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  1. cscigu

    Another hen and chicks question

    I've never had great luck with broody hens due to our setup, with hens running loose all day, dogs, etc. I let a hen keep some eggs, and the first chick hatched yesterday. Naturally the row of 3 hen boxes she is in is sitting atop a shelf about 4 ft high. My plan is to wait about 2 more days...
  2. cscigu

    General cleanup and disease protection.

    I've been lax at cleaning coops due to family sickness/death over the last several weeks. Been on the road back and forth constantly to the elderly in-laws, and various other needs. If a few days I hope conditions allow me to cleanout, sanitize a bit, and replace nest box straw, etc...
  3. cscigu

    Brooding in the heat.

    I just got some pullets from Cackle Hatchery. Really like that place. Welsummers, and BC Marans, (my usuals) plus some Barnvelders, which I've always wanted to try out. I've brooded lots of chicks, but generally in the spring, with a lamp, etc. A few times I've hatched some in the summer, then...
  4. cscigu

    Never bought chicks in July before

    Atwoods has had them the last few times I've been in there, but I'd already ordered my desired breeds back in April, so I've ignored them. Today I noticed they even had some guineas and ducks. Now that is real unusual at this time of year in my experience. The kicker was there were even a few...
  5. cscigu

    Got some free "males for heat" chicks I'm curious about.

    I got these in from Ideal Poultry today. I'd orders 9 Welsummer pullets, and 3 ducks. Also received 9 extras, that are apparently males included for heat. Must be a slow week. Its the black ones in question, you can see the brown Welsummers plus one of the black/white crested magpie ducks in...
  6. cscigu

    Anyone had Black/White Magpie ducks?

    I saw these at the Ideal Poultry website, and thought they looked pretty interesting. My favorite duck ever was some type of cross between a crested duck, and black Swedish, I think. These reminded me of her. I read they are good layers, not too big, etc. We live on a farm, and the ducks would...
  7. cscigu

    Resources/info for the Redlands, CA area? (near San Bernadino)

    My daughter/son-in-law now live in Redlands, CA. I was naturally scared by a move so far away (from Oklahoma), but found Redlands to be a nice place. Great relief. They are buying a house with a decent little yard. My daughter likes the home eggs much better than store eggs, so I suggested maybe...
  8. cscigu

    I need smart phone advice

    I'm a 54 year old male. By choice I have a simple flip phone, no texting, nothing. I spend little time on the phone, and thats the way I like it. I am very computer literate, but don't like smartphones, and have never been interested in them. I am also cheap. However, due to a possible side...
  9. cscigu

    The Consequences of Your Actions.

    Backstory. I'm a fan of The Bernie Mac Show, and come in to watch an episode in the afternoon, then doze off. Today Bernie was taking the kids to church to get "the fear of God" in them, but was a little smothered by the whole experience. As I dozed off, my wife was talking to her mom on...
  10. cscigu

    Chicks with a skin issue

    About 2 weeks ago, I was given some Black Copper Maran chicks from a friend who had hatched them. Right now they are between 3-4 weeks old. I noticed right away the chicks didn't have the best down/feathers in the world, they were a might overcrowded where they had been, in a typical brood cage...
  11. cscigu

    PTSD (dog attack) and egg laying.

    I'm sure this topic makes the rounds every few months, but I'm just curious to hear other's experience. About 2 weeks ago on a cold, rainy, stormy afternoon I had two huge Great Pyrennes dogs show up that killed 3 hens and a duck. I tried scaring them with a 12 gauge, and they didn't budge...
  12. cscigu

    Sick chicks and nervous wife (bird flu?)

    I bought several chicks from a few different sources over the last month or so. I fear that I brought in some illness from one of the locations, that is spreading among the chicks. At the same time, my mature hens have slowed way down in egg production. They otherwise appear OK, but its hard to...
  13. cscigu

    Kind of fuming at an Ebay seller right now. (hatching egg related)

    I had carefully timed ordering a 3 batches of eggs. One was some Welsummer cross eggs from someone in New Jersey. I ordered and paid for the eggs on 5-23-15. On 5-26-15 this seller cancelled the order, issued a refund and said it was too hot to ship eggs, as it might hit 90 degrees in New...
  14. cscigu

    Another humidity question.

    Ok, I'm all ready to get my eggs going. Here in Oklahoma it has been raining for a month straight. It is so wet and muddy everywhere you can hardly walk. The humidity is naturally incredibly high. I've emptied the water channels in my Hovabator trying to get down under 40%. Obviously the vents...
  15. cscigu

    Hovabator and humidity question.

    I have the standard square styrofoam Hovabator. Last year I was running about a 60% hatch rate, and was pretty happy. This year, my hatch rate has been awful. Don't know if its the eggs, or other issues, but I do have some questions about humidity. I buy eggs off Ebay (I know, don't say it) but...
  16. cscigu

    Got me a lame chick

    Just hatched some chicks about 5 days ago. Yesterday I noticed one of them, (a speckled sussex) has a gimpy leg. The leg stays kind of splayed out to one side, and back most of the time. The chick can occassionally get the leg under it, and gets around fair right now. I've felt of it as best I...
  17. cscigu

    Simple egg turner question

    I'm sure this is asked/answered often, but I just want to clarify, based on what I've read. I have a simple turner. The eggs go small end down, and large end up in the turner, correct? Is there ever a need to rotate, turn, or molest these eggs once they are in the turner? I just received some...
  18. cscigu

    I want Big Brown Eggs.

    I didn't start this without researching some, and I've read what I can about breeds that lay large brown eggs. However, I've always trusted word of mouth more than scholarly or wikipedia type info. I've been raising chickens about 6 years. Last year I bought a cheap Hovabator to hatch some...
  19. cscigu

    Moving hen and nest after hatching?

    The hen is question is a little bit crazy acting. We've got a cardboard box on a shelf in our garage that hens have come in an used to lay in for years. Our crazy hen decided she just had to sit her eggs here. I tried to move her once early on, but she abandoned those eggs, and came right back...
  20. cscigu

    Incubator temps and variations.

    OK, I know that somewhere on here is a whole section on incubating, I've seen it, but cannot find it now. I bought a little Hovabater 1602 with an egg turner. It came with a little mercury thermometer, plus I bought a digital therm/hygrometer. I started about 30 eggs on 5-24. I keep both...
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