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  1. Ridgerunner

    Veggies

    How do you keep your chickens? If they forage for much of their diet you've lost the ability to micromanage their diet anyway. What is your main feed, especially if they are confined and restricted in what they can eat to what you feed them? What veggies are you talking about? For many...
  2. Ridgerunner

    Help: How to Cull (if you've never culled before)

    The way you can. Let me explain that. Your goal is to end the chicken's life as quickly and as sure as you can so it does not suffer. You also do not want to injure yourself, don't forget that part. We are all different with different experiences and sensibilities. What works for you might...
  3. Ridgerunner

    Which feed should I continue buying?

    It sounds like it is not ground up into a powder as you can see the individual parts. A lot of people use feeds like that but I'm not a big fan. The different components can separate and the chickens can selectively eat certain things and not eat others. I'm not sure they are all getting a...
  4. Ridgerunner

    Laying in the wrong place

    How long have they been laying? Have they just started laying or has it been a while? Are those eggs randomly scattered or in one spot that is obviously a nest? Two different things could be going on. Some pullets seem to know an egg is coming and purposely lays it where they want to right...
  5. Ridgerunner

    Rain

    My chickens do not like a cold wind but seem to enjoy being in the run when it is raining as long as it is not severe. I think they know when they are comfortable and when they are not. My theory of why they like to be outside in the rain is that they want to get any worms or other critters...
  6. Ridgerunner

    Fall chicks in Montana

    :thumbsup A good idea. Have you integrated before so you know what to expect? You generally need a lot more room to integrate than once they are integrated. It doesn't sound like you have a lot of extra room. Integration concerns me a lot more than your cold weather. Are you using both...
  7. Ridgerunner

    Chickens not laying

    Thanks for that info. It makes it pretty clear what is happening. Chickens evolved to lay eggs and hatch chicks during the good weather months, then stop laying when the weather was getting worse for raising chicks. They use what nutrition they have to replace worn out feathers (ie, the...
  8. Ridgerunner

    Chickens not laying

    Where are you located, north or south of the equator? There are different things that can cause hens to not lay but if you are north of the equator the molt is almost certain to be your main problem. Are you seeing loose feathers flying around? How old are they? What has been their laying...
  9. Ridgerunner

    Day 22 Hatch Help Needed – High Humidity, Bad Smell, 2 Pipped Eggs Still Not Progressing

    It is possible a piece of space junk could fall out of the sky and hit your house today. You might have a fender bender the next time you go for groceries. The sun might shine where you are today. Many things are possible but some are more likely than others. It is possible to shrink wrap...
  10. Ridgerunner

    Pullet eggs

    The size of the eggs is basically genetics. Diet can make a little difference but not enough to be that noticeable unless you weigh the eggs. Calcium is just for eggshells, will do nothing on the size.
  11. Ridgerunner

    Just need a little post-hatch reassurance—Moving to brooder, incubator temp

    I'm guessing you are so stressed out that you typed brooder and meant incubator. I'm not sure anyone is capable of reassuring you as you are so nervous. But I often leave chicks in the incubator for over 48 hours after the first one hatches. As yours are healthy they should do fine. They...
  12. Ridgerunner

    Is this typical for cockerels?

    Fertility and blood spots are not related. Fertility comes from a rooster being with the flock. The blood spots come from a blood vessel opening when the yolk is released to start its journey through her internal egg making factory. That blood spot happens before the egg is fertilized if it...
  13. Ridgerunner

    what to do with bullying chicken?

    You've done what I would have done, try to alter her behavior by isolation. I don't keep individual chickens, I keep a flock that can have changeable members. I do change some every year, by both addition and subtraction. If I had a hen doing this kind of stuff she would have volunteered to...
  14. Ridgerunner

    Is this typical for cockerels?

    You can read my comments in this thread. It might be interesting. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/9-month-rooster-is-showing-signs-of-aggression.1679907/ It is interesting that both of them started on you and others at 18 weeks but left the boys who had been handling them alone...
  15. Ridgerunner

    9 month Rooster is showing signs of aggression

    It is possible to train some roosters to not attack you. But they are situational learners, you might be safe but they could still go after strangers or other people, including children. To me it is not worth the risk, if one goes aggressive he generally doesn't last long around here. I have...
  16. Ridgerunner

    Fall chicks in Montana

    I've had chicks 5-1/2 weeks old go through nights in the mid 20's Fahrenheit with no heat. They were out of any wind and had great ventilation. They had been exposed to cooler temperatures as they were raised outside in a large brooder in the coop so some portions of that brooder cooled off in...
  17. Ridgerunner

    Hen laying

    How old are yours? When did they start laying. The instinctive model is that hens will lay until the days get shorter in the fall/winter. The trigger is not how long the days are or the cold weather but whether the days are getting shorter or longer. The shorter days of fall means it will be...
  18. Ridgerunner

    Chicken Coop issues

    Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined! How big, in feet, is that coop? Just because it was advertised for 20 chickens does not mean it is big enough for 20 unless your run is totally predator proof and you never lock the chickens in it. Then it might do as long as your weather doesn't...
  19. Ridgerunner

    Fall chicks in Montana

    About 4 weeks ago.
  20. Ridgerunner

    Keeping eggs from going bad

    I agree. Wah them whenever it is convenient for you but immediately refrigerate the eggs and keep them cool until they are delivered. When you wash them, use water a little warmer than the eggs, it doesn't have to be much warmer. Washing them in cooler water can cause the egg material inside...
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