The Old Folks Home

[Arielle]

Quote: Oz have you used any broodie hens to help out with the incubating??

Maybe it wasn't worth another set up to protect the hen and the eggs from the pests . . .

 

[ozexpat]

Oz have you used any broodie hens to help out with the incubating??

Maybe it wasn't worth another set up to protect the hen and the eggs from the pests . . .

I have a bunch of Bantie Cochins I am raising to be broody machines. There are 11 that are about 6 weeks old.

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: My hens are not cooperating. I'm getting 2 - 5 eggs a day from my layer flock. I will be adding a few of those for a test hatch here in the next few days. I am not expecting to see it filled until spring when I hope to be hatching lots of Silver Campines.

what will you do with a zillion chicks you can hatch out of there ??

I am thrilled that I have found several people who will buy either laying hens or roosters for the pot when I have some. In the past, I have either been sad to let them go or didn't know anyone who wanted them. Now that I have a way to cull down my numbers, I plan to hatch that zillion chicks you mentioned. I will keep the best ones for breeding and the more I hatch, the pickier I can be, and the faster my line will improve. I will cull for
1. Vitality (won't be helping chicks hatch or supporting the weak ones)
2. Disqualifications (leg color, side sprigs, any DQ will send the bird away)
3. Type (top line, bottom line, size, bone structure)
I will try very hard to ignore things like combs, wattles, barring, clear hackles, etc. for the first 3 - 5 years. I want to make noticeable improvements in the top three first and then work on the "polishing" the surface. Can you tell I'm excited? I'm really excited!

Quote: Thanks, Chick, that was sweet of you to think of me and look that up, but right now, I am going to concentrate on the Silvers. I may get some Goldens in a few years. I enjoyed looking at that site, though!

With the current temps I'm getting I set up a second heat lamp and closed the chick door. The coop is holding at about 40 even at night. We got to -23 last night. The problem is now the humidity is at almost 75 percent. Any ideas how to bring it down without freezing the chickens out? If I open the vents the temp drops to 0 in about half an hour.

I think I would try to figure out a way to create just enough ventilation to move most of that humidity out and keep the temps in the low 30's (o F.) Then try to lower the heat and just keep them out of the wind. Now, I admit that -23 is extreme and frostbite is a concern, but it is more of a concern in higher humidity than in dry air conditions. What is the humidity outside the coop? Chickens are very susceptible to poor air quality and I am afraid that yours is more than just humid. That is a huge difference and is causing conditions that may not be good for your birds. I don't heat my coop at all but our winters are much milder than yours. My birds are fine outside even when the temps are in the teens during the day and single digits at night for over a week at a time. I would be concerned that the electricity might fail and your birds would be too accustomed to the added heat to suddenly adjust. Just a thought........

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Nice!! I have come to value the broodies once I had a good set up--- she hatched the chicks with food and water with in 12 inches, and I took the chicks and gave her more eggs. I have difficulties hatching the marans eggs- the broodies have a better hatch rate!!

 

[insanity]

Wisher. Outside humidity is between 30 &40 percent. They WON'T go outside no matter what...I tried. We rarely lose power (once in 3 yrs) because we are on the city grid. So that isnt much of a worry.After this storm I think I'll add a ventilation fan. If nothing it will help circulate the air. Heat is a necessary evil especially with very small birds like serama.

 

[Arielle]

Thanks, Chick, that was sweet of you to think of me and look that up, but right now, I am going to concentrate on the Silvers. I may get some Goldens in a few years. I enjoyed looking at that site, though!

With the current temps I'm getting I set up a second heat lamp and closed the chick door. The coop is holding at about 40 even at night. We got to -23 last night. The problem is now the humidity is at almost 75 percent. Any ideas how to bring it down without freezing the chickens out? If I open the vents the temp drops to 0 in about half an hour.

I think I would try to figure out a way to create just enough ventilation to move most of that humidity out and keep the temps in the low 30's (o F.) Then try to lower the heat and just keep them out of the wind. Now, I admit that -23 is extreme and frostbite is a concern, but it is more of a concern in higher humidity than in dry air conditions. What is the humidity outside the coop? Chickens are very susceptible to poor air quality and I am afraid that yours is more than just humid. That is a huge difference and is causing conditions that may not be good for your birds. I don't heat my coop at all but our winters are much milder than yours. My birds are fine outside even when the temps are in the teens during the day and single digits at night for over a week at a time. I would be concerned that the electricity might fail and your birds would be too accustomed to the added heat to suddenly adjust. Just a thought........
Having winter cold here, I have taken a hard look at the SS roosters. One with bigger waddles is also narrow so he he soup. Not much to make a roast!! lol

Providing enough food and water I think is key in the cold regions: if they are thirsty they don't eat. THey need plenty of food to keep warm. I think adding scratch at the end of the day would be helpful as they seem to always have room to stuff in more. lol

I'm scared to depend on electricity too. I do it in a pinch but not regularly.WE have a history of the power going out when the wind blows--- it hasn't happened in recent years since the new line was added but I haven't forgotten the hours without.

A neighbor always started her chicks in a pen next to the big wood stove. It had 2-3 feet space all around for safety so the chicks really had a lot of room to run around. Makes me wonder how chicks were started 125 years ago when .

 

[cknnewbie]

Mangosteen

Avacado

Mango

Lanzones

Atis

Santol
Aratiles
Sinigwelas

Guyabano

Lanka

I obviously am not fruit-worldly as I only recognized the avocado and only ever heard of the avocado and the mango!

 

[Wisher1000]

I obviously am not fruit-worldly as I only recognized the avocado and only ever heard of the avocado and the mango!

X2!

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: Yes, I noticed they were getting restless. But Ron, As beautiful as those birds are, if they are not recognized by APA then I could do nothing with them. I thought about trying to use a hen to cross with my SCs, but she would likely produce some silver cocks that were not hen feathered and I would have a hard time sending them to freezer camp so it's best if I don't have any Brakels -- but aren't they gorgeous?

 

[ronott1]

Yes, I noticed they were getting restless. But Ron, As beautiful as those birds are, if they are not recognized by APA then I could do nothing with them. I thought about trying to use a hen to cross with my SCs, but she would likely produce some silver cocks that were not hen feathered and I would have a hard time sending them to freezer camp so it's best if I don't have any Brakels -- but aren't they gorgeous?

For me, they would be my White egg layers. Brakels are recognized in Europe--The thing I read about their history said Campines are only in America and are changed descendants of breeds sent here from Belgium.

Oddly, we have what they used to be and are just getting what they have become over there. I suspect a group will be working on getting them into our standard.

They are Breath taking gorgeous!