Thanks for the info Nutmeg. Just this past week I sent a picture of my babies to a breeder friend and she reckons every last chick is a boy. I don't think I'll need a nest box for a while. :barnie: Edited to add: I may need a larger freezer though...
Nutmeg... can you provide some details of your nest box? How big is it? From where you sourced it and (!) how much it was...
I have LF Orpingtons (just babies at present) and I need LARGE nest boxes. A breeder friend I know uses dog houses, so I am looking for options.
Thx, Softboiled
I'm a first-time hatcher, so I am going on other people's wisdom, but my understanding is that they can need some supplemental heat up to about 8 weeks if the night-time temps get too low.
First, I have LF Orpingtons, so my comment on the unit being too small for 20 chicks is based on that - my 4 chicks are about 2 weeks old and I have had to raise the height of the unit twice already; I expect they will have outgrown it completely before they are 4 weeks old, and I will need to...
This was my first ever hatch, so I'm trying to understand as much as I can after the fact. Below is a picture of the eggshell from the first egg that hatched. The chick had a tiny spot of bloody goop on its bum, smaller than a pencil eraser. The chick hatched itself, although it took a long...
Schroeder - fabulous coop! Do you think you could add a floor plan layout drawing? I especially liked the hinged roosts to swing them out of the way for cleaning - that idea is now on my 'must do' list.
That chickens with feathered feet are walking dirt mops and bumblefoot magnets
That "chickens will eat anything" is a lie (after buying very expensive raspberries for a treat that was refused)
Understanding that just because they are "only chickens" doesn't mean your heart won't break when...
Just yesterday, a knock at the door
I yelled "I can't come to the door, I'm washing my chicken!"
Another, louder, knock at the door ... I open the door with an armful of wet chicken ... "I'm sorry.... I'm WASHING MY CHICKEN!" ... the wet chicken dripping on the floor for artistic emphasis.
I agree with this advice, this lady reflects a great poverty of soul, so you will not win any "war" by retaliation. I wonder if there is a way to measure the decibel levels? Some by-laws will have a definition of "loud noise" and if you can measure your rooster's impact, I'm sure it would be...
There's lots of information on here about how to protect your chickens from frostbite, but in my part of the world it's the temps in the 40's (ie 110-120F) that will kill the birds, and we experience those extremes every summer.
This thread is to collect and discuss ideas and approaches for...
I've got those too - once the girls worked them out there was a queue for them while the regular nest boxes were ignored. There are weight issues as with all plastic ware, ie tipping over and having the lid displaced. I wedged mine up to keep it from moving - if you tack them down it's too...