First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[mountain mom]

I am far from an expert but I wait 10 days before giving up on an egg.

I am not sure on the back circle I guess it depends on what exactly it is.


I have been getting 27-28 eggs a day so I assume I have no hidden nest or egg eaters....



I am thinking of giving Bert some women, I feel like a pimp.... I am thinking of moving him to a dog kennel with some Dixie rainbows, The kennel has a 8 ft high fence around it, I am hoping the rainbows cannot fly that high...

If I leave the eggs in the nest do you think it will force the hens to go broody?

Ralph, the Poultry Pimp. I like it. You should use it for your penname when you finish your book!

Bert will love you forever if you give him some ladies of his own! I am curious about the Rainbow CX cross. I bet they will be a perfect dual purpose bird.
I don't think your Dixie's can fly over the 8' fence... at least mine couldn't.

I think leaving eggs in the nest can trigger broodiness, IF you have a hen prone to going broody.
The powers that be say they have bred the broodiness out of most layers, since it is not conducive to getting a lot of eggs. But, I have a Speckled Sussex that makes secret nests in order to get a clutch going. She has never gone broody, but if really encouraged to sit on her nest, she may.
Clyde on the other hand, will go broody at the drop of a hat, it seems.
I would think you could keep some decoy eggs in a nesting box, then see what happens. It is worth a try!

And congrats on the ultimate achievement...

 

[Dandelioness]

Hi, Turkeytruff - Yes, it is a panel heater, similar to the Brinsea EcoGlow. There are three brands out there that I looked into. The Sweeter Heater came in four sizes, two of them larger than the competitions' and more suited to my needs. I would have had to buy 2-3 EcoGlows to brood the amount of chicks I raise in a batch.

I do raise mine out on grass, with a safe and dry night box, and outdoor brooding people seemed to prefer the Sweeter Heater. I think you could go with any of the three for indoor or even garage brooding.

I am trying to move away from the heat lamps. My neighbor had a fire earlier this winter and lost over 30 birds. We had seen how poorly it was set up before the fire, but of course accidents happen even when care is taken.

Our hen house has always been unheated, but I do run a string of LED Christmas lights in the winter on a timer. I had my DH look it over at least six times since that fire. He assures me it is safe, but I took an unofficial survey on Facebook to see what breeds or conditions are conducive to moderate laying over winter in the cold north with no heat and no extra lights. I'll be switching the flock over to those breeds and conditions.

The brooder is the last bastion of the heat lamp on my property, so I am very happy to try this method. I will have the heat lamp on standby, though. I hope to share good results! I'll be keeping track of temps and other conditions, too, to help other outdoor brooding people.

Do you have your homemade version photographed and discussed on another thread? I'd be interested to peruse it if so, in case we expand in a couple years.

No Jessica! Hopefully this means she is busy putting the finishing touches on that combine!

Double Kindness, you have quite the menagerie going on! Good luck and have fun with that chicken math! Post pictures of that flock when you can.

Ralphie, I think I like your wife! LOL
Looking forward to hearing all about the new brooder/hatcher.

 

[Turkeytruff]

I think you'll find this thread answers all your questions.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update/10

It works so well; I hate brooder lights, because of their fire hazard, the fact they use far more electricity, and the constant exposure to light (even if you change it out for red light).
My little guys love it; they warm up under it or on it, and then rush around exploring outside to their heart's content.

 

[holm25]

I started on a tractor!! Got the frame built and one side put wire on. Its 3ft high and 12ft by 12ft so its pretty big. This is for a roo and 8-10 hens so I think there is plenty room. I hope we like this cuz I have saved up enough lumber to build about 8-10 of these puppies. Will try get some pics tomorrow!!!

 

[1zooman12]

Hello Holm, (Is it Stella?)
Would you be willing to define precisely what is mean't by a tractor? I gather that it is some sort of a coop for barnyard birds but what are its ingredients and when is it no longer a tractor? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman

 

[holm25]

Hello Holm, (Is it Stella?)
Would you be willing to define precisely what is mean't by a tractor? I gather that it is some sort of a coop for barnyard birds but what are its ingredients and when is it no longer a tractor? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman

Nope not Stella I'm a guy...

Like a chicken tractor for some Olive Eggers and other barnies I'm trying to breed. And what do you mean by ingredients when its no longer a tractor??

 

[JessicaThistle]

I think it stops being a chicken tractor if it doesn't have wheels or skids on it to move about. I define my chicken tractors as mobile chicken houses.

Here is an update on the progress on our chicken tractor:


The wire on the bottom is all attached to the frame. We also got the framing done for the side doors but it was too dark to take the pic. This doesn't seem like much but when you are dealing with short amounts of time to work, you get as much done as you can.

Below is the outdoor run off the brooder house for the baby chicks, who are now 4 1/2 weeks old. They are quickly growing out of this space and I will need to add some more outdoor space asap!


A closer pic of the cute chicks. Can't believe how big they have gotten.

 

[duluthralphie]

NEWS ALERT!!!!!

BERT RAN AWAY FROM HOME YESTERDAY.

When I went to put Bert he was missing. I called and called and Bert never came. Of course my first thought was an eagle got him. 25 pound chickens are at a disadvantage with eagles they can no longer hide under the grass and brush with ease. I pushed those evil thoughts out of my mind with great inner strength.

I remembered earlier I had seen Bert in the woods to the west of the coop. Also he had been on the south side of the shed when I was plinking with my .17. That vixen the little white rock with sexy eyelashes was out there with him. She could have lead him astray. She has a reputation for that type of behavior! When I was plinking there were a couple neighbor kids over shooting too ( by kids I mean 30ish) being old I call everyone under 50 a kid.......... They even commented on the white rocks behavior and how she was right next to us and Bert even while we were shooting. Gun retorts do not bother her. I think she has been chased out of more than one other hens roost at gun point!

Anyways I digress, I looked behind some barrels and under some pallets in the south side of the shed. NO BERT!.... I walked out in the woods calling Bert, still no Bert. I saw something white behind a log I broke trail to it. It was just a old white plastic 5 gallon pail. I knew it was too small to be Bert. I continued my search. I could not find Bert under the old boats, in the minnow traps, or hiding in the bambleberries. I was scared now. I went back to the coop area checked around the lumber piles and under the saw mill. I have an old flat head 8 from a 1949 ford one ton I plan to rebuilt some day. It is covered by a upside down stock tank, actually it is hiding from the zoning people who complained when I had it setting on an old grain bin foundation wrapped in plastic. they claimed al old car parts must be under cover..... I remember well because they said blah bah blah blah until I told them to leave and only come back with a search warrant......... ( did I mention ever I do not like zoning rules telling me what I can do on my own property where no one else can see it?)


Back to Bert I even lifted the tank to see if Bert had crawled under it. nope no Bert. I looked around the straw bales I went inside the sheds I almost gave up when I thought to myself " self do you think Bert went back to his first home?"

So I went to the CX brooder/tractor I lifted the cover and no Bert. I then lifted the mid section up and there was Bert! I was so happy I picked him up and gave him a big hug and told him to never leave the area without telling someone where he is going. He was indignant when I carried him back to his coop. I set him on the floor and he looked up with his big brown eyes and begged me to set him on his wood chip bale roost. So I did how can I stay upset and refuse to give Bert whatever he wants after all he is special......

 

[nj2wv]

You found Bert !! I sure would miss all his antics if something happened to him.

 

[Double Kindness]

The cuteness the chicken math, the duck math!! Gag!!

I have it bad my friends! I also have the brinsea ecoglow50 and I love it a lot. I have probably 25 chicks under the ecoglow50

here are some of my cx and a wc polish

my new hatch of mostly half ee and ayam cemani. 1 is a polish x ayam cemani

my svart honas from greenfire farms are here now. Kinda bummed about the white earlobe.

my incubation/hatching room. Since my kids are not moving back home and are adults, my bf let me turn it into the hatching/brooder room.

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I hope I don't lose all 48 eggs in the janoel. Now I'm happy I didn't put 48 eggs in each bator.

How would I go about making an egg turner for the hovabator? Help?