EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Pensmaster]

Mi

I'm moving the last of my 2020 hatches outside today. I'll probably start setting again around the middle to end of January.

Mines still going. 16 White Cornish in brooder 6 Bresse recently in grow out pen and trying to get enough Pita Pintas going to make difference for the NYH. With only two hens and winter to boot makes it difficult. They are however laying decently for winter.
Did you get enough chicks to hatch from the lost rooster?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What I moved out were 7 six week old chicks.
It was 50F the day I moved them out but it has gotten cold since then. It was 25F last night and it will be close to that tonight. 30 tomorrow night. Mid to high 30s every day. But we are having a daytime warmup to 40s, close to 50 during the day and hopefully staying above freezing for close to a week. They won't have any problems then.
The chicks seem to be doing fine with no heat. Huddling at night and running around during the day.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I need opinions. I have an issue I wouldn't normally have had a problem deciding about.

I have a live in opossum. It has been living in a coop with about 30+ chickens including chicks. Normally, I would have eliminated it long before now. I discovered it over a week ago. It often sleeps in the space behind the rollout nests and then sometimes on a tier of a shelving unit where I keep tools and chemicals.
It hasn't hurt any birds nor surprisingly hasn't eaten eggs. Maybe it just eats chicken feed.
My latest plan is to grab it with some heavy leather gloves and evict it.
I had also thought about killing it.

 

[jher77]

You can make a pvc catch/snare pole to physically remove it and the possum will remember that and maybe not come back. I've used those on wild cats and possums both of which I'm glad I didn't grab any of them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks for the reminder. I actually have an older professional catch pole.
I guess I'll just toss him outside and he'll find another place to sleep.
I'm amazed it hasn't caused any damage other than knocking some things onto the floor.

 

[Pensmaster]

A little late but was going to say the same thing. PVC pole snare. Worked well on getting rid of a possum in a trash pile we had to remove and he needed evicting. Judging by his reaction gloves aren’t an option.

 

[Pensmaster]

What I moved out were 7 six week old chicks.
It was 50F the day I moved them out but it has gotten cold since then. It was 25F last night and it will be close to that tonight. 30 tomorrow night. Mid to high 30s every day. But we are having a daytime warmup to 40s, close to 50 during the day and hopefully staying above freezing for close to a week. They won't have any problems then.
The chicks seen to be doing fine with no heat. Huddling at night and running around during the day.

Mine are probably same age. Not nearly as cold. 10 left out of 11. They got to dog piling behind the water and I think it was too much for him. They don’t pile up there anymore.

 

[h2oratt]

I need opinions. I have an issue I wouldn't normally have had a problem deciding about.

I have a live in opossum. It has been living in a coop with about 30+ chickens including chicks. Normally, I would have eliminated it long before now. I discovered it over a week ago. It often sleeps in the space behind the rollout nests and then sometimes on a tier of a shelving unit where I keep tools and chemicals.
It hasn't hurt any birds nor surprisingly hasn't eaten eggs. Maybe it just eats chicken feed.
My latest plan is to grab it with some heavy leather gloves and evict it.
I had also thought about killing it.

They eat ticks I have heard.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Here is a good idea what to do with some extra m&m....

 

[spartacus_63]

I need opinions. I have an issue I wouldn't normally have had a problem deciding about.

I have a live in opossum. It has been living in a coop with about 30+ chickens including chicks. Normally, I would have eliminated it long before now. I discovered it over a week ago. It often sleeps in the space behind the rollout nests and then sometimes on a tier of a shelving unit where I keep tools and chemicals.
It hasn't hurt any birds nor surprisingly hasn't eaten eggs. Maybe it just eats chicken feed.
My latest plan is to grab it with some heavy leather gloves and evict it.
I had also thought about killing it.

I had a similar experience but it was three possum. Never bothered the birds & I never found any broken eggs. The chickens were not afraid of them. I dispatched them before they invited the rest of the neighborhood.