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  1. forester7

    chicken plucker finger length question

    I am building a homemade chicken plucker. I ordered fingers for the plucker that are 2.5 inches in total length. After buying them, I saw that some come almost 4 inches in length, but the 4" ones are very expensive. Will the 2.5" ones I have be long enough to do a good job on large broiler...
  2. forester7

    cheap, safe heat source for chicks

    I am a teacher and I want to hatch chicks in my classroom. I have an incubator, but the problem is a heat source following hatching. Normal heat lamps are too much of a fire hazard for in the school. Any idea of a cheap, safe, maybe homemade way of creating an adequate heat source for 10 or so...
  3. forester7

    buying day old versus pullets. What is best?

    Hello. I can buy day old chicks for $3.35, or 19 week old pullets for $14. I have all the equipment to raise from day old and have done so before, but would it cost me $11 to feed a chick from day old to 19 week anyway? I am wondering if buying the 19 week old is smartest. Any thoughts? Thanks!
  4. forester7

    chicks, chicken tractors, and the coming cold weather

    I have 6 week old chicks that I would like to put out in my chicken tractor until they are old enough to put in with the full grown chickens. The problem is... it is getting colder in my area of the world (New Brunswick, Canada). I am wondering what temperatures chicks this age can tolerate in a...
  5. forester7

    Best feeder for a chicken tractor?

    I have just completed my 1st chicken tractor. I am wondering what types of feeders would be best for 20-25 broilers? I want a design where there would be minimal wastage. Any suggestions out there?
  6. forester7

    Racoon-proof chicken tractor plans needed

    I have raised broilers in a cooop for years, but I would like to try them in a chicken ttractor now. However, we have lots of racoons in our area. The tractor will not always be on level ground and I am concerned racoons will dig under the tractor to get in. With 20 broilers, I don't want to...
  7. forester7

    drop in egg numbers: molting or age related?

    I have had laying hens for a few years now. They are the hybrid type you get at your local farm supplies store. Each year when they hit about 2 years old, production drops off dramatically. For example, right now from my 10 two-year olds, I am getting 1-4 eggs each day. As a result, I have been...
  8. forester7

    Can you eat eggs from hens fed medicated feed?

    I just got into a mess! I mixed up my feed and have accidentally been feeding my egg layers medicated chick starter for 1-1.5 weeks! The feed is medicated with "3,5 dinitro-o-toluamide" (also called Zoalene). Should I worry that we have been eating the eggs? How long should I wait before eating...
  9. forester7

    Chicken pluckers: do they work? Are they worth the $?

    I am considering buying a used chicken plucker. I have only seen them work on youtube. Do they really work well? Do they damage the meat at all? Are they a worthwhile investment for killing 25 chickens each year?
  10. forester7

    disease free heritage birds: How to be sure I will get them?

    I recently decided to start a flock of heritage chickens. I bought from a LARGE local breeder and ended up with what I think was mycoplasma. Rather than putting up with that forever, I killed them all off and took the loss. I would love to try heritage birds again, but how can I know I will not...
  11. forester7

    hen shaking head constantly

    One of my 8 month old laying hens has been shaking its head almost constantly the last few days. Could it be a simple cold, mites, lice (it is also digging at itself some), or other minor illness? Should i cull this hen right away and not take any chances with the rest of them? They are in new...
  12. forester7

    Mycoplasma: kill everything off, or no big deal? Help!

    OK, so I built a new barn and bought my first 8 heritage chicks ($40 total). I am pretty sure they have mycoplasma (sneezing and swollen shut eyes). i have not had any die, and they got better on tetracycline, then regressed again, but now seem to be getting better again on their own. I am...
  13. forester7

    Chicken eyes shut and very swollen

    Hi folks. Several weeks back I posted about getting my first 7 chicks and having them get sick right away (sneezing and pusy eyes). Some thoguht it might be mycoplasm. Well, I gave them tetracyclin and the sneezing seems to have gone away without losing any, but the eye problems persist. After a...
  14. forester7

    Sick chick: sneezing, pusy eye, lethargic, droopy head

    Hello folks. I purchased my first chicks a week ago. One of my Americaunas (about 4 weeks old) is obviously not well. It has pusy eyes, sneezes, and its head will droop to a point when it will bring it back up before it droops again. It is very lethargic, but will occasionally dig at a wing...
  15. forester7

    Duck water needs and cold climate

    I have a small hobby farm. I have chickens and I have interest in trying ducks, but I don't have a pond and I live in a cold climate with long winters. Is it possible to keep ducks healthy and happy inside a barn during cold winter months? How could I provide them with the water they need...
  16. forester7

    horizontal poultry nipples... do they leak?

    I have heard good things about mounting these on the sides of plastic buckets, but do they leak? Are they really a lot better then the vertical nipples mounted on the bottom of buckets? Thanks in advance!
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