 One of the most common questions folks have asked us before taking home baby chicks from our farm is whether they should use heat lamps or brooder plates. In this post, we’ll go over the pros and cons of each and share what we use as a heat source for baby chicks.
1 Comment
 Splay leg, also known as spraddle leg, is a relatively common issue in newly hatched chicks. Fortunately, if addressed right away, splay can be treated fairly easily.
In this post, we’ll show you the simple method we’ve used to successfully treat splay leg in chicks when it happens, and the preventative measures we use to prevent splay leg from happening in the first place.  Ready to hatch your own chicks using an incubator but aren’t sure which model to choose? We got you. We’ve been hatching at home for years and in this post, we’ll share our favorite incubator models and how to choose the right one for your farm or homestead.
 Do you have a broody hen? Want to help her become a mama? In this post, we’ll talk about how to help your broody hen adopt day-old chicks successfully.
 Are you wondering if one of your hens has gone broody? Broodiness puts additional stress on a hen, so it’s important to understand the signs of broodiness so that you can give your chicken the care and support she needs. In this post, we’ll share the unmistakable signs of a broody hen.
 In this post, we’ll go over five ways to break a broody hen humanely. Watching a hen raise chicks is a beautiful experience, but there are also many good reasons to discourage or break broodiness in your flock. If you’re sure you have a broody hen and won’t be providing her with eggs or chicks, then breaking her broodiness is the best thing to do for her health and well-being.
 Got a broody hen? The first hatch with a broody hen can be nervewracking, but don’t worry, we got you! In this post, we share our best practices for hatching eggs under a broody hen, so you can set your hen and her chicks up for success from the start.
 With a bit of trial and error, we’ve found a safe, reliable packing method for shipping hatching eggs that works for us–and I’ll show you exactly how we do it in this post.
One of the most common questions I get from folks who don’t have chickens, but know that we ship hatching eggs all over the U.S., is this: “How in the world do you send eggs in the mail without them breaking?” They are often surprised when I tell them that preventing breakage during transit is easy. The trick, though, is to pack an egg well enough that it not only doesn’t break, but also develops into a healthy, thriving chick. That, my friends, is no small feat–especially when shipping and incubating conditions are outside of our control. Once the eggs leave our hands and enter the labyrinth of the USPS, their ultimate fate is beyond our influence. They will face unpredictable handling in transit, and experience a range of incubation conditions. Our part in ensuring a good hatch for our customers is to pack their eggs with the utmost care. Of course, there’s more than one effective way to pack hatching eggs for shipping. I’ll also share some general best practices for shipping eggs, and discuss a couple good alternatives to our method.  An Ameraucana hen and her three babies. If you’ve ever experienced a broody hen, you know they are fierce and determined as they sit on and protect their eggs. They are also a great way to expand your flock, as they will incubate, hatch, and raise chicks for you.
On the flip side, she can be an unwelcome disturbance in the flock, especially if you don’t have fertile eggs or young chicks readily available. They also often need their own space, but they don’t pay egg rent. Not only that, but broodiness can put a real strain on your hen. In this post we will look at both sides of the broody coin: how to support and care for your hen while helping her become a mama, and how to break a broody if need be while minimizing stress to her.  Two bantam Salmon Faverolles from our hatch last week. Wondering why some of your chicken eggs failed to hatch after three weeks of careful incubation? In this post, we'll go over how to perform an "eggtopsy" aka breakout analysis. This process will help you troubleshoot your hatch and improve your hatch rate next time.
|
Hi there.We're just two shy chicks who are passionate about raising poultry. On this blog, we share what we've learned from decades of chicken keeping and breeding rare poultry on our small farm. 
No more guesswork! In this free guide, we recommend poultry products we've tried, tested, love, and actually use on the farm.
Grab your copy here! 
Categories
All
|
©
The Silver Fox Farm