Search results for query: *

If I gather eggs for hatching before noon will those eggs tend to hatch hens that lay in the morning? Or is laying time just random in chickens and thus not a heritable trait

I have never hatched eggs under a broody before, only incubators. So this feels like a big accomplishment for us!

I got a new incubator this year and have now successfully hatched three batches of eggs. But all of them have been about a day early. Could a slightly hot incubator cause that? If so, what are other symptoms to look for? All the hatches have been successful, so I am reluctant to make any big...

So my buff Plymouth Rock went missing a week ago or so. I figured that either she wandered off the property away from our dog’s protection and got eaten or she was somewhere sitting on a clutch of eggs. Since she is more than a year old I suspected that she was sitting. Well, this morning I saw...

A few months ago I was reading an old thread and found a picture or a pdf that someone had posted of a line breeding program. It was a pretty eye-catching cartoonish graphics and described the various pairings in detail for something like five generations, but I cannot find it now. Does anyone...

I would like to find a good breeder of heritage Cornish in or near NC. I need a couple of roosters to breed, and I am open to color or even flexible on age as long as they have good genes.

Has anyone tried a Cornish rooster over a New Hampshire hen for a backyard meat bird? I was thinking that I could keep a flock of dual purpose birds mostly for eggs, but with a Cornish rooster for the occasional batch of meat. The NH seems like a good candidate for early maturity with the...

What is the difference between a regular Cornish and a LF Cornish? I can’t even find what the LF stands for. Large Feet? Low Fat? Loose Feathered? Lemmings Falling? (hmm, maybe not that last one)

Does anyone know how to weigh a live duck? I want to track growth rates etc. For chickens you can hang them upside down and they get calm, but in Holderread’s book he says not to hold ducks by the legs. What else can you do to weigh them?

I have a flock of 4-week old silver appleyards, but this is my first time raising ducks. Previously I have only raised chickens, so my expectations may be misinformed. Compared to my chickens the ducks seem lazy. They lay down all the time, and will even plop down in front of the feeder and...

I thought baby chicks were cute, but I think ducklings are cuter. They are like chicks with clown shoes on! We ordered 10 silver appleyards from Holderread farms, they shipped 11 and all arrived alive and well even though we are clear across the country.

Are there any specific grains that are bad for chickens to eat whole? I want to use only whole grains for shelf stability. This is not for their whole ration, just for energy/filler.

We got a batch of mixed variety Plymouth Rock chicks about two weeks ago. I stop in just to see if they are OK and find 10 minutes are gone. My wife walks by and looks in, and 15 minutes later remembers the dishes. My son looks over and forgets the cereal bowl in his hand for 5 min. Even the cat...

I have a new chick that has spraddle leg. It seems to be recovering well: eating, drinking, walking around, etc. So I was wondering, if it recovers well and is otherwise healthy and good, should I consider breeding it or are its chicks more likely to have spraddle leg also?

Does anyone know if there is a standard value accepted by the IRS for the value of chickens? I am trying to do my accounting, but I don’t know how to value my livestock “inventory”. I could calculate it with a cost build up, but I would rather use a standard value if they exist.

I am planning on starting breeding my own birds this year. My primary selection trait would ideally be foraging. I would like to breed birds that forage a substantial portion of their diet. Does anyone know of a way to measure foraging? How can I identify the best birds

A month or so ago we had a fox attack that killed 6 of our 12 hens in less than 3 hours. So today we got a pair of Great Pyrenees puppies! They are sooooo cute! Little balls of fluff. They can barely walk without falling over and are quite clumsy. So clearly this is not going to be a quick...

Hi everyone, I moved a few months ago from 1/8 acre in a huge clear-cut subdivision to 5.5 acres in the middle of towering pines and oaks. Of course, I had to get chickens! They have been awesome, and I have used threads here for guidance several times in the last year. Thanks to everyone for...