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  1. Ridgerunner

    Chicken feed for mix flock - Why layer feed is bad for chicken in the long run?

    All chickens need some calcium to support their body. That's why chicken feed for non-laying hens normally contain around 1% calcium. Laying hens need a lot more calcium for their eggshells so layer typically contains around 4% calcium, quite a bit if difference. Too much calcium can be...
  2. Ridgerunner

    Egg turning while incubating.

    It is better than not turning them at all. You will get some benefits turning them once or twice a day. Why don't you trust it? Do you have reason to think it doesn't turn or are the cups the wrong size?
  3. Ridgerunner

    Day 18 egg under hen, very small chick in egg.

    I've read that smaller eggs can hatch faster than larger eggs. When I tried it in an incubator by marking the eggs and keeping track of when they hatched I did not see any difference due to size. These were all dual purpose hens but some were pullet eggs so fairly small compared to the larger...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Egg turning while incubating.

    One turn every 41 seconds, that is moving it. Susan, what was that 0.1% compared to? Turning it 3 times a day? It has been quite a while since I read any of those studies. Turning 3 times a day versus not turning them makes a noticeable difference. The difference in 3, 5 7, or more...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Brinsea eco glo heat plate external temp

    I'd contact Brinsea and see what they have to say. As big as that garage is ventilation isn't a problem. As long as breezes are not hitting them my gut feeling is that they will be OK but I don't use a heat plate.
  6. Ridgerunner

    Day 18 egg under hen, very small chick in egg.

    Did you start all of the eggs at the same time? That's the only thing I can think of that should cause that discrepancy, different incubation times. Not everything always makes sense though. I agree, if it doesn't hatch before the hen takes the other chicks off of the nest stick it in the...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Egg turning while incubating.

    Your schedule sounds great, should do the job. Serama and Silkie eggs can be pretty small so they may not fit the turners that well. Nothing wrong with hand turning. How do you plan to turn them? I've seen different methods. The way I do it is to put a black x-mark on one side of the egg...
  8. Ridgerunner

    Monster egg

    Over the last decade and a half on here I've seen a few threads where both chicks lived. It is extremely rare, but anything is possible. I don't remember where any hatched naturally but I think they all required assisted hatching. So I'd suggest @redinator read up on assisted hatching to be...
  9. Ridgerunner

    New Chicken Owner

    Check again. Those measurements are in yards, not feet. That is a huge area.
  10. Ridgerunner

    Monster egg

    Why am I not surprised? Do a search in here for hatching double yolked eggs. Try to pay attention to those that have at least tried it, you might get some clues as to how to improve your chances.
  11. Ridgerunner

    New Chicken Owner

    Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined! Plant hardiness Zone 7A applies more to plants than animals and has a lot to do with first and last frost dates but it does give me a rough idea. Your annual lows could be around 0 F but occasionally go a little lower. Zone 7A is not really about...
  12. Ridgerunner

    Experience with these rooster breeds?

    So you are after behaviors. I wasn't sure what you wanted from your first post. I'll link Henderson's Breed Chart so you can read what they say about these breeds. http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html I consider this chart a compilation someone put together together from...
  13. Ridgerunner

    Monster egg

    I would not. While it is possible to get one or two healthy chicks out of it, it is much more likely that you get none. It is not unusual for one or both chicks to develop but they don't have the room to hatch. It is a high stress situation and generally requires a lot of hands-on assisted...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Food coloring in vent

    But did you accept?
  15. Ridgerunner

    Food coloring in vent

    If you can figure out how to open this you can see pictures. Who is laying what egg? - YouTube If I remember correctly they put the dye in the night before. Another oner I've hear about but have seen no photos is to use lipstick instead of food dye but I'm not trying that one. No way do I...
  16. Ridgerunner

    Any ideas for nesting material?

    Your problem is not how to scoop the poop but how to stop them from pooping in the nests to start with. So we need some information from you. When are they pooping in the nests? Do you know which ones? If they are sleeping in there at night you need to train them to sleep somewhere else...
  17. Ridgerunner

    How Do I Combine a Group of Younger Birds and Older Birds Together?

    My goal when I integrate is that no one gets hurt. Nothing more. I'm very happy for them to stay apart as long as no one gets hurt, they sleep in predator safe areas, and do not sleep in my nests. Eventually they will get together. It is very common in my flock to have two separate flocks...
  18. Ridgerunner

    Integrating chickens

    It can work, some of the time. Some of that depends on the personalities of the chickens involved. Some just get along better than others. Room and how the coop is laid out can be very important. If they cannot get separation when they wake up it could easily go badly. Same as with any...
  19. Ridgerunner

    Sexing baby chicks

    What you are calling wing sexing doesn't work. True wing sexing does work but there are conditions. It has to be done right after hatch, not later. And, most importantly, the parents have to be set up correctly genetically for it to work. Some commercial operations and some of the hatcheries...
  20. Ridgerunner

    Striaght run chicks

    Call them and chat, see if you can work something out. They will know more about what they can do than we will. Sometimes talking solves problems. Can you wait? At some point they will replace this year's laying flock with next years, probably late this summer or fall. What do they do with...
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