Robert Jan
In the Brooder
- Apr 17, 2020
- 6
- 21
- 15
Hi all,
I have been reading along for a while, like the forum very much, such good info!
We live in the Netherlands but are emigrating south this year. we don’t have any chickens at the moment but I am planning to hatch some Old English Game Bantam and Brabanters (Dutch rare breed). Later I will add more chickens maybe ‘normal’ laying hens or another type. My biggest consideration is that the chickens have a very friendly character because if multiple roosters hatch, I will be keeping them all. When harching the 2 breeds at the same thime I am not worried about that but the chickens who make their entrance later have to be gentile too. Any recommendations for friendly and strong chickens are very welcome! The chickens are held for eggs and hobby, not for their meat.
The chickens will be free ranging within a orchard and have a stone coop/shed and being fed organically with no medicines but only natural solutions like garlic ACV and so on. I will probably put a small sheep fence around the orchard and maybe with some electric fencing at the outside and automatic switched strong spotlights at all sides of the coop against foxes and other intruders. The coop will be outfitted with a low pressure water supply, automatic chick door and enough space and well protected against intruders. When traveling I will make a attachable welded wire run to fit to their coop so they are always safe. When someone looks after them I do not want to worry about not getting them all in the coop or less activity and no dogs on the property resulting in wandering foxes...
Further, we have 5 dogs, 4 of them are rescued from death shelters in Romania. They are all very friendly and the little Jack Russel properly will prefer to hop around after the chickens all day! We have our company at our house we are always there. We love traveling and light off roading as we do have a couple of Land Rover Defenders And once in a while I restore one from top to bottom. Other activities are skiing, the motorcycles, wind surfing and stand up paddle.
I have a brand new Fiem Cip Cip 40 incubator, all the feeders, heat plate, ceramic glow lamps, ... ready to go. My concern is when hatching the chicks now I have to move them about 1300km to our new home later this year. But when not hatching know I don’t like it to hatch them at the end of the summer. When hatching now they will be strong when winter kicks in, otherwise they can’t go outside and it’s a bit against nature imho. One way or the other, I was thinking about hatching 6 to 10 in total, mixed of both breeds, so not that much to move. When moving, I thought about putting them in 1 or 2 larger wire dog crates which have been covered inside with cart board and stuffing it with straw.
It will the first time for us hatching chickens so we are very excited. I have read probably the entire internet about hatching but temperatures and humidity is fluctuating on almost every page. My initial though was 37.6 C and 45% during the first 18 days and when hatching 37.6 C and bring the humidity up to to 65%. My incubator has 2 trays of water when I fill the first the humidity is about 43% when I add the second the humidity is about 63%, would these values be fine?
I have red a lot that 100 F is the way to go but this is 37.8 C, would this not be to much? Do I also have to decrease the temperature a bit for the 3 day lockdown when hatching, lower temp means less humidity so this would not benefit the humidity value, right?
Trust me, I have test the incubator for multiple days and all values, and have read hours and hours about incubation but I want to make 100% sure. I do not want a baby chick no being able to come out of the egg due to my fault. I even want to buy a spare small incubator like a Brinsea just as backup in case my main one dies during the process.
I do have some other questions:
- Can you add ACV and garlic to the water of baby chicks?
- Can you add ACV and garlic at the same time or...?
- Yoghurt and boiled egg yoke will help against pasty butt’s but can you give this to baby chicks?
- Greens (mashed) like nettle can be best given to baby chicks after 1 week, correct?
- Any other great great natural products I can give?
- Any suggestions for friendly and strong chicken breed?
I was planning a sort introduction, so there you go
Cheers Robert
I have been reading along for a while, like the forum very much, such good info!
We live in the Netherlands but are emigrating south this year. we don’t have any chickens at the moment but I am planning to hatch some Old English Game Bantam and Brabanters (Dutch rare breed). Later I will add more chickens maybe ‘normal’ laying hens or another type. My biggest consideration is that the chickens have a very friendly character because if multiple roosters hatch, I will be keeping them all. When harching the 2 breeds at the same thime I am not worried about that but the chickens who make their entrance later have to be gentile too. Any recommendations for friendly and strong chickens are very welcome! The chickens are held for eggs and hobby, not for their meat.
The chickens will be free ranging within a orchard and have a stone coop/shed and being fed organically with no medicines but only natural solutions like garlic ACV and so on. I will probably put a small sheep fence around the orchard and maybe with some electric fencing at the outside and automatic switched strong spotlights at all sides of the coop against foxes and other intruders. The coop will be outfitted with a low pressure water supply, automatic chick door and enough space and well protected against intruders. When traveling I will make a attachable welded wire run to fit to their coop so they are always safe. When someone looks after them I do not want to worry about not getting them all in the coop or less activity and no dogs on the property resulting in wandering foxes...
Further, we have 5 dogs, 4 of them are rescued from death shelters in Romania. They are all very friendly and the little Jack Russel properly will prefer to hop around after the chickens all day! We have our company at our house we are always there. We love traveling and light off roading as we do have a couple of Land Rover Defenders And once in a while I restore one from top to bottom. Other activities are skiing, the motorcycles, wind surfing and stand up paddle.
I have a brand new Fiem Cip Cip 40 incubator, all the feeders, heat plate, ceramic glow lamps, ... ready to go. My concern is when hatching the chicks now I have to move them about 1300km to our new home later this year. But when not hatching know I don’t like it to hatch them at the end of the summer. When hatching now they will be strong when winter kicks in, otherwise they can’t go outside and it’s a bit against nature imho. One way or the other, I was thinking about hatching 6 to 10 in total, mixed of both breeds, so not that much to move. When moving, I thought about putting them in 1 or 2 larger wire dog crates which have been covered inside with cart board and stuffing it with straw.
It will the first time for us hatching chickens so we are very excited. I have read probably the entire internet about hatching but temperatures and humidity is fluctuating on almost every page. My initial though was 37.6 C and 45% during the first 18 days and when hatching 37.6 C and bring the humidity up to to 65%. My incubator has 2 trays of water when I fill the first the humidity is about 43% when I add the second the humidity is about 63%, would these values be fine?
I have red a lot that 100 F is the way to go but this is 37.8 C, would this not be to much? Do I also have to decrease the temperature a bit for the 3 day lockdown when hatching, lower temp means less humidity so this would not benefit the humidity value, right?
Trust me, I have test the incubator for multiple days and all values, and have read hours and hours about incubation but I want to make 100% sure. I do not want a baby chick no being able to come out of the egg due to my fault. I even want to buy a spare small incubator like a Brinsea just as backup in case my main one dies during the process.
I do have some other questions:
- Can you add ACV and garlic to the water of baby chicks?
- Can you add ACV and garlic at the same time or...?
- Yoghurt and boiled egg yoke will help against pasty butt’s but can you give this to baby chicks?
- Greens (mashed) like nettle can be best given to baby chicks after 1 week, correct?
- Any other great great natural products I can give?
- Any suggestions for friendly and strong chicken breed?
I was planning a sort introduction, so there you go
Cheers Robert
