I read in Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens that it is best to wait six weeks after a hen begins laying before breeding. This is supposed to make for better fertility and stronger chicks. Two of my 6 1/2 month old Speckled Sussex hens started laying today. I am probably not going to be able to...
I have BCM chicks that are 9 weeks old. We had sub zero temperatures a couple weeks ago and they stayed very close to the lamp for days. I did not notice until it was too late that they had been pooping and standing in it during that cold spell. They had plenty of house space, but they stayed in...
I've learned a lot in the past two months. When chick shipping season came to an end I ordered hatching eggs from ebay, bought an incubator, more eggs, then another incubator, then more eggs, another incubator for hatching, thermometer / hygrometers, water wigglers, medical thermometer, sponges...
I killed the first two roosters from my flock yesterday and the reactions from people upon hearing this have been amazing! First they snarl and wrinkle their noses, then they say "really?!" ...as if they can't believe that I would eat a real chicken, one that had been alive!!! One lady was...
I don't know if this has been done before, but it seems like it could work. This is a thread for community members who have experienced a loss in the flock. It is my hope that we can come together and offer support and special attention to our friends who have lost their beloved birds and help...
Well,this is it: day 15 of incubation and the power is out. I'll probably be up all night of filling water bags and wrapping eggs. Thankfully we have a propane water heater. It seems that I have only two options for getting any sleep tonight. 1. Sleep with the eggs, setting them myself. Seems...