Does anyone else get unsolicited "advice" from well-meaning but clueless family and friends on chicken raising? I'm sure you do. What are the best and worst advice you've ever received?
So tonight while prepping my new, bigger brooder for chicks to hatch this weekend (26 eggs), the hubby comes to the basement to tell me "what a great idea it would be to set up the little tote brooder, too, just so, you know, when the little fuzzballs are all wet and weak from hatching and the first one or two are all alone, they'd have a cozy place to get used to their new freedom and all. You know, until they can run around and stuff." (That tote is only big enough for maybe 12 chicks.)
I poo-poo'ed his suggestion at first. Who is he to tell me how to set up a brooder? He never pays attention to what I've learned on BYC, or researched on the 'net or from books, anyway! But then.... he has a good point. I can set up the little tote with paper towels and then move the chicks to the big brooder and wood chips when they're past the most critical stage, and eating and drinking well from their feeders. I plan to hatch several broods back-to-back, so this would make cleanup and setup easier between hatchings. Hmmm. I told him so, and thank you.
What have people told you, that either worked out or was the worst advice ever?
So tonight while prepping my new, bigger brooder for chicks to hatch this weekend (26 eggs), the hubby comes to the basement to tell me "what a great idea it would be to set up the little tote brooder, too, just so, you know, when the little fuzzballs are all wet and weak from hatching and the first one or two are all alone, they'd have a cozy place to get used to their new freedom and all. You know, until they can run around and stuff." (That tote is only big enough for maybe 12 chicks.)
I poo-poo'ed his suggestion at first. Who is he to tell me how to set up a brooder? He never pays attention to what I've learned on BYC, or researched on the 'net or from books, anyway! But then.... he has a good point. I can set up the little tote with paper towels and then move the chicks to the big brooder and wood chips when they're past the most critical stage, and eating and drinking well from their feeders. I plan to hatch several broods back-to-back, so this would make cleanup and setup easier between hatchings. Hmmm. I told him so, and thank you.
What have people told you, that either worked out or was the worst advice ever?
