Recent content by Ridgerunner

  1. Ridgerunner

    Moving outdoors

    12-32 C = 54-90 F 8C = 46 F I've had chicks a little younger than that go through nights below freezing. Yours are feathered out, those lower temperatures should be downright comfortable for them. They should be able to handle that heat also. I don't see any reason to acclimate them, they...
  2. Ridgerunner

    Rooster Spurs 🐓

    I only trim spurs when I see an actual need. That is really rare. The time that it is actually needed usually doesn't come. I use a Dremel and the disc meant to cut metal. I don't remove the entire spur, just blunt them by cutting off the sharp tip.
  3. Ridgerunner

    Hens attack rooster

    When he matures the flock dynamics will change. Going through that maturing phase may be hard on the flock and you (or it may be pretty easy, not every time is an absolute disaster), but if you can get though it he will become flock master. He may be a good flock master or a bad flock master...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Small flock with one rooster

    You do not get guarantees with living animals. Anything can happen. Those four may be fine with him, they may not. Your highest risk is when they are immature. At some point that cockerel will want to mate the girls. Things may go really smooth or they may get fairly hectic. If you can...
  5. Ridgerunner

    run question

    Welcome to the forum, glad you joined! I would. You never know when you will need to go into the run to deal with an issue. Lots of different things could happen that you would want to go onto the run on a moments notice, let alone long term maintenance. The door could be from the coop to...
  6. Ridgerunner

    4 month old pullets..... do I need to do lights for them to start laying?

    The normal cycle for chickens before they were domesticated was that they started laying eggs and hatching chicks in the spring when the days are getting longer, kept laying eggs and raising chicks in the good weather days of summer, but stopped laying eggs and hatching chicks when the days get...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Which one?

    What are your goals with having a boy? Are you planning on hatching chicks? If so, which male do you want the chicks to take after? If you are not planning on hatching what role do you want that boy to fulfill? To make a decision you need some criteria. Your 6 month old cockerels are still...
  8. Ridgerunner

    Buff Orpington stopped laying

    Hi, welcome to the forum, glad you joined! I don't know what was going on with her in October. It is possible something happened that will affect her future egg laying, but I think it more likely that the stress of what she was going through started a molt. Are you seeing any loose feathers...
  9. Ridgerunner

    Hens attack rooster

    HI, welcome to the forum, glad you joined! It is a matter of maturity. Your pullets are more mature than your cockerel. It is not unusual for more mature chickens to bully or even brutally attack less mature chickens. About the time my pullets start to lay they are accepted by the older hens...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Rooster tried to kill other rooster

    Then flip a coin. For that purpose breed is not relevant. I know it is not easy to make that decision, not if you don't see any differences in them that matters. But I'll make a suggestion. Get rid of the RIR. Why? He lost the fight so his confidence may be shaken. Do I really believe...
  11. Ridgerunner

    Rooster tried to kill other rooster

    What are your goals for keeping a rooster? Are you going to hatch chicks? If so, which rooster do you want the chicks to be more like. A Marans rooster would give you darker eggshells. If you are not going to hatch chicks, flip a coin if you can't otherwise make a decision. It is your...
  12. Ridgerunner

    Grower/Layer Feed Mix to Laying Hens

    You can find anything on the internet. A lot of things can seem "logical". Remember that I'm on the internet when I respond to this. Commercial laying chickens are bred to lay a lot of nice sized eggs and have relatively small bodies. With their bodies smaller than the dual purpose chickens...
  13. Ridgerunner

    Real world experiences with rooster to hen ratios 18 to 2?

    Exactly. See how it works out and go by what you see. Sometimes two boys fight to the death, sometimes they work great together. Sometimes with a 2 to 1 ratio the hens are not barebacked or they don't have over-mating problems. Sometimes with a 20 to 1 ratio they do. Some roosters will...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Food/water in coop

    It might or might not. What are the other water sources the critters can use? How accessible is the run? What critters do you have? It has not been a huge problem for me but a neighbor has a farm pond right next to the run. And except for smaller critters it is pretty inaccessible.
  15. Ridgerunner

    Buying Hatching Eggs

    There is no "best" for everyone. What are your goals? What kinds of chickens do you want? What is important to you? Where are you? Some ways work better in the USA than in the UK, Australia, or Kenya. If you want show quality chickens, your best bet is probably from someone that breeds...
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