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  1. Ridgerunner

    Rooster vibes are changing everything

    As long as it is out f the wind it should not be a problem. I'd be more concerned for predators. Temperature he can handle. I'd leave him there all of the time.
  2. Ridgerunner

    My Sapphire Gem Turned Mottled After Molting.

    Used to but a computer crash wiped out the photos. I should have had a back-up.
  3. Ridgerunner

    Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

    I manage which broody hens are allowed to hatch and I manage which eggs I want her to hatch. We all have our own goals and ways of doing things. What you describe is how a feral hen would do it. In some respects she is acting on instincts. But a feral hen should be following the seasons...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Rooster & Hen Hatching

    For 30 chicks that's a bit steep but not that unusual. Most of my hatches favor one sex or the other, seldom do I get a 50-50 hatch. My smaller broody hatches are often 2/3 or even 3/4 one sex or the other. My incubator hatches are usually around 20 chicks, often close to 60% either way. I...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Rooster vibes are changing everything

    My guess is that the five month old cockerel is intimidating all of them, including the older hens. He will probably grow out of it eventually but it may take a few months. The girls (including the hens) don't respect that immature brat enough to want him to be the father of any potential...
  6. Ridgerunner

    My Sapphire Gem Turned Mottled After Molting.

    Interesting. When I first saw the title I thought it might be like one of my mottled crossbreeds came back with the exchequer pattern after her second adult molt. A pretty dramatic change after a molt. I've seen some chickens come back with slight differences in color or pattern after a molt...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Molting Question

    Good question. There are two parts to molting. One part is how fast the feathers fall out. This is controlled by genetics but I'm not aware of any correlation to breed. With some chickens the feathers fall out in clumps, they may go through a molt in a month or so. You can see bare spots...
  8. Ridgerunner

    A Cornish Cross (Breeding?) Journey

    I love this shot of him perched on that feeder. Not that I'd ever consider a perch or roost that thin but it shows what they can do if they want to.
  9. Ridgerunner

    Rooster Hurting Hens?

    He is still an immature cockerel. It is possible he will grow out of this phase when he matures. Or he may not. You have options, much depending in what you want. How much do you want to keep this boy? One obvious solution is to get rid of him. As long as the pullets and hens are not being...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Why have they stopped laying?

    You have gotten some good responses. I'll add my bit. Chickens evolved to molt in the fall when days are getting shorter to replace worn-out feathers. They stop laying and use the nutrition that was going to make eggs to instead grow feathers. We just passed the winter solstice so the days...
  11. Ridgerunner

    Egg turner problems

    Turning helps the development of the eggs, especially early in incubation. But not turning is not a definite death sentence. Your hatch rate may suffer or it may not. All you can do is continue. The kinds of problems you could have are deformed chicks or the embryo settles against the...
  12. Ridgerunner

    Blood spot or fertilized?

    I agree. That is a meat spot, nothing to do with a rooster. It is safe to eat but I'd pick it off before I ate it just because I figure it is gross. You do not need a microscope to tell if an egg is fertile, you look for the bull's eye. This thread explains it and has photos. How to Tell...
  13. Ridgerunner

    Will a hen and a rooster fight to the death?

    I'm not sure what is going on, could be different things. A few options. How badly do you want that cockerel? You could try to integrate the 8-month-old while isolating the cockerel (or get rid of him) and see how that goes. The older pullet and the dominant younger one may still fight. It...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Best vitamin/supportive

    :thumbsup I feed them dirt from the run while they are in the brooder. I start this on Day 2 or 3 in the brooder and provide a small amount of dirt twice a week until they are out of the brooder and able to get their own dirt. This provides grit as well as get them started on any immunities...
  15. Ridgerunner

    Electric fence - netting type

    Electric fencing and electric netting are two different things. With either, you have to have a "hot wire" and a "ground". The critter is shocked when it closes the circuit between the hot and ground. With the Premier electric netting, all horizontal wires are "hot" except the one nearest...
  16. Ridgerunner

    Ways to humidify a homemade incubator

    I have a different opinion. Broody hens regularly leave their nest every day to eat, drink, poop, and such. In colder weather I've seen a hen stay off only 15 minutes. In the heat of summer I've seen hens stay off for more than an hour each time. The egg is pretty dense. Inside where the...
  17. Ridgerunner

    Can pullets that are 30 weeks but haven’t laid their first egg have layer feed?

    I understand the problem. If they are not laying and are on a high calcium feed like Layer they may have kidney or liver damage. This damage is not instantaneous, it is cumulative damage over a time period. There is no telling how long it will be before those pullets start laying. The way...
  18. Ridgerunner

    Electric fence - netting type

    I have the same netting you have. I understand the sagging. My main problem with the sagging is that if the second horizontal wire up (the lowest hot wire) touches the ground or wet vegetation the fence shorts out. When installing the fence I stretch it out as tight as I can. That is not...
  19. Ridgerunner

    Dual coops

    I have three "coops" available from the run but none are left available all of the time. One is my main coop 8 ft x 12 ft. One is just a 4 ft x 8 ft shelter used in an emergency if I need to isolate one or more chickens. It is seldom used. Another is a 4x8 grow-out coop, used to integrate...
  20. Ridgerunner

    Ways to humidify a homemade incubator

    For the way you are doing this, the important parameter is the surface area of the water. The more surface area the more water evaporates so the higher the humidity. You need a good hygrometer in there so you can measure humidity. Water depth does not matter other than the deeper the water...
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