Idaho?

[Mo5C]

If have a rooster with my hens will their eggs be bloody? I want to have eggs to eat...but I have heard having a rooster will help them lay better.

They might be, it just means that they will be fertile eggs with a rooster in with them. Some people don't like fertile eggs just because on occasion you will find blood in the eggs, when I find eggs with blood in them I just cook them up and eat them, it doesn't seem to affect the taste, it just freaks some people out to find blood in the eggs. Of course I spent part of my childhood on a small farm so I am used to seeing blood in the eggs on occasion.

 

[pawtraitart]

Blood in the eggs can happen with non fertile eggs as well. It's just the result of a minor glitch in the oviduct. Store bought eggs don't have these because the breeds used are less blood/meat spot prone and mass production eggs go through a machine which rejects eggs like that. Note that some breeds are prone to this issue, mostly the large bodied dual purpose breeds. Having a rooster doesn't increase egg production in my experience. In fact, the stress of an overly amorous rooster can cause a decrease in egg production in sensitive hens.

 

[Mo5C]

If you have some sort of thermometer (aquarium ones work really well and are cheap

) you could put it in the center of the light ring, 95 degrees is optimum for newborn chicks up to 1 wk old, it can be up to 100, so long as they can move freely out of the ring if they feel warm.... then 90 degrees up to 2 weeks old, 85 up to 3 weeks old, room temp is usually fine after that, they will be noisy if they want a little warmth to snuggle

Hope that helps

That picture is the height mine is at for 90 degrees with a 60w.

I still need to find a thermometer, I did raise it up a tiny bit though and they seem to be doing better with it. Now I just need to build them a bigger brooder, I can already tell the tote I have them in is just a "starter home" for the cute little things. Thank you for the advice, it helped alot.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Michelle, I like that term "overly amorous rooster" haha

Mo5C, Glad they are doing better!

 

[BeccaSmith]

You should be able to find a brooder thermometer at D&B or Zamzows!

 

[thebirdguy]

More goat pictures...

 

[SusanRenee]

More goat pictures...

Awwwwww! I have baby Angora's due any day now! Can't wait for my own batch of cuteness.

 

[IcyOldHen]

Quote:
I finally got new photos! I'm still hoping they're all three pullets. Anyone have any thoughts on whether they're roos or hens? They are EE x Marans chicks & are 8 weeks old in the photos. Looks like I got a Black, a Blue & a Splash. I now have 54 quail eggs in the incubator!

 

[Daloorashens]

Those goats are too cute!!! I also LOL'd Michelle's comment about an "overly amorous rooster", haha

Yay Kalalyn!! Happy to hear the eggs are developing!

Have 15 chicks hatched so far... most of the Marans are blue this hatch, last time they were black, funny how the 50/50 thing works, lol! Several OE's again, most of them are also blue. A cute little (also blue) bantam cochin/Ameracauna mix baby (yay a feather foot!) and some EE's. My older EE's are starting to look like they have Wheaten feathering!! I think they are going to be pretty, but of course, time will tell. Still waiting on one more Marans and the Ameracaunas.... come on chickies!! (6/6 Marans eggs hatching, YAY!!!)

 

[Daloorashens]

Hey Cheryl!! That black one looks like it has some copper on it's neck?? Interesting!! They are looking like pullets, Yay!! What are the chances of that?!?!?! One of my OE chicks from January also is blue, a little pullet, she is getting so pretty, I love the blue birds, but had no idea this Blue Copper roo would hatch out so many blue chicks!!

What on earth are you going to do with 54 quail????

Oh... Mo5, ditto what the others said about the temps and heating and such for the brooder