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Do you have a fishing net? I catch my chickens with a fishing net. You do have to be careful to catch them on the first try though, once they realize what's up, they are great at finding a tree or bush to hide in where the net can't reach. You might try only putting food in the dog kennel. He...

CCL and Bielefelder are both autosexing breeds. I feel comfortable sharing Tarbox Hollow Poultry, they have a publicly searchable website where they sell hatching eggs and chicks. They are in Dixon. They have Orpingtons and other fancy breeds. I will PM you the other farms

I know a farm in Columbus that hatches cream legbars and Icelandics. Travel north closer to Norfolk for Bielefelder. Disadvantage for you is that all local farms only sell straight run, so you need a plan for rooster chicks. For hatchery chicks, the sweetest birds I ever got were a white sex...

I actually love our shelter belt, but you are right, it would be better if it were 10 feet farther north of the house. This wind was awful, a lot of the drifting is just because of the buildings, we've never had drifts in these places before.

You can see just the tip of the chicken coop peeking out from behind this 9 foot drift. You also can just see the top of the clothesline pole, which is how I know the drift is about 9 feet tall. You also can see kid tracks 😂 I walked around this drift rather than shoveling through it

Pretty much what @WthrLady said. Deep bedding, heated water (heats to 35F, just above freezing), no drafts. The no drafts thing is super important. I usually keep my roosters in a separate pen from my hens, but their building is thin walls and drafty. It's so cold, their water heater couldn't...

The heat emitter has been great. For one, most heat lamps are just too big for a little brooder. I like the idea of the little heat pads that chicks hide under, but they are rather pricey. This is a much cheaper alternative that accomplishes the same purpose. The heat emitter also allows the...

She looks a bit better yesterday and today. Still quiet, but not lethargic. She is eating and drinking, seems a normal amount with the other chicks. Still has pasty butt, although its better than it was (it was A LOT, so now I would consider it an "average" case of pasty butt). I use a heat...

That could be it. In recent years, I have only been getting 6 chicks each year. Except for the year I ended up with 24 😂 But they were kept in separate pens because some were broilers, some were layers, some were bantams. I don't mean that I never get pasty butt, but it's been very minor...

I am feeding a feed from my local co-op. This is what I have used for years. I am wondering if it’s an old batch of feed or something because it’s been several years since I’ve dealt with pasty butt. This is unusual. I can try ACV and fermenting.

I have a 3 day old chick with pasty butt. She has been weak since she hatched, and the stress of constant cleaning and straining to poop is starting to take a toll. She is definitely more lethargic tonight than she was this morning. What are the best supportive care measures I can take? I am...

I watched this video about looking at wing and tail feathers at 3 weeks old to predict gender. If all the wing feathers are long, and the tail feathers are long, it's a female. If the outer wing feathers are long and the wing feathers nearer the elbow are short, and the tail is short, it's a...

Thanks for your reply, so much good information there. I looked over the links you sent. Especially with your story about driving eggs home on dirt road (which in fact is where the accident occurred), the links you sent agree that rough handling is the most likely reason for so many eggs to...

I know this will be long, but I will try to be brief: I set 33 eggs 14 were shipped, they spent 2 days in transit 19 were from a local friend (thanks @WthrLady !!) BUT we were in a major car accident on the way home. Several eggs cracked, and most of the rest had some yolk on them. I washed...

Thank you. How old are your birds? I don't baby my birds either, I don't need lap pets. But I do want non-aggressive birds that won't peck my kids when they go to get eggs, and a rooster that won't attack me or kids. I let them out for a couple hours each day in the cold months, but they stay...

I am considering Bielefelders. Would you tell me about yours please? How friendly are they? Do they lay well?

Start of day 18 here One of my eggs is behind the other two, I put it under the broody for awhile, but it wasn’t warm enough and was developing more slowly, so I moved it back into the incubator. How far behind, do you think?? Can I put all 3 eggs under the broody to hatch? Or should this one...

I do have a broody, it's because of her that I even set any eggs at all. She's just a bantam, so some went under her, the others stayed in the incubator HOWEVER, the eggs under her were developing more slowly, and at least one (likely 2) of them died. I think she just isn't able to keep them...

Super helpful, thanks!! Since it looks like it will be 2 hatching in the first batch, and only 1 or 2 in the second batch, I am pretty sure I can make something work. :)