Chicken Breed Focus Rhode Island Red

[daskhan]

I live in southwest Virginia no lights in coop and it has been in upper 50's this week. I am hens for eggs.
Thanks

I would recommend rir atleast 6 months old or older but you get the 3 years at this point in time I can't really help unles you got about 7 months time you can wait by which time age probably wouldn't matter

 

[cmom]

Quote: As far as layers go Leghorns are great layers but not as meat birds. Sex-Links are great layers and can be used also for meat (dual purpose breed). I have processed some of mine and put them in the freezer. I agree with what daskhan said, if you can put a heat lamp in your coop you could put some chicks out there.
This is my chick grow-out coop. I do put heat lamps in when the chicks are small. During the summer months I put the lamps on at night but other times of the year when it's cooler out during the daytime I leave the lamps on. The chicks will find their comfort zone.

 

[cmom]

I would probably need some chicks are ones that are ready to go out in the coop and run. Thanks I am completely new with this have never raise chickens so it is a learning experience as I go not sure if I'm ready to do the incubator thing

Hatching is fun.

 

[ShrekDawg]

It looks so amazing.

 

[cmom]

The first time I hatched chicks, I borrowed a friends styrofoam incubator and my friend also gave me some eggs from his barnyard birds to practice with. My first hatch wasn't the greatest with only about 60% hatched. I know now that I had my humidity to high. Each hatch after that first one got better and better. I have had some 100% hatches but most of the time 90% to around 95%. It is fun to watch the chicks grow in the shells then hatch. Now I do mark the eggs to keep track of what I'm hatching out. I say to anyone who wants to give it a try, good luck and have fun...

 

[daskhan]

I have the same incubator as the first styrofoam one my success rate dropped a lot but I think it might be because of low fertility or maybe they are spending to much time in the coop before being brought in but a lot arnt developing beyond developing the air cell... I had two swaps one 10 eggs one 9 and first ten I had 1 hatch second so far none

 

[chickenraiser24]

This is my first time raising chickens (1 rhode island red and 2 easter eggers). The Rhode island red is 23 1/2 weeks old. She started laying 5 days ago, and so far I have gotten 4 eggs. For a pullet that has just started to lay, her eggs are a nice size. She will eat out of my hand, and she has a very sweet personality. She is very nice to our easter eggers.

 

[N F C]

Pretty girl @chickenraiser24 !

 

[cmom]

I have the same incubator as the first styrofoam one my success rate dropped a lot but I think it might be because of low fertility or maybe they are spending to much time in the coop before being brought in but a lot arnt developing beyond developing the air cell... I had two swaps one 10 eggs one 9 and first ten I had 1 hatch second so far none

I collect my eggs one time in the evenings. The eggs should be viable for around 10 days, after that the fertility does go down. Also I do what is called dry incubate. I try not to let my humidity get above 35% during incubation. When I set them for hatching then I raise my humidity to 70% or more. If the humidity is too high during incubation then the condensation in the air sack can drown the chicks when they pip the air sack (internal pip). My temperature ranges 99 to 100. I rarely use the styrofoam incubators for incubating. Several years ago I bought a cabinet incubator so I incubate in the cabinet but hatch in the styrofoam incubators. I do staggered hatches.

 

[chickenraiser24]

Thanks! I'm pretty sure that she thinks that she has the most beautiful feathers in all the world( if I say anything, and I mean anything, at all that makes her think that she's not the best, I get pecked on the finger(she jumps up and tries to eat my finger), or, she poops on my shoes. Oh well. She's been a good layer so far, so I'm stuck with her.