Recent content by james w

  1. james w

    Using diesel to treat a chicken coop

    Thanks for the information. I have always used wood preservative but I read on the net that many people use diesel as a cheaper option. I too had doubts as to its suitability for a chicken house. I'm not sure copper naphthenate is available here in Italy. Thanks again.
  2. james w

    Using diesel to treat a chicken coop

    I have plans to build a new chicken house. I wanted to save money by using diesel for the first two coats and then adding a third coat of solvent based wood treatment. My question is whether the diesel will harm the chickens. Thanks
  3. james w

    Pigeon loft and area for flying

    Hello, I have a 4 mt by 2 mt chicken tractor that I would like to convert into a pigeon loft for squabbing. I understand the basic requirements of a loft but I have not read any information about whether an area for flying is needed. I thought perhaps I could create an enclosed area and...
  4. james w

    Dud male

    Looking at: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/204998/the-texan-pioneer-utility-pigeon-a-tutorial I am 99.9% sure that I have a male and female. I need to find out why the male is not fertilising the eggs. I have also taken fresh eggs from the nest and not seen the blastoderm. Thanks
  5. james w

    Dud male

    As I mentioned, I am not a novice. I have candled throughout the incubation period. I understood the cock texan is a dark brown and the female is a much lighter brown. Given this, I am sure I have a male and female. I believe I found two eggs in one nest and a third in the second nest...
  6. james w

    Dud male

    Can't say I fancy doing that. That said, I will give anything a try. Can't imagine it's too different from artificially inseminating chickens.
  7. james w

    Dud male

    I would say that they are brooding them correctly, taking it in turns. They lay typically two but I have also seen three. I understood that the texan male is dark brown and the female a much lighter colour. Going by this assumption, I believe I have a male and female. I provide a specific...
  8. james w

    Dud male

    I bought my first pair of texans back in March. They were already "paired". Since then the pair have tried on approx 10 occasions to hatch eggs. Each time, I have candled at various intervals and found each egg to be blank. I can only imagine that the male is not doing his job. What are...
  9. james w

    Not sure what the problem is but it's getting worse

    By difficulty I mean that she is straining a lot and looks as if she is in pain or discomfort. I wonder where I can get some calcium supplements from. Here in Italy it is difficult to come across these things. I'll keep you posted on how I get on. Thanks
  10. james w

    Not sure what the problem is but it's getting worse

    Well, the two eggs she laid seemed perfecrtly normal. Fingers crossed they hatch. Is the swelling isolated like a lump in the abdomen? Yes, I can't see any other swelling I'd certainly get her some calcium She already has calcium in her diet. Does she feel unusually hot under the wings...
  11. james w

    Not sure what the problem is but it's getting worse

    I've just read the last post about egg-binding and I didn't want to add a comment to somebody else's thread so I thought I'd start a new one. I have a 2 yr old PR female with a large golf ball (perhaps a little bigger) abdominal swelling. I have caged her and kept her in the dark for a week...
  12. james w

    A bit of advice needed

    I have two hens that have been sitting on a batch of eggs for nearly 21 days now. Both are sitting within a few feet of one another and the cockerel is also knocking about. Question is, should I put a screen up to stop the cockerel getting access to the hens and the chicks and should I put...
  13. james w

    Egg consistency

    Well I have to say that my eggs rarely stand in the nest boxes for more than a few hours and go straight into the fridge. I have even seen this low yolk position, as you refer to it, in eggs laid just minutes before it is opened. I do have a variety of breeds, I would say that both health...
  14. james w

    Egg consistency

    I always grew up thinking that one way to tell whether to tell if a egg is fresh is to break it and see what happens. In the pan, fresh eggs will "hold together" whereas older eggs will fill a much larger area. Now that I have a flock myself I noticed that even eggs layed the same day so not...
  15. james w

    barred rock laying issues...

    If you do decide to cull, you won't solve your egg problem. There is no hard and fast rule about when pullets start to lay. I raised a brood of 10 that hatched in April, some have already started, others have not. As I am sure you are aware, pullets mature in the shorter days of the winter so...
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