Recent content by forester7

  1. forester7

    chicken plucker finger length question

    I am building a homemade chicken plucker. I ordered fingers for the plucker that are 2.5 inches in total length. After buying them, I saw that some come almost 4 inches in length, but the 4" ones are very expensive. Will the 2.5" ones I have be long enough to do a good job on large broiler...
  2. forester7

    cheap, safe heat source for chicks

    I am a teacher and I want to hatch chicks in my classroom. I have an incubator, but the problem is a heat source following hatching. Normal heat lamps are too much of a fire hazard for in the school. Any idea of a cheap, safe, maybe homemade way of creating an adequate heat source for 10 or so...
  3. forester7

    buying day old versus pullets. What is best?

    Hello. I can buy day old chicks for $3.35, or 19 week old pullets for $14. I have all the equipment to raise from day old and have done so before, but would it cost me $11 to feed a chick from day old to 19 week anyway? I am wondering if buying the 19 week old is smartest. Any thoughts? Thanks!
  4. forester7

    chicks, chicken tractors, and the coming cold weather

    I have 6 week old chicks that I would like to put out in my chicken tractor until they are old enough to put in with the full grown chickens. The problem is... it is getting colder in my area of the world (New Brunswick, Canada). I am wondering what temperatures chicks this age can tolerate in a...
  5. forester7

    Best feeder for a chicken tractor?

    I have just completed my 1st chicken tractor. I am wondering what types of feeders would be best for 20-25 broilers? I want a design where there would be minimal wastage. Any suggestions out there?
  6. forester7

    Racoon-proof chicken tractor plans needed

    I already have an electric fence nearby for my pigs. It would just be a matter of running a wire from it. Would a singel strand of electric be enough to ensure racoons are kept out?
  7. forester7

    Racoon-proof chicken tractor plans needed

    I just ran across the idea of using a wire mesh apron extending 2 feet out around the edge. I like that idea because it is simple, but I think the tall grass around my tractor would keep the wire from layign down flat and the racoons would just squeeze underneith to dig. Any thoughts on that?
  8. forester7

    Racoon-proof chicken tractor plans needed

    I have raised broilers in a cooop for years, but I would like to try them in a chicken ttractor now. However, we have lots of racoons in our area. The tractor will not always be on level ground and I am concerned racoons will dig under the tractor to get in. With 20 broilers, I don't want to...
  9. forester7

    drop in egg numbers: molting or age related?

    I am quite sure they are not laying outside. There are occasional days I don't let them out and I still get the same egg numbers.
  10. forester7

    drop in egg numbers: molting or age related?

    aart: I can see how answers to those questions could be helpful. I am in New Brunswick, Canada. I have 2 separate pens for chickens inside a barn. The barn is shared with cattle during the 6 months of winter we have here. Each chicken pen is approx. 6' x 12'. One pen has ten female 2-year old...
  11. forester7

    drop in egg numbers: molting or age related?

    I have had laying hens for a few years now. They are the hybrid type you get at your local farm supplies store. Each year when they hit about 2 years old, production drops off dramatically. For example, right now from my 10 two-year olds, I am getting 1-4 eggs each day. As a result, I have been...
  12. forester7

    Hen ate medicated chick starter-how long do we wait to eat eggs?

    Me! :(
  13. forester7

    Hen ate medicated chick starter-how long do we wait to eat eggs?

    That's what I am afraid of. One thing I did find was a reference that said it "may cause mutations"... which of course could include cancer.
  14. forester7

    Hen ate medicated chick starter-how long do we wait to eat eggs?

    I posted this in another area of this site before finding this, but thought I would post it here too in case someone else knowledgeable see it... I just got my feeds mixed up and discovered I have been feeding my layers medicated chick starter for the past 1.5 weeks. The medication included is...
  15. forester7

    Can you eat eggs from hens fed medicated feed?

    I have done some more digging and found out that there are no "known" short term effects on humans, but it "may cause mutations"... not very encouraging! I still can fond nothing about when it would be safe to start eating the eggs again.
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