I have about 180 chicks of various ages in holding pens and brooders around waiting for the spring auction market to heat up around March 1st. I probably hatched out about 400 thru the year that were sold as 6 week old chicks. I use 3 model 1588 Hovabators. Oh, I also have 2 incubators full...
I had a Silver Laced and a Gold Laced Wyandotte together with ten of each variety of hen. They had some issues but it never got to serious. Once I started closing them up at night due to the weather it wasn't long before the GL dotte had killed the Sl dotte. They had grew up together along...
Big Red Chicken, I'm over here in Chocowinity and have never heard of minks in this area. Of course it took me 20 some years living here before I seen a skunk here. I believe there were some who were run out of their area near Aurora by the mining company area there. Steve of Sands Poultry is...
Since Sexlinks don't breed true I think the rooster chicks will go back to the male look (Rhode Island Red} and then female chicks to the Barred Rock. I'm not entirely positive of this but it is one or the other. Chickenplucker
I use pieces of 4 ft chickenwire laying flat all the way around my coop and run. I attach them with tie bands to the bottom of the fence and use cut up coat hangers in a u shape to hold it down and prevent predators from digging in. Chickenplucker
Please use some kind of straw or something over your wire at the bottom of the nest box. One way to break a broody hen is to make her lay on a wire bottomed cage. The wire against her body causes changes in her hormones and breaks her broodiness. Not sure how this would affect a hen you are...
I feed my chicks nothing but start and grow chick feed for the first 3 and a half months. I will give them some greens after about 8 weeks. I have been told not to give them lay n mash until about four months because it has calcium which could cause trouble for a developing young chicken...
I see no problem with chicks shipped thru the mail. I've used this service 3 or 4 times and never had a problem. I am currently raising approx. 300 or so chicks to be sold at auction somewhere between the end of Feb till Apr. or so. I will raise the rooster chicks right along with the...
I am in the middle of a hatch of Rhode Island Reds. I have two Hovabators and have hatched out six incys full since Oct.. Two batches of White Rocks and four of the Reds. Now two bators full of Barred Rocks and I'll be all set come auction time. Chickenplucker
I'm south of you in the Greenville, NC area. I did heat a coop to two last year but I believe was more to ease my conscious than anything else. Dont plan on using heatlamps this year. Main thing to do is keep the wind off them and they will do fine. Chickenplucker
With regards to ACV, I have read numerous articles stating that a tablespoon in waterers will help chickens absorb calcium into their systems. Chickenplucker
The feed mixture I mentioned in my last post is the feed mixture I use in all seasons. I have read some info. concerning using soybean meal to adjust protein rates but as it is such a widespread practice will continue. I did research on fatty liver syndrome and feel it is mainly a threat to...
Glovers grain mill is located in Sims, NC up near Wilson. You can do a search for the phone number and location. His prices are quite reasonable. Chickenplucker
I feed my chickens a 80% lay n mash, 20% scratch mixture adding soybean meal to keep the protein rate at 16%. I would like to find some sort of bean shoots or other greens I could grow in a garage without much heat and a flourescent light. Chickenplucker
Tim, Thanks for your response. I am currently using a RIR male and some Plymouth white rocks to make something called a amber sexlink. Have you ever heard of that one? I have plans to use a RIR roo. with some Barred Rock hens to make my black sexlinks. If I'm not mistaken the males will have...