The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

well, I felt sure y'all were going to have some nice and easy solution for me - I'ld stick one of those rolling on the floor thingies here but they seem to have vanished. site is acting a little weird for me tonight. delisha, that toothpick chick is adorable - and as soon as you said "toothpick legs" made you think it was a girl, I thought of my straggly mystery chick - she must be a girl because she is toothpick legged too!

lol..
I usually have huge legs on all of my chicks, but, if i ever get toothpicks they are always pullets.

 

[BlueMouse]

Kind of off topic on this question but - what kind of incubator are you using? Have you used it before with good results?

I'm hoping that your bleach percentage is too low to cause any problems !!

it's a homemade forced air cabinet style incubator. we have has two failed hatches in it and I'm pulling my hair out. temp holds rock steady, humidity fluctuates some, but holds pretty steady (and the air cells look right per the age of the eggs) we've had TWO power outtages both at 14 days that killed everything (apparently, from what I could tell eggtopsying) I have three eggs in there that had loose air cells so I didn't give them to my broody, and three left from the five that survived the great broody debacle. One exploded and one seemed to be oozing so I removed it.

Aside from that, we're butchering for the first time tomorrow. I know several of you have a very specific temp that you keep the scalding water out so the feathers just wipe off, but I don't seem to be able to find it? I'm really hoping it goes smoothly. We only have nine birds to do this time around, we figured to start out small.

 

[aoxa]

lol..
I usually have huge legs on all of my chicks, but, if i ever get toothpicks they are always pullets.

How bout these for legs?

 

[rowerjen]

It's not a regional prerogative. I moved to New Hampshire from Connecticut, and I'm originally from New York. I realized I'd achieved a certain level of acceptance when I was in the general store, and the owner started ranting about "New Yorkers." I mentioned casually that I was originally from New York and she replied, "yeah, we know, but you blend."

I'm in TX and I'm from the north. I used to get crap all the time about it.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:

 

[Sally8]

Well, my experiment of putting week old chicks under Cecilia has begun. A couple of hours ago, I put 2 chicks under her. I waited. No noise. Checked every 15 min for over an hour, then every half hour. No noises. Lots of heads poking out. If this continues to work, tomorrow night will be the last 2. Then no more chicks in the house, AGAIN!

 

[armorfirelady]

Then no more chicks in the house, AGAIN!

Famous last words ....

 

[Sally8]

Famous last words ....

Shhhhhh

 

[Sally8]

Cecilia with 2 extra chicks.

 

[Sally8]

How bout these for legs?

I think that it is safe to say those are Kankles