I will help with number 2. Chickens are often stubborn. I have solved this two ways and part of a third.I don't have a place for emus either.but I want to hatch some anyway. I figure there's got to be an emu farmer someplace!
OK...oh wise ones. I humbly request your assistance. No one really answers my questions elsewhere and I figure its because everyone is always just trying to catch up on this thread. So here is my plethora of questions.
1. I have 3 hygrometers, one for humidor, one accurite, one cheapo analog reptile one. I put salt in a soda cap about 3/4 way full, just enough water to make it wet but not too wet and sealed it in a plastic baggie. Its been over 3 hours and two read 60, one reads 59. I know normally I would just do the math and assume they 15 degrees off. But since they're all the same, do I assume its only 60% humidity in the bag or that they are all truly exactly 15 degrees off?
2. My chickens won't sleep in their coop since I put nest boxes in the nest box part where they normally sleep. I fixed their roost so it stays put, which is the same height as the next boxes (and I can't go any higher) They actually sleep behind the coop in the 6 in. space between it and the house. They don't evem roost on the coop which is about 3 ft. high. How do I solve this.
3. You guys mentioned pepper helps get them to lay...is that only for chickens that stopped because of light or will that help a chicken lay her first egg?
4. I have pullet that has wattles and comb that are bright red and growing fast, suddenly is letting me pet her, but seems to behind in terms of puberty. Meaning, her voice hasnt changed. She mostly chirp/clucks rather than cluck.
5. Last and not least, how do I get my hen from attacking my dog. Her whole mission in life is to kill my dog. Now my dog is 70 lbs so I'm not really worried about her, BUT she thinks the chicken is playing and wants to play back. And she's a boxer so she plays by boxing. She has knocked the crap out of me while playing, so I don't want her to hurt the chicken. She does not care about them and ignores them until the chicken attacks. And as hilarious as it is, someones going to get hurt!
So any advice would be appreciated.
First way: pick them up each night and put them on the roost in the coop. I did this with my Black Australorp babies, they wanted to squeeze in under the nest box of the small coop. It housed two older and laying Golden Comets. I had to move them each night to their coop. It took 5 days or so to get them to go into their coop.
Second way: Put them on "coop Lockdown" for three full days. I did this when I added three Hatchery RIR's and then for two Barred Plymouth rocks. Add the new chicks at night and leave them in the coop for three days. I did check to make sure they were not killing each other the next morning. So this fools the chickens into thinking the new ones are part of the flock since they wake up together. Oh, I also let them see each other for a couple of days by putting them into a temporary enclosure next the them. After three days their brains reset and they know that the new place is home.
Even after the Black Australorps started putting them selves to bed each nite in their own coop, the like to huddle in a pile in the corner instead of getting onto the roosts. For several nights I picked them up and put them on the roost. They eventually figured it out.
Good luck with the rest of your questions.
Ron
