Search results for query: *

My chickens are not obese and I feed my birds frequently leftover meat and fat and veg from making stock. I mix it in with fermented mash. I think it adds variety and in winter months they are not finding many insects.

I always start baby chicks with 1 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar to 1 qt. of water. Read something about it on Backyard Chickens when my first batch got pasty butts. Never had a pasty butt since in 8 years. Still give it to the big girls sometimes when I think about it. Good luck with your...

I start day old chicks on unpasteurized apple cider vinegar as soon as I can. I put a teaspoon per quart others may use more or less. I have found it seems to protect them from pasty butt. I don't use vitamin water so can't comment on that.

I've been using cayenne on and off for the last 4 yrs. Not for egg production really, but read an article somewhere about using it for gape worm. I lost 2 hens before seeing the symptoms and an old time remedy was to mix cayenne pepper in their food. I add 2 TBSP to a half bucket of mash. Don't...

I grew them ( not in containers) and am still trying to get rid of them. My chickens would have nothing to do with them, not raw not cooked, no way. They are delicious nutty tubers but unfortunately give most people a big bellyache so we do not eat them any more. They are hauntingly good tasting...

I opened all the eggs tonite and my rooster is not sterile there were several dead almost formed chicks and a live chick in the last one. I am just sick about it. I think I have narrowed it done to a few things that I did wrong. This is to keep anyone else from repeating my errors. New...

Finally got a 20 egg incubator so I could do just one hatch this year. Filled it about half and half with eggs from my head rooster and with eggs serviced by my second rooster. Well day 23 and 6 of my head guys eggs hatched and zero from the other rooster. Are some roosters sterile? So I guess I...

I used the cool down in the Brinsea mini advanced 3 times last spring and all the eggs that were fertile hatched well. This year I am waiting in lockdown with an eco 20 with no cool down feature so I guess we will see. I liked the idea of cool down as a broody would leave the nest to eat and poop.

Hope to be not too late to help or for next time, I too needed that info for our first birds butchered. There is an almost saran wrap consistency to the covering which you will have to scald the feet very well to see. The first time I did not do this right and tried to peel the skin off the feet...

Can I put chicks in with a broody during the day? I would like to try having them raised by a broody. The one I have is a very calm and mellow Astralorp. I guess what I need to know is if I should entrust these chicks after a bad experience with a very determined wyandotte broody.

I just did a broody hatch and only one chick hatched and she squished it, it was dead. My question is I have another broody hen and 3 less than 24 hour old chicks in the incubator. Do I take a chance and put the other broody in the cleaned out broody pen, slip the chicks in with her tonite and...

I have a couple questions. This is my first time trying to use a broody to hatch. I have her in a small isolation pen in the coop, enough room to move around a little and food and water. She is on day 6. I have been taking her out every day to do whatever with the rest of the flock. She can't...

I am setting my first hatch today in my Brinsea mini advance. So glad to hear a success story. I am not measuring humidity as I would be always freaking out. Just going to follow the directions and hope for the best. Did you use the cool down feature starting at day 7? I am going for 4 green...

First time incubating my own eggs and would like to try my best to share the experience with my over the road husband. Originally thought to set them 21 days before he is due home but in reading others experiences it might be all over by then. What day should I set them to have him be most...

Hi all been madly reading though I am still in the 600s but wanted to ask some questions. I went a little mad buying things to plant for the chickens and not sure about using some of it. I do not know when to plant Kamut wheat. Also I have hairy vetch seed from a mixture that I planned to plant...

I have a barred rock hen that injured her neck in a fall. Her head would roll around and she couldn't walk up a step or get on the roost. I helped her up on the roost the first night and poor thing couldn't get down. She could find the food though and for several nights slept in a corner. She...

Jim White- A question. Are you the same guy who used to raise Gold Comets? Do you totally replace your flock at each molt? 11 out of 35 hens here. 15 new pullets, 1 roo and 20 gals from 2-4 years old.

Just had a similiar situation and ended up getting rid of one. It got pretty rough with all the fighting and it was stressing out the laying hens. Had to choose one or would not have any fertile eggs this Spring. Ultimately glad I did, every body is calm again. Do believe it would have come to...

Having read extensively "How many eggs today", I always note when someone joined after seeing the 20 out of 24 posts. Almost always those posts are this years new members. I find it unusual on older flocks for the numbers to be as high. Are there those of you that totally replace your flock...

We have a large 20X40 fenced area but not much shade . There are now 35 girls, about 5 are on the cull list. Billy was such a kind head rooster, hardly bothered with Pal at all. Pal is like a little Hittler. I wanted to pass on Billy's extreme vigor and Pal is one of the most vivdly colored and...