been left on and I thought it was a dog at first ---- no, a raccoon. Got the new flock settled in the barn and then worried all night. Thankfully all are ok.

I have a very weird chicken story to share. Yesterday the fierier was here to trim horses hooves. I was leading one of the mares out of her stall and she stepped on the neck of one of my Buff Laced Polish hens. I heard bones cracking and I just knew she was killed. I got the mare off of her and the hen took off running. I was amazed, but thought I'd find her dead later, but no, she's doing fine running around and scratching for food like any other day. That mare is a 1200 lb. huge horse, and how that chicken survived is beyond anything I can imagine.

Tom miracles can still happen. Sounds like you had one!

tveguy3 said:I have a very weird chicken story to share. Yesterday the fierier was here to trim horses hooves. I was leading one of the mares out of her stall and she stepped on the neck of one of my Buff Laced Polish hens. I heard bones cracking and I just knew she was killed. I got the mare off of her and the hen took off running. I was amazed, but thought I'd find her dead later, but no, she's doing fine running around and scratching for food like any other day. That mare is a 1200 lb. huge horse, and how that chicken survived is beyond anything I can imagine.

Wow, I hope she stays fine.

We just weaned our new babies from the brooder, but they still need extra care. I have them on a starter/grower mix and they are now going on 8 weeks old. So we have to keep them under tight security at all times. Here's a picture from May 9th when they were about 5 weeks old. They are a mixed bag of breeds.

Some mixed breeds are so pretty.

Yes they are Tom. I ordered these through the mail on April 1, and they were on "special" with a mix of Easter Egger, (Auracana) English Game Bantam, and Cochin with feathered feet. We will let them run free when they are older. (I already have three hens running free, but locked up at night.)

Lovely!! And growing fast.