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  1. Ridgerunner

    Hen Abandoning 2 Week Old Chick

    Yes, in that questionable area. I'd probably put it up on the roost with mama but if you want to wait another week I would understand.
  2. Ridgerunner

    Large variance in egg laying behavior and quality, anything else we can do to help her?

    The way it is supposed to work is that the hen releases one yolk to form an egg. There are different triggers as to when to release that yolk. Daylight is one trigger. Laying the last egg can be another. I'm sure there are others. On average it takes about 25 hours for an egg to go through...
  3. Ridgerunner

    Need advice on flock expansion

    That was a great answer, it told me what I needed to know. CQ is a marketing name. One hatchery makes theirs by crossing a Rhode Island Red rooster with a Rhode Island White hen. Another makes theirs by crossing a Rhode Island Red rooster with a Silver Laced Wyandotte hen. You wind up with a...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Hen Abandoning 2 Week Old Chick

    Is the chick a Silkie, Frizzle, or such that does not have "normal" feathering? Chicks with normal feathering should have their wings pretty well filled out so that can fall from height, spread their wings, and gently land. I personally would not worry about the chick falling from 6 feet if it...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Need advice on flock expansion

    How old is the pullet? That would influence what I do next. A Cinnamon Queen is not a breed but is a cross between breeds that are not known to go broody a lot. Australorps are a breed that can be broody. This does not mean that the CQ cannot go broody, it is possible. This does not mean...
  6. Ridgerunner

    Moving Grown Hens to New Coop

    I respectfully disagree. It's great when it works but I've had to coop train chickens when I've moved them, even if they were locked in the new coop overnight and roosted in there. They were confined in a run. I've kept chickens in the coop only for a week or more and when I let them out...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Broody hen broody breaker??

    I've butchered enough pullets, hens, cockerels, and roosters to see the fat build-up before they even start laying. The difference is obvious. It is nature's way for survival of the species. By living off of that stored fat while taking care of the eggs instead of having to be off looking for...
  8. Ridgerunner

    When should I move my chick from the incubator?

    Before a chick hatches it should absorb the yolk. It can live for 72 hours or more off of that yolk without eating or drinking. It's why nature arranged for them to absorb the yolk, so the early hatchers can wait on the late hatchers so Mommy Hen doesn't have to abandon the later hatchers to...
  9. Ridgerunner

    How to decide which Roo to keep (and which to dispatch).

    You do not have a 5 month old rooster. You have an immature cockerel going through puberty. This could create some turmoil if you eliminate the older rooster. It is unlikely he is mature enough to dominate all of the older hens so some of them might beat him up to keep him in line. Each...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Is this a terrible idea?

    Separate locations for food and water, preferably where they cannot see the other locations.
  11. Ridgerunner

    Is this a terrible idea?

    Five pullets from 2 sources about 4 months old. To me it boils down to how much room you have and what your facilities look like. If you have sufficient room and you don't force them to be real close to each other I think you have a decent chance of success. If space is tight then your risks...
  12. Ridgerunner

    Humidity dropped during lockdown

    Thanks, I'm not familiar with that incubator. Searching the documentation I cannot find a way to add moisture without lifting the corner. Good luck!
  13. Ridgerunner

    Humidity dropped during lockdown

    What incubator do you have? To me it is easier to comment when I know what you are working with. Where are your vent holes? The way I add water to my incubator is to put a straw through the vent hole in the top and use a syringe to put water through the straw. I use an accordion straw so I...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Expanding the flock...

    A 4x8 will be tight to integrate 8 birds in. There is no extra room for them to get out of each other's way. Since the run is predator proof I'd put the dog crate in the run and leave the chicks out there for a week or two for the "look but don't touch" part, then try letting them mingle...
  15. Ridgerunner

    Expanding the flock...

    Where are you located? I'm not trying to steal your personal data, just trying to get a handle on what your nighttime low temperatures might be. Unless you are having temperatures near freezing they should be able to stay outside day and night based on temperature. The question may be how...
  16. Ridgerunner

    My Speckled Sussexes don't free range well

    Welcome to reality. Other than Silkies or other chickens that cannot fly most chickens can reach pretty high locations by flying if they want to. I'm constantly amazed by all of the posts I see on this forum where people think they cannot fly. It is usually not a question of can they, it is a...
  17. Ridgerunner

    My Speckled Sussexes don't free range well

    So your babies are not acting like adults. To me, that does not sound that strange. Just be patient and give them time.
  18. Ridgerunner

    BC Marans laying lighter brown eggs?

    I agree. It is not that the hen is getting older but that she is getting later in her laying cycle. A pretty normal pattern is that the longer a brown egg laying hen lays the lighter her egg becomes. The same thing can happen to a green egg laying hen also since the green comes from brown...
  19. Ridgerunner

    Feeding chickens in the coop

    Your chickens were in a 2.5 x 6.5 brooder. Now they are in a much bigger 6 x 8 coop. They will be fine until you get the run completed. They should really enjoy that extra space. One way to train them to go into the coop section to sleep at night is to leave them locked in the coop section...
  20. Ridgerunner

    When could I expect egg laying to start?

    The earliest I've had pullets similar to your breeds start laying was 16 weeks. That has only happened a couple of times, really rare. The latest I've had some pullets start to lay was 9 months and that was in the middle of winter when they are not supposed to lay. Those were the only green...
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