Recent content by Polimom

  1. Polimom

    Day 10, Can I move eggs from incubator to broody?

    Yes, we’ve had many clutches hatched here. Always via a broody. This is the first time we’ve had to use an incubator, though. Our entire flock (except for one survivor) was killed about 2 weeks ago (we think by a neighborhood dog). The eggs we’re hoping to hatch are from that lost flock...
  2. Polimom

    Day 10, Can I move eggs from incubator to broody?

    No, she’s just started. I’d wait a few days to see her level of commitment first. 🥰 And it’s possible I’ll wait til they hatch, and just slip her the babies in place of whatever we let her sit on (at the moment, it’s golf balls). But we’re using a borrowed incubator, and maintaining the...
  3. Polimom

    Day 10, Can I move eggs from incubator to broody?

    Hi all — I see a few people have asked whether they can move incubating eggs under a broody, but they seem to be waiting til day 18 (lockdown) to do this. Is there a reason to wait? Can I candle, and give my broody the viable eggs so she can take it from here? I’m currently day 8, waiting...
  4. Polimom

    How to Introduce Two New Hens to a Single Survivor of a Flock

    An update. They’ve all done perfectly. (Well enough to be laying today.).
  5. Polimom

    How to Introduce Two New Hens to a Single Survivor of a Flock

    This is very encouraging! Thank you all for sharing your thoughts! I have a (very large) crate that I’ll put into the coop (a converted horse stall). I think I’ll try Yardmom’s approach initially, and I’ll separate / crate the 2 orps if there’s a problem.
  6. Polimom

    Introducing New Hens to a flock of 1

    Hi — I’ve just posted a similar thread as this OP, and this popped up afterward. May I ask you a couple questions? 1 - Why is sooner better? (I have that sense, but not sure why) 2 - My surviving hen is about a year old. I’m bringing in 2 buff orpingtons 2 years old. You are...
  7. Polimom

    How to Introduce Two New Hens to a Single Survivor of a Flock

    The day before yesterday, my small flock of 8 was wiped out by a neighborhood dog. One hen somehow survived uninjured, but she’s sad. A friend is going to give me a pair of Buff Orpingtons of about the same age. (1 or 2 years old). My question is: Is there anything I should be aware of...
  8. Polimom

    Covered run...all or part???

    Funny, but we ran into the exact same question when we went to roof our run. It's 11x25, and we were roofing with corrugated metal roofing panels. We're in a climate that gets very cold, with lost of snow in the winter. But roofing the entire thing cut down dramatically on the amount of...
  9. Polimom

    Chick Handling

    sebloc -- like you, we are brand new to chickens /chick raising. We, too, had a top-access brooder. And like you, we also had terrified Littles. I was starting to worry about what would happen later when I needed to handle them for health reasons, or just to relocate them. Then I read...
  10. Polimom

    6-day-old limping

    Hi Rinnley! Yes, she made it. She's a fair amount smaller than the others now, but walking around more and more every day. Even caught her roosting at one point yesterday. How has your 'little' done?
  11. Polimom

    6-day-old limping

    She sometimes looks like this: If she gets up to move, she kind of waddles very awkwardly for a step or two, then down again.
  12. Polimom

    6-day-old limping

    Thank you for your reply Rinnley! I looked at the images of splay legs and realized I wasn't as clear as I should have been. Her feet aren't out to opposite sides. They're just kind of out from under her body -- sometimes to the back, sometimes one is out to the side. And she doesn't seem...
  13. Polimom

    6-day-old limping

    Completely new to chickens (much less babies). 16 littles arrived here last Thursday via usmail. We've had a couple issues, but to date everybody seemed to be making it okay. Today, though, one of the Buff Orpingtons looks wrong to me. She's laying kind of splayed out, with her feet out to...
  14. Polimom

    Bedding and Composting

    Ridgerunner, thank you VERY much for your thoughtful and informative reply. You nailed it in one: I am definitely overthinking this. Didn't realize how deep I'd gone into the weeds until you called it - thank you! ::steps back:: ::deep breaths:: Hate when I get sucked down like...
  15. Polimom

    Bedding and Composting

    Greetings to the community - this is my first post (stemming directly from the impending arrival of my first-ever chickens). We are converting a horse stall in our barn to a coop, and am trying to understand what will be the best floor litter. Specifically, I'm wondering about composting...
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