Recent content by FarmerTony

  1. FarmerTony

    Fox problem

    I don't have a fox problem, because they don't live in my woods. My issue is with raccoons and rando coyote's. The packs avoid my livestock. The coon's cant help themselves, but they are a threat nonetheless. So what I did was start setting live traps and putting in whatever they were...
  2. FarmerTony

    Why not spoil them?

    Mine get treats all the time, i the form of kitchen scraps. That fat I trim off the steak? Chicken treat. The hashbrowns that came with my fast food breakfast? Chicken Treat. (although the cats like them more). Stale bread? Chicken Treat. I free range my chickens, which is fancy talk for...
  3. FarmerTony

    Should I stock pile eggs?

    Hens will happily lay eggs right through the winter as long as they have enough feed to offset their increased needs in winter. During the cold weather, if you raise outdoor chickens like I do, their feed requirements will increase up to 3 times.
  4. FarmerTony

    Salmonella Outbreak--- Mt. Healthy Hatchery!!! Help!

    I have never had a problem with Mt Healthy. Salmonella happens. It is a naturally occurring bacteria on chickens, just like staphylococcus with humans. Normally it's benign but occasionally a new strain will be harmful. If you flock doesn't show signs of infection, they are probably safe...
  5. FarmerTony

    Putting a "Property Damage" Price on Layers

    AR-15, kills chicken killing dogs dead. Then hang the carcass from a tree and let it rot. I do this with coyotes, and they haven't been back in 4 years. I hear them on the neighbors property just across the road, but they wont cross the county road onto my property.
  6. FarmerTony

    Putting a "Property Damage" Price on Layers

    In africa its the value of the meat plus all the eggs it would have laid in its lifetime, usually runs about $150. I doubt a judge in the US would award you this amount. More realistically, I would charge $30 a hen to cover the cost of feeding her replacement until she starts laying again...
  7. FarmerTony

    2 roosters keep going at it....fight till the death?

    Cockerel aggression towards each other is normal. Just observe, do not interfere. By interfering you have made yourself a target. They now see you as competition, rather than as 'farmer'. Let chickens be chickens. Unless you have a cockerel or a hen going after biddies , not just setting...
  8. FarmerTony

    Undead in shell issue

    The last few hatches I've gotten a couple eggs that did not hatch out, but that had live chicks in them. On opening them after the due date I found that the chick was essentially alive, but looked like it was too large for the egg and was cramped and twisted around on itself. I felt bad...
  9. FarmerTony

    Are Eggs Laid off Season Less Fertile than in Season?

    You do realize that the eggs the birds lay will hatch if you buy an incubator? I have started hatching out my own eggs rather than buy the chicks from a hatchery. I may buy a batch of pullets each spring just to keep the genetics fresh, but it will be a small order. Only need about 10 instead...
  10. FarmerTony

    What treat did your chickies get today?

    All they could eat leftovers from butchering a couple hogs :)
  11. FarmerTony

    Golden comet pullet a roo?

    If its truly a golden comet then its a pullet. GC's are a sexlink cross, meaning the the chicks can be sexed at birth based on some feature, in this case the color. Pullets are red, cockerels are white, no exceptions.
  12. FarmerTony

    I KNOW WHATS WRONG WITH OUR CHICKS!!!!!

    Around here we call it hatchery cough. I give my new chicks prophylactic tetracycline for just that reason, I dont want it getting into my flock. And yes, its highly contagious.
  13. FarmerTony

    What's the temperature where you are???

    85 today, sposed to be 95 tomorrow. I guess the mean little piggy gets a reprieve for a few more weeks until hog killing weather is here. Knives gonna be extra sharp though.
  14. FarmerTony

    What hurt my chicken?

    It is possible if you have too many roosters they can do that. Try to keep the Roosters to hen ratio below 1:3 (i.e. 3 or more hens per rooster). and preferably 6 hens per rooster. However, since the other hen isn't showing signs of excessive breeding, it was probably a predator. I think...
  15. FarmerTony

    Chickens fighting :(

    Leghorns are an aggressive breed. I don't raise them anymore for that reason. As CR said, its best if you stick to similarly colored birds unless you start a large flock of mixed birds, then there are usually fewer problems. I have raised reds and whites together, but there were intermediate...
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