Recent content by newdock

Aw, I hope she's better soon. It sounds like you are working hard to make that happen. My dog has a facination with licking my chicks too...I've always wondered if she is mothering them or tasting them and have never wanted to find out! She leaves the big birds alone though....

I was always an advocate of in carton hatching until last year. I had one chick pip low on the egg and it couldn't get out and died due to the egg carton being in the way. It changed my opinion forever!

First year I covered the run with chicken wire and the snow didn't fall through it like I expected so it became so weighted down with snow that it was a threat to my chickens because it was near collapse. I kept it covered with stucco wire this year and that worked better. I would think that...

I had two great dane dogs make off with 10 meat birds and two turkeys without even a feather in the yard. They were only about 3 weeks old and I guess were each just a mouthful. Thankfully the owner fessed up right away and offered to do whatever it took to make it right. In the end, he paid...

We lost power for an extended period DURING a hatch last year. My daughter and I slept on the couch with the chicks all in the crooks of our arms and under a light blanket. AND I hatched an egg against my skin. Once morning came, I phoned around and found someone with a generator that we could...

I used to use egg cartons until I had one chick pip low.....it was unable to zip due to the interference from the carton and it died. I now lay them on their side....besides, I love to watch them rock and roll around, which the eggs don't do in a carton.

If you absolutely cannot put a bowl of water in there, how about a honeydew melon or something like that that will provide him with some moisture. In a closed box without ventilation, he's gonna get pretty hot.

I assume the whites get taken more easily because they are very easy to see from the air. It has been my experience that the white birds get taken by hawks much more often than ones that blend into the ground a bit more.... I have my run covered now, but it means that I can't let them out to...

I realize I had crappy luck, but I got 5 white silkies (chicks) from a local guy and got 4 roosters and one hen.....bah! We have a lot of hawks and other birds of prey in our area and the white birds are always the first to get taken. I have since given up on white....

1-When did you feel like walking and moving around were to much work to do and you wish you could just be at home? Varied - but mostly I didn't want to work the entire time. I had such bad morning sickness with my first pregnancy that I weighed less when I went into labour than when I got...

When I have extra eggs, I pay my neighbors a visit and give them a dozen each. Then when the time comes that I have to be out of town for a weekend or something, they are always more than happy to check on the birds for me. I love my neighbors! They are great

I have done this and had much better results doing it this way. It only works if you don't have to add too much water to the tray on the bottom. If there is too much water and you tip the bator....well, I"m sure you can figure out what happens! I used cardboard and cut the bottoms out of the...

I live out west and use Rochester and Miller hatcheries. If you google them, they both have websites and are both located in Alberta.

I live in a fairly humid region (not tropical or anything mind you!). I had the worst luck with incubating until I tried my version of dry incubating. I just closed up the incubator and didn't open it unless I wanted to candle and then I would add a tiny bit of water. On day 18, I added more...

I bought mine at Rona (Revy), but I live in a small town and our Rona carries farm supplies. I would phone around first....