Recent content by SA newbie

I have to disagree- sorry! At 4 weeks I switch mine to crumbles and throw it in the tractor on the grass- keeps them all busy!!! And there is nothing left and my growth is on target. At 6 weeks I switch them to pellets- even better! They stare at it the first day and lift their noses in disgust-...

Congrats on your hatch! My first fuzzy butt hatched 3 hours ago, and got 3 external pips. Still waiting not very patiently for the last 2 to get moving! So excited- this was my first incubation!

Hey all anyone ever done this cross or the other way round? Have both breeds and they both lay well so was wondering about their potential?

I'm in South Africa, its our summer rainy season and the weather is hot and rainy so temp and humidity is up and down with the ambient temp and humidity, eggs are fertile, candled yesterday, but scared I'm going to fry them at 104F and then it drops to 95F. Humidity won't come down from 48%...

Got a batch of 21 in on day 5 too and struggling with the temps too. Got three themometers in digital and two murcury, digital always a deg celsius higher, keeps hitting 104 F- did a quick mobile phone conversion. Does the humidity affect the temp and visa versa?

Try and move her and pop the eggs under her at night. Found that they do better if secluded, no interruptions! Had a broody who hatched 8 out of 9 BA's on Saturday- all healthy and doing well! Ninth egg wasn't fertile! So much easier, got some in the bator and the broody is MUCH easier, sit back...

Set 21 yesterday morning. Having humidity and temp issues, temp not holding and humidity high, but outside humidity is 75+ so reduced water. May try that hairdryer idea- sounds like an option!

What did it weigh? Got one like that 2 wks ago and hen laid as per usual the next day! They not as woosy as us human girls!

Two weeks ago had a 101g double yolker from my Black Austrolorp! Had never seen anything like that before! Longer than a standard wooden washing peg! My son had lunch immediately!

Yes I've witnessed it amongst 8-9 wk old ckicks, one cockerel - Pecker" thought he was dominant, pesked open the neck of two other girl chicks, got banished to the broody hen cage and returned 5 days later to discover he's no longer in the upper ranks but at the bottom! Now we have peace amongst...

In September I bought 23 pullets (12wk) and 100 straight run day olds. The day olds are now 8 wks and thriving with no problem except being naughty! Have already lost 4 of the pullets to disease and will never again buy pullets. A breeder that I'm getting 100 RIR and BA chicks from later this...

Try finding anything in South Africa that doesn't relate to broiler house chicken keeping- organic feed evokes a complete blank- and don't even mention pastured poultry or chicken tractors! Double blank stare. We make our own feeders and waterers. Meds involves little sachets you mix with the...

Yip too fat is a problem! Had my one BA "Fat Feathers" yes aptly named on diet now for a month with excercise and she has started to lay again. Cut any corn and treats out completely, just give the layer feed and nothing else except what she can get through foraging- makes her get some...

I live a stone's throw away from the Tropic of Capricorn, and we do get a lot more natural light. Winter time we looking at sunrise at about 6:20am and sunset about 6pm or so. So we get at worst 11 1/2 hours of light, summer about 13 hours. I would use a little light in the early morning if I...

3 from my 4 big girls, 2 BA and 2 BR AND 6 of my 17 Boschvelder pullets laid their first egg today!!!