Recent content by joker468

  1. joker468

    Using a heating pad to keep eggs warm if hen does not stay on nest.

    What I would suggest is to put some fake eggs in her nest and take out freshly laid eggs each day and maybe add another fake eggs every day or so. She may go broody when she has a nest full of fake eggs. When she goes broody go out at night and take the fake eggs from under her and out the...
  2. joker468

    New Guineas- how to keep them home?

    This is an excellent idea.
  3. joker468

    New Guineas- how to keep them home?

  4. joker468

    New Guineas- how to keep them home?

  5. joker468

    How do hens control humidity in natural incubation?

    my hens get off the nest once everyday up to and including the last three days
  6. joker468

    How do hens control humidity in natural incubation?

    In all the instructions about how to hatch eggs in an incubator it is said to run a certain temp for the duration of incubation but to raise the humidity a significant amount during the last three days of incubation. It makes me wonder how the hen raises the humidity during the last three...
  7. joker468

    Broody hen wont get up off the nest to eat or drink

    Good luck with your soon to be new momma! It is best not to disturb her too much. If you candle the eggs at about 10 days, which I recommend to pull out bad eggs so they don't explode, do it at night when she is calmer. They are sort of dazed and confused during the night. Work quickly and...
  8. joker468

    Broody hen wont get up off the nest to eat or drink

    This is good to know. I never gave it any thought but I can see where it could result in problems such as you noted. I would let her come off the nest on her own though as she knows the best time of day to take a break. My girls never left the nest until afternoon when it is warmer time of...
  9. joker468

    New Layers and Rubber Eggs

    Free range is the best diet they can have. Put oyster shells right on the ground where they forage. I put an entire 50# bag of oyster shell on the ground of the pen two years ago and there is still oyster shell in the dirt. I also save any and all eggshells to crush and re feed. Microwave...
  10. joker468

    Mesh floor: What material should I use?

    If it were my coop I would not put a floor in it at all. When you wrap the wire around the frame leave a "skirt" of about 12 inches on the ground and then bury it with soil and rocks. This will keep predators from burrowing under. I also use a solar powered electric fencer to run a hot wire...
  11. joker468

    OMG help me i did a Bo Bo

    Just in case something like this happens again try dropping a little warm water into the crack and make sure to keep the big end up when you do this so the chick doesn't drown. I have opened many eggs to help "shrink wrapped" chicks as I have had lots of trouble keeping humidity right. Most...
  12. joker468

    Broody hen wont get up off the nest to eat or drink

    If she is sitting eggs leave her be, she will get off the nest one time each day to eat, drink, dust and potty. Or you can also put food and water within her reach as she sits on the nest but she most likely won't eat or drink much. Their metabolism and hormones change during the broody cycle...
  13. joker468

    two broody chickens and 60 guinea eggs

    All eggs have hatched that are going to hatch. The broodies are the way to go in my opinion, anyways until I get a better incubator/hatcher set up. I hope to have hundreds of eggs to hatch next spring. The broodies have accepted all the keets I have given them and they are free ranging them...
  14. joker468

    two broody chickens and 60 guinea eggs

    They left the nest later in the afternoon. I brought remaining eggs in for incubator. so far hatched three. they are already under hens. have about 15 more to hatch between now and friday 6 of the eggs were quitters that I brought in. hens seem happy as can be with the babies. I noticed that...
  15. joker468

    two broody chickens and 60 guinea eggs

    I've got KEETS! and lots of them. I took the first 13 eggs (12 hatched) to the incubator and left the hens to sit the remainder. I have put food (game bird starter) and water in the nesting boxes with the hens and their brood. Keets have been hatching under them since July 3 and they are still...
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