We have minnows in our pond, but the ducks and geese have to catch them, themselves, I have enough to do. Too many free-loaders here already! LOL Ducks and geese are very good foragers and 5 of the turkeys crossed the field and are de-bugging my neighbors back yard. My neighbor gets his bugs gone and the turkeys get a free meal, that's a win-win!
If a broody hen is hatching eggs, there isn't any candling involved!
I can never get used to seeing a necked neck like that. Those poor birds look like someone started plucking them before it was time! LOLx3. I had a Naked Neck that acted like that. Last year she took up residence in a small kennel I use as a hospital...not an egg under her. After a week of trying to break her, I gave in and threw some eggs under her. Three weeks later she was a very happy mother of three chicks, none of them from her own eggs!
If you really want eggs, I can suggest 3 things that might work:I have 5 pullets that have reached laying age, but the weather/sunlight has slowed them. The past two weeks those crazy girls have started digging huge holes in their run to sit in. No eggs from them yet. I have put them in their nests, added fake eggs to the nests...everything...and those goofy girls just DON'T GET IT!Any other suggestions?
50 eggs going in the incubator tomorrow! Whoot! Excited for more babies!
#1. Give them some hot peppers, either fresh or dried. This will raise their body tempature and may hurry the laying along. It won't hurt the birds any, they'll love it.
#2. Laying pellets contain Vitamin D3 to help increase this vitimin level in their bodies, so they lay more, with less vitamin from the sun. You can supliment this artificially with a vitamin D3 suppliment that a person would take.
#3. You can add a few hours of daylight with a light in their coup. Also, a treat of a few crickets, would add some extra protein to their diet and their eggs are made out of protein, too!
Julie, I don't do outside rabbits either, they are in a 12X40 barn next to DH's shop. Yes, I hate to say it, but people do declaw rabbits like they do cats. I think it is crewl and makes the animal efenceless! I have 2 big fat lazy house cats, that sleep at the foot of my bed and my 2 big half Chihuawhua/Retriever LOL dogs, sleep in their own beds with their heads on their pillows between my bed and the window. LOL I could never do something like that to an animal and it really erks me to know that people would do it. I have some very nice New Zealand White rabbits, if you want a few more unrelated breeders. I could deliver them when I pick up the spring lamb or when we trade Turkey poults! The rabbits that I don't sell for breeding, can be sold for meat or sent to freezer camp. I also have a processor that will buy any I don't have time to process myself. So there are never too many rabbits, around here. Nobody else sells them around me that I know of. That reminds me, my butcher wants a couple, next week, I have to remember to call him on his day off. I don't want more than 16 does, which require 2 cages each, to raise their kits to 12 weeks, plus 2 cages total for the bucks, so I will still have 6 extra cages....Hmmm, maybe harden off some poults in the barn in wire bottom cages, like, I think it was Scottingitup, suggested on the turkey forum !I will have to add on to my rabbit shed for more rabbits. I don't do "outside" rabbits. They have to be inside in an enclosed and protected area. I need to get some new stock and I hope to find several does and a buck. All of my cages are double holes and they are hanging cages (well at least we hang them). I think I may have 1 single compartment and someone gave that to me. All of my cages were made by this older man that lives in my area. He has some of the best cages. The only thing is, is that he is getting old and is having a lot of health issues. I got him to build me a cage last year and wish he could build more in the event he is not around. So, I'm on the look out for a few more cages. I think my max for rabbits will be 12 perhaps but no more than 15. I only want them for meat for the freezer. If I have any extras to sell to people who want them for breeding, then I will sometimes sell them to other people.
Oh and as far as declawing rabbits.... Do people really do that? OUCH! I don't do that.
Very good to know, another myth debunked! I think this guy was listening to somebody that was giving him bad advise. He was shooting for around 20%. My incubator manufacturer suggests Humidity of 85 wet bulb or dry bulb of 54 at 100% temp. for Chicken, turkey and peafowl. I will brint out all of the instructions, but the humidity is controlled by opening or closing the vents and adding a Humidity pad to the water tray. Once the incubatoe is put into it's permenent location and set, it rarely ever needs an adjustment. The GQF Sportsmen 1502 is really sooooo easy to operate, the most I do is putting in eggs and taking out chicks, poults, etc. It is like magic. At least the dogs think so! They see me put in eggs and take out birds, like magic!!!LOLAs far as the turkey eggs, no I didn't turn them. They were originally in there because I was going to eat them. Remember? So, no turning took place. Some people say that you HAVE to turn eggs but look at what I did. Those eggs stayed in one place for 2 weeks with no turning and ALL of them hatched. How do you explain that? So, my experiment leads me to believe that you don't have to turn eggs.
What was his humidity reading? What humidity do you hatch your eggs Celie? I keep mine at a steady number of 40. I'm not sure about that "dry hatch" stuff.
I baked Cinnimon rolls this morning, but I over did it in the garden today, so it's a couple of quick tuna steaks and baked potatoes for supper, which I need to start 10 minutes ago, so........
