Recent content by Ridgerunner

  1. Ridgerunner

    Pecking order now 5 weeks....

    Yes, both male.
  2. Ridgerunner

    Pecking order now 5 weeks....

    With those wattles at four weeks, penny is a boy.
  3. Ridgerunner

    Water heater is heating to 105 F

    How much are you spending on electricity to heat that water? I'd expect you to see a bump in your electric bill to maintain it at 105 F. I don't know if 105 F is a risk or not to the chickens. It is a great temperature for bacterial growth. If you want to keep that belt, could you rig up a...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Unusual flock behavior

    I cannot explain what is going on, sounds strange to me. I assume snow is not covering the ground? That could do it. The only downside I can think of is that they are pooping back there instead of outside. Poop may build up enough that you have to manage it. I don't think it is hurting...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Unusual flock behavior

    How long have they been doing this? My guess is that something frightened them. Could be a predator, could be something else. Has anything changed outside? I don't know what your outside looks like, how safe it is from predators or if something else has changed. If it has only been a few...
  6. Ridgerunner

    Dark Cornish vs. Buckeye

    This thread is about 15 years old, I doubt you'll see any update.
  7. Ridgerunner

    Barnyard mix chicks

    To wing sex a chick you need to know the specific genetics of both parents. The father has to have the recessive fast feathering gene and the mother the dominant slow feathering. You don't know that so you can't use it. I'm noy going to try to guess breed either. You can go to any hatchery...
  8. Ridgerunner

    Pecking order now 5 weeks....

    A close-up showing the comb and wattles could help. A profile showing the legs and posture could help. Five weeks is probably old enough to tell. From what I can see with those photos those combs look like they could be male.
  9. Ridgerunner

    Power Outage On Day 12

    Thanks, I've seen that one. The way I read it they are talking about preincubating eggs that will be stored for more than a week. I did not see much about storing them for less than a week and I did not see anything about cooling. Interestingly preincubation only works if you do it shortly...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Power Outage On Day 12

    Do you have a link to that article? It could be an interesting read. I'm often interested in articles like that. It's the details that can get you. I've had a few broody hens go to the wrong nest when incubating. I never know for sure how long they have been off but occasionally the eggs...
  11. Ridgerunner

    Vaccinate Chicks- What is best regimen?

    When I moved to Arkansas I called the county extension office and chatted with them. They put me in touch with a poultry science professor at U of Arkansas who specialized in poultry disease and was on the fast response team if a disease was discovered. I had a nice discussion with him about...
  12. Ridgerunner

    Vaccinate Chicks- What is best regimen?

    I don't vaccinate mine, I've never seen the need. If I observed certain diseases in my flock my opinion would probably change. Some thoughts on a few diseases and vaccinations. Marek's vaccination is best given at hatch, then the chick needs to be isolated from any possible infection source...
  13. Ridgerunner

    Processing non-meat breed cockerels

    Check the USDA regulations if you are in the USA. If you are somewhere else I don't know what the regulations are but check your regulations In the USA a veterinarian's prescription is required to give the commercial meat birds antibiotics and certain withdrawal times are required depending on...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Mean chicken!?!

    You did the best you could but that is on average. There are always going to be outliers. It's like you can come up with an average height for 5th grade girls, but some are going to be shorter or higher than the average. The average Favorelles may be docile but you can always get an...
  15. Ridgerunner

    Chickens stopped laying

    Some chickens are fast molters, they can be over the molt in a month or so. Some are slow molters, it may take some 4 months to finish a molt. Most are in between. This is genetic and depends on how fast the feathers fall out much more than how fast they grow back. They can't grow back until...
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