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I have a shed that is going to be my chicken's house, however, I would like to start them in there as well (I will have 140 chicks and the baby playpen in the garage isn't going to cut it for that many!). Only problem is we have lots of cats that would love to have an easy live dinner despite...

How feasible do you think it would be to start a hatchery? I figured 10-15 popular breeds plus up to 5 rare breeds. Then expanding from there. I can build an 18x20 barn for around $800, so I can start small with 1-2 of those for different pens and then expanding it to one barn per breed. Maybe...

I want to have 10-20 hens laying eggs for hatching. My plan was to hatch chicks February through June (22 weeks), setting eggs every week. I have been wanting to raise Rhode Island Red hens and cross them with a White Leghorn rooster. According to a publication titled "Crossbred Poultry"...

I had 3 out of 57 chicks die. One was found buried under shavings and two were found lethargic and passed shortly after finding them. I never saw the symptoms, just going on what my dad told me. Happened while I was at work. What could have been the cause? 2 were red sex link 1 was buff...

I had 57 baby chicks delivered in the mail four days ago. 16 barred rocks, 15 buff orpingtons, and 26 red sex links. I'm wanting to wing band them, but I don't feel the web of skin that instructions are talking about? The part I feel feels too small to be able to have a wing band. But as an...

Ok, my chickens have started laying their eggs and now, I figure I need to keep records on the eggs. With my sheep, I have over 40 different forms to keep track of different aspects of production. However, I was wondering what you thought was important for egg production? I figure feed input...

We are getting a new barn, so I will have an 8x10 metal shed available for the chickens. It has a plywood floor in it (can be taken out, but would have to be filled with dirt so the floor is even). What can I put (cheaply) on the plywood floor to cover it and protect it from chicken poop? I...

Just a theoretical question... If you were to advise a newcomer into getting into chickens, what would you tell them? How many to get, where to get them? Where to house them, how much space to have? Different pens, etc. Basically describe the perfect set up for your perfect flock and how...

I have five partridge rock pullets... the following is their weights every week and their week ADG in ounces (divide by 16 to get pounds). I was just wondering if they were okay for their age or small or big or whatsoever. TIA!

One of my chicks has their tail feathers growing already. I looked at the other four and they don't have it. They are 2-3 wks old. Do you think this one is a rooster?

I put zip ties on my chicks to identify them. Some of them are still loose enough that I can put our thin pair of scissors or a knife and cut them off. However on one or two chicks, it seems to have gotten tight so my question is how do I cut them off without cutting their leg? Do you think a...

I got my first chicks from Southern States, five Partridge Rock pullets from Mt. Healthy Hatcheries. I would've got ten but they were $3.50 each. I named them Yvonne, Annette, Cecile, Emilie, and Marie after the Dionne quintuplets. They were hatched on April 20, however, I think two of them may...

Wouldn't it be interesting to see what the most popular breed of chicken is? This new survey is open until March 1. Spread the word! Thank you!

I have another idea I'm interested in :) Maybe raising four different varieties of Plymouth Rocks: White, Barred, Buff, and Partridge. I would have four different pens for them, separated by color. How many hens would be advisable? I'm thinking about two or three roosters for each variety. I...

How do you select your breeding birds? What qualities do you look for...in terms of meat birds? Layers? And all-around production birds?

I have a rabbit/small animal cage set up, 16"x24", with a feeder and waterer. I think I am going to start with 10 white leghorns & go from there. Just waiting for TSC or Southern States to get some chicks in

I was thinking about getting some Leghorns from a commercial hatchery & I was thinking would it be possible to keep them in cages (almost like rabbit cages)? According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, layers need just 60 sq inches of space. If I have a 2x2 cage (1 sq ft being taken up by a...

How much electricity do you use to keep a 250W bulb on 24/7? How much feed do you go through? (please tell me in lbs) At what age? How many are you feeding? What breed? I'm primarily interested in White Leghorns & Red Stars for a commercial flock and then White Rocks for a little side project...

Does anybody have pictures of their dressed birds (not Cornish X)? I would love to see one of a White Rock or other dual-purpose breed. Thank you!

How do you choose which birds to breed and which to cull?