Recent content by Eleos

Not to hijack your thread, but I had a similar question. I have 8 week old pullets (layers, not meat birds) and I started them on kalmbach non-medicated 18% chick started feed. A few weeks ago my feed store was out of the kalmbach so they suggested McNess 23% chick/duck starter instead. I didn't...

So they said it's most likely a Rainbow Dixie as you suggested but they're part of the assortment of brown egg layers and I ordered colored egg layers. Guess I got a stowaway! Looking online it would seem those roosters are pretty tame too so time will tell if he sticks around or gets re-homed.

Perhaps I'll try asking the hatchery what they think it could be. Thanks!

I ordered from a place called Abendroth Hatchery in Waterloo, WI. Looking at pictures, it certainly seems to have the color traits as a Swedish Flower but the hatchery doesn't list that as a possible breed. And given how rare they seem to be I'm not sure I'd accidentally get one in my order. Can...

5 weeks might be too soon to tell but I'm curious if this chick is a roo or hen. Also, not quite sure what breed it is given its speckled chest coloring. I ordered black Australorp, Welsummers and a variety of color egg layers which could be Marans, Americana's, Olive Eggers, Sapphire Olive...

Thanks! So far no new issues. All 9 chicks seem very happy. 😁

Not discouraged at all! Just kicking myself for learning the hard way. I got them all set up tonight with a new pad 12x24". The first one was cave like, open on only 2 sides. This one is flat and opened on all 4 sides. Both had/have the pad covered in press and seal, bungied underneath the wire...

Sorry, I hope I didn't sound snippy. Totally not my intention. I bought the 12x24" today and found a better, bigger frame to put it on so now they have 4 open sides. I'm just kicking myself for not realizing sooner that they'd need a bigger pad. 🤷🏼‍♀️

That's helpful! Even though I'm down to 9 now, I'm probably going to go get the bigger pad tomorrow just in case. They're only a week old and getting bigger by the day!

Like I said, the pad is 12x15. I have it curved so it's more like a cave but I just went out tonight and bent up some of the legs on the sides so they hopefully have a way out now. I also folded the padding I had draped over the top so it doesn't block the sides anymore. I'll probably get a...

Mine is open on either end, one side a little lower than the other, but I'm going to see about modifying it so they can get out the sides as well. I'd use my heating plate too but I only have one plug going out in the coop. 😕

I tried to do my research on sizing but nobody seemed to have any suggestions about that and I never saw anyone with a bigger heating pad than mine or anyone that doubled it. I was going to use the heating plate I bought that said it would hold more than 12 chicks but it was smaller than the pad...

So glad to have found the mama heating pad idea as I always like to keep things as natural as possible without making it so complicated. Chickens have lived long before electricity and precise temperature guidelines so I knew mine would be good if I could somehow imitate a mama hen. I got my...