Recent content by Ridgerunner

I'll link some really old threads that show some of the things people have used for nests, just in case you are bored. Nest boxes https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41108/show-us-your-nest-boxes-ingenous-design-post-it-here/220 Nest Boxes...

They do not need grit until they eat something other than chick feed or a few treats like yogurt or corn meal that does not need grinding up in their gizzards. It has nothing to do with them going outside. It is what they eat. I don't know how much of those pine shavings they are eating. A...

To save me a lot of typing I'll link to this thread. Read my post. Unless you have Silkies, Frizzes, or other chickens that cannot fly, nine week olds should have no problems flying up or down if they wanted to...

A broody hen can raise chicks outside even when it is below freezing. The chicks go out to eat, drink and play a bit but run back under her to warm up when they need to. Many people are amazed at how much time a young chick can spend out in cold weather before it has to warm up. But they do...

We all do these things differently and have different opinions. Once, when I opened the pop door every chicken was on the ground within 15 minutes. I've had them take 3 days before the last one hit the ground. My broods are usually in the 20 chick range. It is the same coop, no adults around...

I'll quote your post so you know I'm talking to you. The comb and wattles are light colored but with that comb poking up, with it showing any wattles at 6 weeks even if pale, with those thick legs, and with that upright posture I think you have a boy. I don't see anything that suggests a girl.

Have you opened that first egg yet? Is it a small yet normal egg with a miniature yolk and whites, yolk only, or whites only? That would be an interesting piece to the puzzle. That mark on the side shows that she had two eggs in her shell gland at the same time. That is easy to explain...

I'm not sure if you are in Sudbury England or Sudbury Massachusetts. Two different climates. Or maybe somewhere else. You can read a lot on the internet. Some internet information is accurate but that is not correct. Their down keeps individual birds warm once they are fully feathered out...

I'll include a couple of links that might help you figure out what could have happened. This is written more for commercial operations but a lot of it can apply to us. Trouble Shooting Failures with Egg Incubation | Mississippi State University Extension Service (msstate.edu) Common...

Yes. You can always do an internet search for recipes but it is essentially what we did when rendering pork fat to make lard.

So five chicks and 3 hens. At least one cockerel, possibly two. What are your plans for those boys? If you are going to get rid of one or both now might be a good time. If you are going to eat one or both you can wait until they grow some. If you are planning on keeping one or both we can...

At 11 weeks he was probably undergoing a juvenile molt. They outgrow their feathers and have to replace them. The exact age for that can vary but that is why you see pin feathers. Cockerels and roosters tend to not have a lot of fat on them. Pullets and hens do. That's a sexual thing as...

:thumbsup About half of the chicks I help turn out fine. I'm glad I helped them. But for a lot of them there is a reason they needed help. For whatever reason they are not likely to make it. But that does not mean you don't try. Is that chick eating and drinking? They absorb the yolk...

I'm one of those people. It's not because I don't know how easy it is, it's because I leave it up to them. I try to keep my chickens safe but I don't try to micromanage them. I let them decide a lot of things. I've had a broody hen take her chicks to the roost at 2 weeks of age. I've had...

I agree with NatJ as to what dry hatching means. Either you try to maintain a set but lower humidity than the incubator manufacturer recommends or rely on whatever humidity is in the air. My suggestion on that, if you try and one method works, great, you nailed it. If it doesn't work, then...