Recent content by Ridgerunner

There is no way to judge how safe it is. Some people can go years without a problem, some are wiped out almost immediately. It is somewhat like driving a car. You may go years without an accident or somebody may run a stop sign and hit you next time you go out. Something may take one...

A poultry science professor said the most common cause of a broody dying was roost mites. She stays in the nest and they suck the blood out of her. It might be a good idea to check for roost mites. I've never had them in my flock but I do check occasionally.

How cold do you get at night? I don't know what criteria that Google articles use, but to me the temperature is what determines how soon you can put a chick outside without heat. A six-week-old chick should be able to handle temperatures down to freezing with little to no acclimation. A...

When do pullets lay their first egg? When they are ready. Where do they lay their first egg? Where they want to, not necessarily where we want them to. When do brooder-raised chicks start to roost up off of the ground. When they are ready. Where do they sleep when they start to roost...

Broody hens have been doing this for thousands of years without human help or intervention. It is possible to get a hen that does not have the correct instincts but that is really rare. I trust my broody hens to know more about being broody than I ever will. They are living animals so you...

If you put the vaccinated chicks in there and your flock has Marek's they can get infected before the vaccine takes effect. The same is true for chicks vaccinated for Coccidiosis, if your flock has Coccidiosis the effects of the vaccine can be negated by the chicks getting sick before the...

Not sure how much rain you get. As long as your soil drains well (like the top of a hill or sloped) or is sandy so water goes through it you might look at an open air coop. There is a section on coops in the "Articles" section above that might be informative. Different coops perform different...

Thanks for the photo and information, that helps. First, I'll repeat what Mrs. K said. I think you understood but some people seem to need reinforcing. To cull does not automatically mean to kill. It can mean to eat or just kill and dispose of the body. It can mean to move from one flock to...

What did I see. She was walking the small dog on a leash and followed it onto your property. She is taking it for a walk so it can deposit poop on other people's property and not carrying anything to clean up after the dog. Respectful dog owners clean up after their pets. Coming off of the...

:thumbsup I use a coop and two shelters to manage mine. The shelters are "safe from predators and have a way of sheltering from hot sun, rain and winds".

I don't do quail so I cannot comment on what is the right day for lockdown. Next time start the chicken eggs early so hatch day for all the eggs are the same. I really hate these staggered hatches. Different things can go wrong. The chicken eggs really don't need turning after day 14 or...

Before a hen even starts laying she stores excess fat to live off of if she ever goes broody. If your hen went broody she probably used up some of that store of fat and needs to replenish it. When a hen goes broody she should stop laying, she does not have anything extra to use to make an egg...

A rollaway nest would be a problem. Another potential problem is that you want the chicks to be as young as possible when you try. A hen cannot count days but some people think it helps if the hen has been broody for a while before you give her chicks. That may be a factor for some hens but I...

Some duck eggs (like Muscovy) hatch after 5 weeks. Other duck eggs hatch at 4 weeks. Chicken eggs hatch at 3 weeks. If they don't all hatch together she will abandon any eggs that have not hatched to take care of the ones that have. That is the big problem with staggered hatches. If you...

Is there outside area where the adults can see them at least occasionally? That would be a huge help. Is that outside pen where you can put a gate between it and the main flock? How big is you main coop? Can you post photos of it inside showing what it looks like? An outside photo of the...