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  1. james w

    Using diesel to treat a chicken coop

    Thanks for the information. I have always used wood preservative but I read on the net that many people use diesel as a cheaper option. I too had doubts as to its suitability for a chicken house. I'm not sure copper naphthenate is available here in Italy. Thanks again.
  2. james w

    Using diesel to treat a chicken coop

    I have plans to build a new chicken house. I wanted to save money by using diesel for the first two coats and then adding a third coat of solvent based wood treatment. My question is whether the diesel will harm the chickens. Thanks
  3. james w

    Pigeon loft and area for flying

    Hello, I have a 4 mt by 2 mt chicken tractor that I would like to convert into a pigeon loft for squabbing. I understand the basic requirements of a loft but I have not read any information about whether an area for flying is needed. I thought perhaps I could create an enclosed area and...
  4. james w

    Dud male

    Looking at: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/204998/the-texan-pioneer-utility-pigeon-a-tutorial I am 99.9% sure that I have a male and female. I need to find out why the male is not fertilising the eggs. I have also taken fresh eggs from the nest and not seen the blastoderm. Thanks
  5. james w

    Dud male

    As I mentioned, I am not a novice. I have candled throughout the incubation period. I understood the cock texan is a dark brown and the female is a much lighter brown. Given this, I am sure I have a male and female. I believe I found two eggs in one nest and a third in the second nest...
  6. james w

    Dud male

    Can't say I fancy doing that. That said, I will give anything a try. Can't imagine it's too different from artificially inseminating chickens.
  7. james w

    Dud male

    I would say that they are brooding them correctly, taking it in turns. They lay typically two but I have also seen three. I understood that the texan male is dark brown and the female a much lighter colour. Going by this assumption, I believe I have a male and female. I provide a specific...
  8. james w

    Dud male

    I bought my first pair of texans back in March. They were already "paired". Since then the pair have tried on approx 10 occasions to hatch eggs. Each time, I have candled at various intervals and found each egg to be blank. I can only imagine that the male is not doing his job. What are...
  9. james w

    Not sure what the problem is but it's getting worse

    By difficulty I mean that she is straining a lot and looks as if she is in pain or discomfort. I wonder where I can get some calcium supplements from. Here in Italy it is difficult to come across these things. I'll keep you posted on how I get on. Thanks
  10. james w

    Not sure what the problem is but it's getting worse

    Well, the two eggs she laid seemed perfecrtly normal. Fingers crossed they hatch. Is the swelling isolated like a lump in the abdomen? Yes, I can't see any other swelling I'd certainly get her some calcium She already has calcium in her diet. Does she feel unusually hot under the wings...
  11. james w

    Not sure what the problem is but it's getting worse

    I've just read the last post about egg-binding and I didn't want to add a comment to somebody else's thread so I thought I'd start a new one. I have a 2 yr old PR female with a large golf ball (perhaps a little bigger) abdominal swelling. I have caged her and kept her in the dark for a week...
  12. james w

    A bit of advice needed

    I have two hens that have been sitting on a batch of eggs for nearly 21 days now. Both are sitting within a few feet of one another and the cockerel is also knocking about. Question is, should I put a screen up to stop the cockerel getting access to the hens and the chicks and should I put...
  13. james w

    Egg consistency

    Well I have to say that my eggs rarely stand in the nest boxes for more than a few hours and go straight into the fridge. I have even seen this low yolk position, as you refer to it, in eggs laid just minutes before it is opened. I do have a variety of breeds, I would say that both health...
  14. james w

    Egg consistency

    I always grew up thinking that one way to tell whether to tell if a egg is fresh is to break it and see what happens. In the pan, fresh eggs will "hold together" whereas older eggs will fill a much larger area. Now that I have a flock myself I noticed that even eggs layed the same day so not...
  15. james w

    barred rock laying issues...

    If you do decide to cull, you won't solve your egg problem. There is no hard and fast rule about when pullets start to lay. I raised a brood of 10 that hatched in April, some have already started, others have not. As I am sure you are aware, pullets mature in the shorter days of the winter so...
  16. james w

    Free range advice

    I experimented with true free ranging in the sense that my chickens were free to roam during the day without any form of fencing. This worked fine for a while but although chickens are quite conservative in their ranging they can still get a few hundred meters away without being too worried. I...
  17. james w

    Soft, light colored egg after normal eggs

    I don't think a day is enough to diagnose anything. Often my pullets lay a few nice pullet eggs to start with and then I find an egg with a thin shell or slightly irregular shape. I would give it a few more days and then re-post.
  18. james w

    Hurt baby chick

    I have seen much much worse when it comes to chicks and young chickens. I usually take the injured chick away and place it in a cage for a day or two so that it can eat and drink in peace and take it easy for a bit. I leave the wounds alone but I guess you could spray the wound with a diluted...
  19. james w

    ? on My broody's brood!

    I don't personally tend to give my new mum anything different from the chicks for exactly the same reason. If you want to vary the diet of the mum, throw in some veggies, greens, etc. I have raised mum and chicks until 8 weeks of age just on chick starter phase 1 and 2 without any problems at all.
  20. james w

    Do Roos & Pullets tend to separate ??? (with pics)

    At that age roos tend to have a less even plumage around the body and more prounounced plumage on the tail. I tend to use this plus the combs and wattles to sex. The three in the photo look like roos to me. Of the three in the photo, the one at the back also has less well developed plumage on...
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