Recent content by Ridgerunner

  1. Ridgerunner

    What went wrong? 40 viable eggs going into lockdown, only 14 hatched!

    So basically the ones that did hatch hatched about on time. That implies the temperature was about right but it is still a good idea to confirm the actual temperature. I'll link a troubleshooting guide that might help you in your eggtopsy. Common Incubation Problems: Causes and Remedies...
  2. Ridgerunner

    Red light

    Personally I do not use any lights to prolong laying but many people do for their own reasons. The pineal gland in the brain is what is affected. The light for the pineal gland comes through the head, not through the eyes. I was surprised by that. If I were to try it, a timer is the only way...
  3. Ridgerunner

    what do you all recommend?

    They don't have to have a feed labeled "Layer". What they need are all of the right nutrients. If all they eat is Layer then they will get those nutrients but if they get treats or forage for some of their food in addition to Layer they may not get them all that they need. The nutrient you...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Chook still broody after adopting

    If she has adopted those chicks it is highly unlikely she will return to her old nest and abandon them. Frankly, I'd never even think of that as a possibility. But you can certainly watch her and see what happens. When you are dealing with living animals anything can happen. When a broody...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Stop Laying First Winter?

    Some pullets lay through their first fall and winter, some stop laying and may or may not molt at that time. Some are over the molt in about a month, the molt may last 4 months or so with some chickens. Some hens start laying soon after their molt is over, some may take a while to start again...
  6. Ridgerunner

    New Eggs for the New Year

    Excellent. You never know when they will start laying but what you describe is closer to the norm as far as behaviors than the disasters many people would have you believe is inevitable. Things can and sometimes do go bad, you just do not get guarantees with any living animals. I'm glad they...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Maybe I'm stupid, but ...

    Does that have a make and model number so I can try to find it online. I cannot tell how it is supposed to function from your photos. From what I can see that is not supposed to be a roll-away nest where the eggs go where an egg eating hen cannot get to them but I could be wrong.
  8. Ridgerunner

    Hatching Natural eggs

    Many people seem to be able to have multiple broodies in different nests on separate schedules in the same coop, but I have had issues with that. When the chicks started internal pip (they start peeping then) one hen tried to take over the hatch, half of the eggs were destroyed in that fight...
  9. Ridgerunner

    How do I teach chicks where to sleep?

    How important is it to you for them to sleep in the "proper" spot in the coop? I don't care that much where mine sleep as long as it is predator proof and not in my nests. Others get upset if their chickens want to sleep anywhere other than the designated spot. Is where they are sleeping a...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Are these fertilized?

    I can see the bull's eye so those should have been fertilized. When they mate the male's sperm is stored in a special container near where the egg starts its journey through her internal egg making factory. That stored sperm can remain viable for anywhere from one week to over 3 weeks...
  11. Ridgerunner

    How long to keep fertile eggs?

    How are you storing them? That has an effect. There is no set time where the switch flips and every egg goes immediately from hatchable to unhatchable. Each egg is different. Some factors to consider are storage temperature, humidity, and turning. This is the internet, you can read many...
  12. Ridgerunner

    New climate/area, need advice!

    I was in Northwest Arkansas a while so my climate wasn't that different from mid-Missouri. I'd clean out the bedding in the coop to the garden in the fall and till it in so it could compost over the winter. I would not put stuff straight from the coop to the garden in growing season for...
  13. Ridgerunner

    Winter water

    How much sunshine are you getting? In winter I use black rubber bowls I can get at a feed store to water them. When they freeze you can break the ice out of them by beating them against the ground without breaking the bowl. Being black, they absorb heat from the sun and will keep water...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Soft Shell Egg is Interesting

    When they start laying it is not unusual to get an oops egg. The internal egg making process is pretty complicated, it may take them a few days to get it right. Most get it right to start with but it is not that unusual to see a soft shelled or no shelled egg, double yolker, really hard...
  15. Ridgerunner

    New climate/area, need advice!

    Location, location, location. What is the drainage like where you build it? If you build it in an area where the water drains to and especially stands you are going to have issues. If you build it so the floor stays dry life is really good. That's the case for any coop on the ground and...
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