Search results for query: *

There's no reason to perform all that labor. You don't need to teach chickens to roost. Like you said, something just kicks in. Trying to force them to roost by putting them up on the roosts before that is a waste of your time. No need to be persistent, but rather, just be patient.

Just stuck 18 chicken eggs in one bator, and 14 celadon quail in the other! One of the eggs is the most brilliant turquoise! Never done quail before. Husband told me he would have somewhere to put them before they hatch. :fl I still have a broody...I might give her a few of the chicken eggs...

No. Eggs come in too many different sizes/weights for there to be an average. All eggs will have an air cell. What you are wanting to check is the size of the air cell. Trace it with a pencil or marker. For the BCM, you may have to get a stronger light, or lay it on the floor and use two or...

I don't even use a hygrometer any more. :oops: I just add water according to what the air cells look like. At lockdown I add a wet sponge and keep an eye on the membranes. So I have absolutely no idea what kind of humidity is going on in there!

I have chicken eggs coming the week of the 8th and quail eggs coming the week of the 15th so I should be able to make it for the 4th of July! I've never done quail....

Regardless of what incubator you have, what its instructions are, or what humidity level you *think* it needs to be at, you still must measure the effects of the humidity level on your eggs, either by weighing or measuring the air cell. Since you are already on day 5, you won't have a base...

I have 3, maybe 4 chicks under one of my broodies! This is my first broody hatch as an adult with my own chickens, and I am so excited! Mama seems to be doing everything she should. I did not move her out of the coop, so I am still worrying about problems that could result from that, but I'll...

I am in Townsend outside of Helena, and have lots of pretty Icelandic cockerels. They make great flock bosses and guardians. There may be a chance we go up that way in the next few weeks to get some rabbits. If we do, I will let you know and will be happy to meet you in that general area with a...

Looks like you are correct! The Federal Government does allow for a hunting season for crows--it looks like it is the only non-game migratory songbird with a season. But you still just can't go out and shoot them. There are regulations, dates, licenses, etc. that need to be respected. It might...

I managed to candle my broodies' eggs today. One has 6 that look to be about day 17, and one has 2 that look about day 8. Question: They are both in the main coop. Would I be able to move either of them at this point?

No. All bird species native to North America are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal to kill them. If someone is having legitimate predation issues with crows (unlikely--OP is probably confused about what is a raven and what is a crow) then they need to contact the local...

I think the only chicken breed this isn't true for (and someone can correct me on this if they are aware of other breeds) is Icelandics. Icelandics are only considered to be "real" Icelandics if they can be traced directly back to the original preservation flocks. Lineage is the most important...

This is a good resource for troubleshooting embryo deaths: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html

Since a malpositioned pip is both internal and external, you combine the two timetables--24 hours from internal pip to external pip, and 24 hours from external pip to zip. So if they haven't started zipping in 48 hours you can assist. I like this resource for assisting...

My eggs usually take between 12 and 24 hours to hatch after pipping. They often pip on day 19 or 20, but don't hatch till day 20 or 21, especially if they are among the first eggs to pip. Eggs that pip later in the hatch tend to be faster.

This sounds like a combo of too high humidity and too high temp. The humidity isn't letting them lose enough weight and the temp is causing them to develop faster and grow too large to move around to position themselves. I would lower humidity to 30-40% and not let temp go over 100.5.

My hatch rates improved when I started washing/sanitizing my hands every single time before touching the eggs, no matter how briefly. And sanitizing every nook and cranny of the incubator with rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution before each hatch. You can also get bacteria buildup in the...

The hatching timeline is looong. Pip to zip can be 24 hours, zip to push out can be 12. They need that 36 hours to absorb their yolk and blood supply. In the grand scheme of things, 12 hours isn't much time. As long as the chick's nostrils are clear for breathing and it isn't thrashing around...

It will probably be shrinkwrapped, so you will have to finish hatching it. First let it finish absorbing its blood supply and yolk. This is a good guide to follow: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

You might get more replies to this if you put it in the Incubating Eggs section of the forum instead of this one, which is a buy-sell-trade section for hatching eggs. :)