Recent content by Ridgerunner

  1. Ridgerunner

    Most ridiculous features on an incubator, what’s your favorite?

    My most frustrating feature on my old Hovabator 1588 was the dip switches for temperature control. They have since switched to digital controls which I consider an upgrade. Once they were set, the dip switches were excellent in maintaining temperature but they were a pain to adjust and get to...
  2. Ridgerunner

    Rooster eating layer feed

    There have been studies that show that excess calcium can harm non-laying chickens. The studies I've seen were on growing chicks and roosters. I have not seen any on broody hens or when they are molting so I do not know the effects on them. The studies mainly show damage to the kidneys but...
  3. Ridgerunner

    Need help for a run on a sloped yard

    When I made my raised beds for the garden down here I used a lot of sand, mixed it with the soil that was already there, and got some pure clay that was used to make pottery. And a lot of compost. The native soil was mostly swamp muck that dried hard as concrete but it had various fill...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Question about Corid And Mixing Birds

    That's interesting. The only time I saw Coccidiosis in my flock was with chicks being raised by a broody hen. The weather had been wet for a while. I did not see any blood but I could tell by their actions that something was seriously wrong. I remember going to the coop/run one morning and...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Need help for a run on a sloped yard

    But did you work the soil when it was wet? I agree. Organic material (not certified organic as you said :thumbsup) is a great amendment to any soil, whether heavy clay, mostly sand, or anywhere in between. The best soils to grow things are generally a good mix of clay, sand, and organic...
  6. Ridgerunner

    Hatching Date … No Pipping

    Hi, welcome to the forum, glad you joined! First, relax. It sounds like you did nothing wrong. They may still hatch. For many different reasons not all eggs hatch on Day 21. Humidity, heredity, how and how long the eggs were stored before incubation began, and just differences in the eggs...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Question about Corid And Mixing Birds

    I think that was a great idea. With Cocci, you need to treat it quickly if it shows up. But once they are treated do not overmedicate them. With Cocci, most of the time you do not get the bloody stools. The different strains of protozoa attack different parts of their digestive tract. With...
  8. Ridgerunner

    Question about Corid And Mixing Birds

    I'll copy something I wrote a few years back on Cocci and medicated feed. Hopefully it has some information in it that can help you make a rational decision. First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some...
  9. Ridgerunner

    48 shipped eggs; 15 made it to lockdown

    You'll probably see 50% as an average, which is pretty close to my experience. But that is spread out over several hatches. My best hatch with shipped eggs was 100%. My worst was 20%. I've never had an individual hatch with shipped eggs that was even close to 50% but if you average them all...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Skinning vs plucking

    Welcome to the forum @kyleeaton93 . Glad you joined. I did not notice you were new when I first read your post. As you will quickly notice we have a lot of different opinions and experiences so there is generally no one way that is right where every other way is wrong. For their own...
  11. Ridgerunner

    Skinning vs plucking

    Skinning or plucking has nothing to do with why the meat needs to rest. The meat will go through rigor mortis either way. If you do not rest it before cooking you run the risk of the meat being inedible.
  12. Ridgerunner

    Fear for Bantam Frizzle

    The concern is when they mate. Will his weight be enough to hurt her? The simple answer is "I don't know". When they mate the hen squats. This gets her body on the ground so his weight goes through her body into the ground instead of going through her legs. That's kind of like an automobile...
  13. Ridgerunner

    Integrating bantams into a flock of sussex & orps

    Then you don't know enough people. No matter the breed, whether RIR, Orpington, Silkies, Barred Rock, Polish, or any other you can find stories on here where they are either sweethearts or devils. What has been your direct experiences with RIR's or are you just copying something someone else...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Rooster drama and selection - what should I do?

    For sure. And you do not have roosters yet, just immature cockerels. What are your goals, I don't remember seeing those spelled out? It appears you will be breeding and hatching chicks. I saw you mention the SOP, how important is that for you? For some it is very important, for some egg...
  15. Ridgerunner

    Questions about cross breeding to make broilers.

    I'll assume you have a decent understanding if genetics and how they work. Essentially you need to reinforce the genetics you want and eliminate the genetics you do not want. That means carefully selecting which chickens you want to breed. I don't think you need a deep understanding of...
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