Recent content by Corazon Ranch

  1. Corazon Ranch

    Broody hen pecks first chick

    I have a broody hen sitting on eggs inside my brooder box, and today is hatch day! First chick started zipping around 9AM. But by noon she started pecking the first chick before it fully escaped the shell. She did stop after I moved the chick away from her face, and it has successfully gotten...
  2. Corazon Ranch

    I am losing quail every morning please help.

    How old are they? What are the nighttime weather conditions/temps? What's their enclosure like?
  3. Corazon Ranch

    Your Opinion: Best Hanging Waterer?

    Howdy! Just want to get some opinions on the pros and cons of the different auto-fill hanging waterers. I've used the bucket-and-nipples system, but for my new coop I would like to do something different. I've found that in our desert climate, it's better for the girls to be able to gulp water...
  4. Corazon Ranch

    Can I use layer feed if I'm out of chick starter?

    Howdy! I just got home from vacation and found out we're out of chick starter feed. I have a full can of layer crumbles for my older batch of chickens and I was wondering if there is a way I can doctor that feed to make it more appropriate for these young birds. My rudimentary understanding is...
  5. Corazon Ranch

    Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

    Thanks for the info! I am looking at McMurray's catalog and they do call the Cuckoos "chocolate" eggers. But they are trying to make money and sell chicks! Given that I live in such a rural area it will be virtually impossible to get good dark egg-layers from a private breeder, so I guess I'll...
  6. Corazon Ranch

    Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

    So what I'm reading here (and I admit that I have not read all 5048 pages of the thread) is that not all Maran hens will lay a chocolate egg? I am planning my spring chicks and I was thinking of getting some Cuckoo Marans for real eye-catching egg display at the market. Would anyone hazard a...
  7. Corazon Ranch

    meat bird coop ideas

    Yeah, meat birds are more sedentary, especially the Cornish x Rocks. They mostly just lay down on the ground, and waddle a few feet. Very aggressive eaters though! If you build something off the ground, keep it low and make sure there is plenty of room. Those bird will be the size of a wild...
  8. Corazon Ranch

    Camo netting or shade tarp?

  9. Corazon Ranch

    Chickens killed with only heads eat

    This just happened to me today. Walked into my coop to find my alpha hen, a black Jersey Giant, decapitated in the middle of my (concrete!) coop. We have skunk problems pretty frequently, but there was no smell. So I wonder why it stopped at the head? If it had been interrupted I would have...
  10. Corazon Ranch

    Camo netting or shade tarp?

  11. Corazon Ranch

    putting a gate in wire mesh steel pole pen

    Get a couple brass bolt snaps from the hardware store or feed store, and snap them on where the overlap is.
  12. Corazon Ranch

    putting a gate in wire mesh steel pole pen

    Wire fencing that hooks onto screws or nails. I use that method to keep my chickens out of the garage.
  13. Corazon Ranch

    Help. Girl or boys

    Sorry, but it's probably too soon to tell from their external features. As they get older, they will start to look more like pullets or cockerels, but sometimes it is still hard to tell even up to maturity. But on a side note, the gender binary is a myth. I have had roosters who want to set on...
  14. Corazon Ranch

    New to the group and raising chickens for eggs

    Kits are usually made with the cheapest and thinnest materials. So it's not the tree's fault! If you buy Douglas fir lumber and build it yourself, it will be better (and probably more expensive). The kits can be improved upon by adding screws, glue, paint, etc. But my biggest complaint with the...
  15. Corazon Ranch

    meat bird coop ideas

    I did a hoop coop once, but it was a re-purposed tent garage from Harbor Freight. A fox or coyote dug in and killed all but one of my 25 meaties. Whatever you use, make sure it is safe or the local predators will think you've opened up a chicken restaurant. Lay down some wire underneath and...
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