I was asked recently, by two different people, if the switch to daylight saving time bothered my hens. I said, "No, there aren't any clocks in their coops."
The float test is not for hatching eggs; it is for eggs you are going to eat. You use the float test when you find an egg somewhere other than the next box and suspect it might be old.
Mostly to produce layers and to satisfy my curiosity. The cockerels were the meanest things (although my only experience with a bunch of cockerels was with Buckeyes) and not particularly meaty. We did, however, keep one cockerel as my husband's pet and is now a rooster. He is beautiful and...
Since no one else has responded, I'll give you my two cents worth, if it's even worth that much :) . The back is one of the last places chicks grow feathers, so at 6 weeks, I would say that's not a problem. Can't give you any input on the dry skin though. I assume you are primarily feeding...