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Question :
Do I need to cut my birds wing/s ? Answer: Absolutely not necessary unless you have an insistent bird that continually jumps the fence. Some people clip wings just because they think they have too or someone told them they should, mistakenly thinking this is the thing that should be done to stop birds from flying over the fence. Poultry fences are best at 1.5m high, which is usually adequate for most birds, especially the larger breeds, once birds are full grown you will often get away with lower fences. If you find you have a chicken who insists on flying over and escaping, you could try clipping one wing only to start with, if you only cut the middle few longer flight feathers - leaving one or two either side this will minimize the horrible 'cut wing look' but I would only resort to this if absolutely necessary. Do not cut any feathers where it starts to thicken as this is where the blood supply is, and this would cause pain,blood loss and you will also run the risk of infection! If you spread the wing and look at the under side you can clearly see where the feathers meet the blood supply. |
Some of your frequently asked questions - all answered below for you.. Question : How do I introduce my new young pullets [or new Hens] into an existing flock ? Answer: Firstly young pullets under 18 weeks old are far too young to be put straight into a pen with older adult birds, or an existing flock - so will require introducing them slowly, which will require a separate house and area for them right next to each other so they can get used to each other through the wire mesh / fencing. If you have a large chook run / enclosure a good idea is to put another hutch or small chook house & run inside their area [a rabbit hutch or dog kennel & run or similar would work] or if you are able to put up a temporary netting fence, which can be taken away at a later date, as long as they have a cozy kennel box or similar to snuggle up in at night.. When times comes time to introduce new comers into the coop with your other birds.. If you have a hen or any pullets that you are having trouble introducing into an existing flock, try the following method. Take one hen from the main group (preferably one that's near the bottom of the pecking order) and put her with the "new" bird/s.. Watch to check that she's not picking on the new bird though, and after a few days [or up to a week] if they are getting on well - try introducing them all together into the main flock, so no one bird is ever introduced on her own to minimize stress and to avoid one bird being singled out and bullied. Supervise for a while and see how things are going and if the bullying starts up again, you may have to start over [or remove the dominant hen out of the pen] and try again, it is highly recommended you introduce more than one new comer at the same time, so one is less likely to be targeted and continually pecked at. |
QuestionCan ducks be kept with chickens ? Answer: Yes you can, although you will need to supply clean water much more often and change it regularly if kept together.. QuestionWhat size perch do my chickens require ? Answer: They will require a board to sit on top of, as apposed to feet curling round as aviary birds do.. Poultry do not sit like aviary birds do, with their feet wrapped around the perch like that of a parrot.. Chickens' feet (especially large breeds) sit flat on top of a board or perch, and this is where they sleep.. Preferring to sleep snuggled up next to each other on their perch for warmth & comfort.. So minimum requirements are at least 50mm X 50mm (fence batten) thickness or wider, preferably with any square or sharp edges sanded off. You may even use a piece of 4x2 using the wider flat side for them to perch on top of. If choosing a tree branch, it must be a good size, larger [thicker] tree branch and not a spindly branch or broom stick! |
Question
How long does it take to hatch a chicken from an egg ? Answer: 21 days from the day you set the eggs, so if you set them on a Friday, they would be due to hatch in 3 weeks time on the Friday.. QuestionHow come all the eggs in one nest all hatch on the same day under a hen ? Answer: Because when a hen lays one egg per day, she hops off & lets each egg cool, then lays another the following day, etc, etc, then when she decides she has enough eggs, she will start to sit on them, thus starting the incubation process, allowing each egg to hatch on the same day [usually] unless an egg gets cold, which can slow the process down and may cause them to hatch a day late. QuestionHow long does it take to hatch a duckling from an egg ?
Answer: Ducks take 28 days from the day you set the eggs. i.e. if you set eggs on a Friday, they would be due to hatch on the Friday 4 weeks later.. However Muscovy take 35 days [5 weeks] even longer than Geese which take 30 days! |
QuestionWhat should I feed my young growing birds ? Answer: You should feed newly hatched chicks on a chick starter crumb for up to 8 weeks of age.. Growing birds should be given a grower product. Do not give your young growing birds any layers products, there are many correct & suitable feeds products on the market for your 'growing' birds. Or you can make up a suitable feed mix yourself for your growing pullets. i.e. mix some crushed grains such as, kibbled maize, rolled barley & molasses & whole wheat together, (you can also add crushed peas and sunflower seeds) then mix the grain mixture 50/50 with 'Chick starter crumbs' or a 'grower' crumbled feed, or grower pellets once over 16 weeks of age. Once laying starts you can then change the mix to include a layers pellet instead of crumbs or grower. QuestionWhat should I set my Incubator temperature & humidity at ?
Answer: Temperature should be 37.5 *C Humidity should be at 55% all the way through till the last 3 days when it should be increased to 70% for hatching, when more moisture is required to enable a successful hatching by avoiding hard shells and dried out membranes.. The less you open the incubator door [or top] the better hatch rate you should achieve, as each time you open the incubator you lose built up humidity. |