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Not much info about air chilling on this site. I just finished building my CoolBot cooler and will use it for the meaties this year. I plan to cool the birds down with ice water during the butchering process then hang them to cool further (and dry) in the cooler. The cooler will be set to 36...

I have seen lots of write ups and threads about heat mats used to brood chicks. I can see this working for smaller numbers but not for the 100 chicks I'll have this spring. I'm thinking about building a infrared heat panel with several infrared bulbs - like the ones used for reptile enclosures...

Anyone know what this is that came in the bag that I bought?

I have 40 eggs in the incubator and 2 broody hens that I would like to raise the chicks. I would prefer to have 3 hens for 40 eggs but the rest are not falling for the fake eggs Ieft for them. The eggs are due to hatch in 7 days. The hens have been broody for 10 days and 7 days. I could...

My Columbian Rock x Dark Brahma cross experiment. These are almost 8 weeks old. I'm not sure about sexing - but I'll try. Can anyone confirm / deny? Boy Girl Girl -- unknown hiding behind bush -- boy From left to right (excluding the tail only): boy -- girl -- girl...

Sorry no pictures... I had a cornish cross who was fading quickly so I decided to process early. He's eight weeks and freezer camp happens on tuesday. I processed it but when I pulled the liver out, I noticed it was larger than usual and had a yellowish mushy fluid filled "object" on it...

Finish this sentence: "I process early when...." I've got some meaties at 7 weeks now. The plan is to take them to 9 weeks but I have one with a purple comb, one with dark skin and very few feathers and one that is breathing heavy. Those three will be processed tomorrow. This group seem...

I met a breeder to discuss the purchase of hatching eggs. I asked about disease and he said he lost a couple of birds he acquired as chicks a couple of years ago. A necropsy at a government lab confirmed Lymphoid Leukosis. I believe him when he says he has not had any symptoms since, but is...

I feel a bit uncomfortable even asking but ... I had to cull hen today who had developed a solid mass of cheesy material in the oviduct. It was quite large but there was no obvious sign of infection (although i'm certainly no expert). I'm glad I culled before it became really uncomfortable for...

A hen was pecking at rooster's feet today (he is very tolerant). He has always had red markings down the sides of his legs. Today they are open sores. I'm paranoid that he may have scaly leg mites. There's lots of thread about that and I'll go read them all - I'm just hoping someone can help...

I have a little IP camera that can pan and tilt. Lots of fun in the brooder. Who needs TV? Gotta love those nipples. The bricks are there to hold the heat. They look like sea lions sunning themselves on a rock.

My broody hen (less than a year old) has been sitting on 8 eggs for 11 days. She shares the broody coop with anther broody on other eggs. Yesterday she was sitting on the floor - away from her eggs. I nudged her back into the nest. She yelled at me but went reluctantly. Same thing again today...

I just ordered some broilers and decided not to get them vaccinated. It's a complicated issue. Where do other BYC'ers land on this?

I had to separate my head rooster for about 2 weeks to treat an infection. To re-introduce, I split the coop in two with 13 hens on each side and one rooster on each side for 10 days, Then put everyone together. The junior roo has taken the top position and beats on the older roo's comb which...

I 've seen comments scattered across some other thread about the taste of chicken that were fed fermented feed. I thought it would be interesting to collect peoples comments in one place. This thread is about the final product. If you want to discuss or learn about the fermenting process...

My roo has been lethargic for about 3 days. Had bubbles on his eye yesterday but gone today. No signs of trauma, lice, mites etc. He seems somewhat interested in food when I put it in front of him but the crop is never getting close to full. I'm sure he's lost weight. Opens and closes his...

I've been thinking about getting a LGD either pyranese or maremma. I was just introduced to someone with some 13 week old maremma (male and female available). I was thinking female. We have coons, mink, cougar, bear, eagle, harks, owls - and stray dogs around here. My questions are about...

I think my young rooster did this to my pullet. Looks like her earlobe is torn. I cleaned up the blood and she is isolated with food and electrolytes. Should I do anything else? To her i mean. A second question - how many strikes do you give a young roo before he's make the final mistake?

Is selecting a cockerel the same as selecting a rooster? Since behaviour of a rooster is not fully apparent until at least a year, do you look for the same traits at 4 to 6 months and just hope that things don't change? Or something different in a younger roo/cockeral? I have 13 cockerels at...

I decided to try my electric poultry netting thru the winter but I don't think it is providing enough shock to a predator walking on the snow. I have 6.5 kv at the charger without load and 3.5 kv with the netting connected. There is enough juice there to create sparks at the gate but at the...