Caveman's Chook Addiction
Welcome to my BYC page!! This page will be a constant work in progress as my chicken raising hobby ADDICTION is quite dynamic due to my profession as an officer in the military. For obvious reasons, my flock must be highly mobile and adaptable to many climates. I will...
The blue egg gene is fairly dominant and can be introduced at any time in the "production cycle". If I were you, I would focus on trying to get the large size and color pattern first, then introduce the egg color into the equation later. You will probably lose a little of the size when you cross...
My hens get to run around in the yard in the evening when I am there to supervise, and right around 1800 they always go back inside to roost. The first few days they were a little unsure, but once the top hen took her place on the roost, the rest soon followed. I recommend focusing on the leader...
I think that it is intended for your older birds that have stopped laying and no longer need the calcium or protein. I would compare it to the food that is sold for old dogs or cats, where the nutrition requirements change due to changes in various hormones and body chemistry.
Is the incubator store bought? Does it come with a hygrometer?
Chicken eggs can sit for up to about 10-12 days if they are kept between 45 and 65 degrees. It is recommended that you set them within 5-7 days because the hatch rates begin to drop off after 7 days.
The screen on the bottom is the...
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I have also recently been fascinated with people who make smaller coops out of the childrens play houses sold for around $300 new or $75 used. That seams like a pretty fun/easy coop for a small amount of birds like the 4 you are planning on.
Are you using medicated or un-medicated chick starter? I do not currently raise meal worms, but I am very interested by this topic. Is it difficult to get started? Can anyone tell me a good website to do some research on the subject? Thanks!!
I would not remove the roosts because many chickens like to sleep as high off the ground as they can. It might be a better option if you can build a better way for them to get up and down from the roost. Try adding additional roosts 16"-20" apart, gradually climbing higher until you reach your...
I'm with CMV....
Moving birds in and out of the flock changes the pecking order and can cause stress related problems such as changes in nesting/roosting behavior. I too raise both meat birds and layers, so I decided to build two seperate pens in order to avoid disturbing the pecking order in...
Wow, thats great!! My RIR's just started laying last week at 18 weeks, but the size of thier eggs has not increased nearly as fast as yours. Love the pics!!
Well they are not great "pets" because of thier purpose, but my CornishXRock broilers are very quiet and tame.... It seems like all they do is eat and sleep. They also don't need much coop room or roosts because they rarely venture far from the feeder. OK with me though, because they grow so...
I definately agree with using a fan. It helps mix the air and prevent hot spots in your bator.
As for the Hygrometer/Thermometer, I have used many different models to find the most accurate and user friendly. I recommend using a Zilla model (see link). It is designed to be used in a terrarium...
I live in Hawaii where there is an abundance of wild chickens. Most of the time all my girls come home at night, however occasionally a wild roo will lead one of them off to his roost at night. It must not be very cozy because they never stay long and are usually back home the very next morning.
I know the feeling!!! I just hatched my first set of eggs in my homeade incubator.....10 for 10!!! It is a great feeling to see the chicks break free from the eggs after what seemed like forever just watching eggs in a box.