Show Off Your Games!

[centrarchid]

I cheat to get fresh greens to penned birds. Picture below old but configuration close to what I have currently.

Yard shown above (square area to right covers a little over an acre. About 40 pens are lined up in a row like ships of the line. I mow strips into stock piled pasture and move cages on to fresh vegetation every couple to few days. Pasture is a mix of orchard grass, cheat grass, tall fescue, and white clover plus some other stuff. Moves made once new growth evident following moving. I move to protect ground from over grazing and to control worms. Fescue and cheat not worth a crap as forage but the other plants are clearly enjoyed. One of these days I plan to do prescribed burns to promote native prairie species in parts.

The gulf course looking parts also have pens scattered about.

 

[JShubin]

I have some eggs hatching in the incubator right now... I noticed the first two hatched just fine... but the other two are partially open (chicks broke shell about half way around), but the shell and fluid turned into rock hard "glue" and sealed the chicks inside the egg, one already died and the other is having a hard time... what is the cause of this? has anyone come across this issue?

 

[centrarchid]

Humidity out of optimal range or embryos / chicks failing to thrive. If slow to hatch, then cull as most likely they will be culled later anyway. I have tried to baby too many over time and come to realize that some young birds simply are not meant to be. Try different matings, verify incubator works as intended, re-evaluate hen's nutrition during conditioning and egg-laying phases.

 

[JShubin]

Humidity out of optimal range or embryos / chicks failing to thrive. If slow to hatch, then cull as most likely they will be culled later anyway. I have tried to baby too many over time and come to realize that some young birds simply are not meant to be. Try different matings, verify incubator works as intended, re-evaluate hen's nutrition during conditioning and egg-laying phases.

Thank you, good info.. I was suspecting humidity. I have no way of controlling it other than adding/removing water, but I should get a hygrometer. I am guessing that if the egg turned hard the humidity is too low.. which makes sense because I live in a dry desert.

Considering sibilings hatched, I think mating and nutrition is fine. I think I am going to put the incubator away for a while, I am loosing more eggs than I hatch. need more brood hens!

 

[JShubin]

I have this succlent weed growing in my yard, and my friend told me it was edible. So I looked it up and apparently it is pretty healthy and grows like crazy. I think I am going to cut up parts of it and feed to my chickens.

Its called common purslane and is used as a salad green in many parts of the world, but considered a weed in the US.

 

[centrarchid]

Considering sibilings hatched, I think mating and nutrition is fine. I think I am going to put the incubator away for a while, I am loosing more eggs than I hatch. need more brood hens!

Quality measure usually not all or none. Rather you compare percentages like 85% versus 60% versus 30% versus 0%.

 

[centrarchid]

I have this succlent weed growing in my yard, and my friend told me it was edible. So I looked it up and apparently it is pretty healthy and grows like crazy. I think I am going to cut up parts of it and feed to my chickens. Its called common purslane and is used as a salad green in many parts of the world, but considered a weed in the US.

A co-worker was into purslane a few years ago as something to make fish feed from. Very good fatty acid profile. It can not survive my free-range birds but it grows very fast.

 

[farmraised86]

I'm liking this bird more and more every day he ages

 

[farmraised86]

A co-worker was into purslane a few years ago as something to make fish feed from. Very good fatty acid profile. It can not survive my free-range birds but it grows very fast.

I plant this in my chicken runs its also a good ground cover and get nice little redish pink flowers

 

[JShubin]

Quality measure usually not all or none. Rather you compare percentages like 85% versus 60% versus 30% versus 0%.

Very good point.