Susan Mc
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Hi, how did you make out at the poultry sale? Most important thing to look out for when buying birds is to check that they do not appear ill, look for clean and clear eyes, nose and vent, listen for coughing, sneezing or wheezing. If there is discha…
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Most of my pens are mobile and on grass. There are 3 permanent open grassy runs for my large fowl. I have one permanent mesh-covered run for my growers, it is covered with milled/chopped straw at the moment but it's becoming quite a thick layer now.…
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Hi and welcome Cheer! The number you get partly depends on how many eggs you want from the group and also on how big the house is. For starters like yourself it is not a bad idea to pick up a few hybrid layers like bluebells, gingernut rangers, whit…
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"BrandonP" said:They look absolutely glorious! You got them from US? Thats a long way to go! Any idea of where can I look for them in UK? I was searching the "chickens" category here, bought other chicks, and didn't find those... Brandon, they are a…
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Sorry to hear you're having these troubles, I can't think of another solution but to keep them separate at all times, or keep the dog in a run or tie-line. Good luck.
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Hi Weemom, Everyone who keeps poultry, even one hen, is supposed to have a registration number. I got mine just by ringing up my local livestock office, number in the phone book, they will send you out a simple one-page form to fill out and send bac…
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Welcome sixtoes, if you think hens are noisy what would you think about cockerels!
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Welcome Steve!
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Welcome, books or online resources are great to have around, can help you out when trouble hits. Best luck with your hens, you'll have loads more eggs before you know it!
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It does depend on the breed and the individual, some will lay as early as 16 weeks, others especially of heavy fowl will wait till 24-30 weeks. You can tell when they're approaching point of lay when their combs and wattles get bigger and redder. Go…
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I don't see how fluoride would get from water in the incubator reservoirs to inside the egg and the chick within, you're probably a bit overcautious there, but no harm anyway. Good luck with the hatch.
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Hi Margaret, do you know what age the hens are? You can tell when a hen is ready to lay when her combs and wattles get larger and redder. Also you can pick her up and feel how wide is the space between her pelvic bones and the space between her pe…
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A challenging project, you need to have a specific look and purpose in mind and then breed and cull toward meeting that goal. Good thing is your founding breeds will make good eating when you cull! Good luck with them.
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Nice hatch! Hope they're all doing well still.
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Exciting! Don't forget to have a chick drinker and a chick feeder and chick crumb ready! I've found with dishes if they're too deep the chicks might hop in but then can't hop back out and get back to the hen, so they would get chilled, or drown in c…
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Pretty sure I've seen a red mills broiler finisher, I'm sure other brands make similar.
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Hi Anna, It's tough to introduce hens together. You need to take into account numbers in both groups and ages as well as temperment. Generally speaking you want to wait to put in the new birds until they are fairly mature, so point of lay age of abo…
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As far as I know you'd do well with a Jack Russell. You might ask around for one that's accustomed to ratting though, pet dogs probably have the instinct but a dog that's used to the work might be more in your interests. Also I'd be wary about trust…
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I've no idea what that cross would look like, it might produce a good table bird, but it might take a long time to get up to size. Indian game cross sussex is meant to be quite good though.
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Hope they're doing well Liam. I generally use kitchen towel for the first few days till they learn how to eat, you just need to replace or re-cover it regularly. When they understand where and how to eat I move them into a larger brooder with fine s…
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Yep Marty, that's what I've done, moving the hen and eggs in the evening as it's getting dark. Sounds like she's settling in nicely, hope the hatch goes well!
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Hi Mark, Sussex comes in several colours: Brown, Buff, Light, Red, Silver, Speckled, and White. Sussex crossed with RIR will produce a hybrid, this is a common cross involved in creating the hybrid layers that you buy at sales.
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Hi Emma, If she's been broody for a few days already, she's probably serious and will stick it out. She'll need a small pen of her own so the other hens don't interfere, and her own food and water of course, she won't eat much so many people feed lo…
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Hi GC, As far as I know, you can't do much to make a hen go broody, except be patient!
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Hi, If she is broody and sitting on eggs, then it may simply be a broody patch, which keeps the eggs closer to her body and warmer. But it is also a good idea to treat the hen with mite powder before she starts sitting. Hope that's all it is, good l…
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Glad to hear it
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It is easiest to pick them up in the evening when they are roosting in the coop. Put one hand on the back and the other beneath them with hand between the two legs and the chest resting on your forearm. You can keep the legs from flailing too much …