Recent content by JamesC

  1. JamesC

    uk hatchery????

    Chicken_Girl: Here's a link to a UK poultry board. Try putting your request on that board, they'll be able to point you in the right direction. http://www.henhut.com/index.php?sid=9f721c88001db51269b2b85fe36655a6 James
  2. JamesC

    question about beak trimming

    thechickenfarmer: Day old chicks, meant for commercial operations, are debeaked before shipping. It's meant to be a one time procedure, never having to be done again. The debeaker cuts far enough back that the beak will never regrow, and cauterizes so there is no bleeding. Just so you know...
  3. JamesC

    Age old question, How to break the broodiness?

    The wire cage - with wire bottom works very well. I've been doing that for years and the hens usually break up after 3 days but it isn't necessary to withhold food and water. Give them all the food and water they want, they will still break up after a few days. Re-introduction won't be a...
  4. JamesC

    New to chickens...questions?

    I suggest that you use straw, not hay, in your nest boxes. Chickens love scratching through hay for seeds and greens. Since your birds are already laying you might try putting a golf ball in each of the nests as a dummy egg. You'll have to show the hens their "eggs" in the fresh straw. I had...
  5. JamesC

    Stopping a Broody Hen

    The quickest method to break up a broody is to put her in a wire cage - wire all sides, top and bottom - don't put anything in the cage except containers for food and water.. Suspend the cage or put it on blocks off the ground. Give her food and water and she should break up in about 3 days...
  6. JamesC

    When should I expect one of my hens to begin brooding a clutch.

    Hens will go broody whether or not there are eggs in the nest, that is, if they have broodiness in their genetic makeup. Leaving eggs in the nest will often just be a waste of eggs. Broodiness is brough on by a change in hormones and until that happens, there is nothing you can do but wait...
  7. JamesC

    Eating Fertilized Eggs and Vegetarianism

    There are several forms of vegetarianism. Your daughter is leaning toward vegan. I sell my eggs to office workers but after an unhappy encounter with one of my customers several years back decided to be sure everyone knew there was a chance that some may be fertile. I only keep my males with...
  8. JamesC

    What's the deal, I don't understand!!

    When you start to let young chicks out they have to be trained to know where they should be at night. At 7 weeks they only know that they sleep together in a group. They don't understand the risks like you do. Put them in at dust for a while to get them into the habit and they'll soon catch...
  9. JamesC

    Eating fertile eggs???

    Yes, people on a "Vegan" diet will not eat fertilized eggs. Since the fertilized egg contains a very tiny embryo, it's considered meat. Go figure!!! James
  10. JamesC

    Eggs with yucky fluid on the outside

    It's a very unusual thing, but sometimes a fully formed egg will travel back inside the oviduct were to where the albumen and membranes are deposited. It's possible to have an egg laid that has a complete egg inside of it. In this case there was no shell deposited, just some albumen and a...
  11. JamesC

    I have a Question aboutHatching chickens--

    Unabsorbed yolk sacks is a result of high humidity during the first 18 days of incubation and sometimes combined with high temperatures. If your chicks hatched on time (21 days) then your temperature was correct but you had too much water in the incubator during the first 18 days. The egg must...
  12. JamesC

    Trimed beaks ??

    No, they trim so far back that it doesn't regrow, it's permanent. Their trimmers cut and cauterize at the same time. Poultry in a backyard flock don't need trimming. If one overgrows it can be trimmed back with clippers but only to where it matches the length of the bottom mandible. James
  13. JamesC

    California Whites

    California Whites are great layers of white eggs - non setters. They're a hybrid using Leghorn blood, basically white and may have a few black specks. James
  14. JamesC

    Chick with curled toes

    Usually, if done immediately, it takes 3 days or so. I use masking tape which comes off easily. Try peeling it off and watch her for a few minutes to see how she is walking and whether or not the toes are curling again. If they are, put fresh tape on and leave it for a couple of days longer...
  15. JamesC

    Are my girls lacking in something???

    There are really two possible problems. The need for additional calcium has been outlined well. The other problem could be the hen's ability, or inability, to metabolize calcium. If you find after a while that the addition of oyster shell alone has not fixed the problem try adding 1...
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