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I was going to post the same thing about the feathers being like armor. It helps me, particularly with a rooster to use the blade of the knife to part the feathers and be sure your knife edge is against the skin before you make that cut, and then cut HARD with a long stroke. I'd rather over do...

I've been raising Freedom Rangers for the past six or seven summers. It has costed me somewhere around $2.50/lb finished butchering weight to raise, including something for bedding, heat lamp bulbs, purchase price and shipping, but not including anything for building the coop/run or my time. I...

So I watched some videos and went about candling the 5 eggs that were under the broody hen this afternoon. Unfortunately they are all Wellsummer eggs, so they have a very dark brown shell. One seemed completely dark, couldn't see any light through it. Several had dark blobs, around the size...

Thanks for the advice. While I've been raising chickens for over 7 years now, and have had several hens who go broody, it's only been two summers with an adult rooster. I'll have a plan ready in advance next year, figuring out how to make a part of the coop protected. Do you feed and water...

I've just watched a few videos on candling. It seems a good way to tell if the egg has a chick inside, but how do I tell if it is a viable chick or whether perhaps it has died?

Last year when one of my hens went broody, I set her up in a separate enclosure with a quiet nesting box where she successfully hatched one of 6 eggs (it was a young rooster and I blamed his age for the low fertility rate). When the hen decided she was done being a mom and it was time to...

I'd like to add that altitude may impact your success with CX. I tried several times and always had a high mortality rate. I've raised Freedom Rangers for the last 6 years and am very happy with them. They take another 2-3 weeks to reach a good butchering weight (Roosters averaging 5lb...

It partly depends on the weather here in Colorado. We can get snow up through May. My current Freedom Rangers are a little over 5 weeks old and I plan on moving half of them to the 4X10 coop this weekend. Right now it has 4 young rabbits in it that need to be butchered, so assuming I get that...

I have read about people having broilers that they keep for long periods of time, even pasturing them. I think the secret would be to limit their food so that they don't put on weight too fast for their bones and internal organs to handle. Perhaps being with your regular layers will motivate...

I'm in agreement with sawilliams above that there are almost a few losses which meat chicks. Do keep an eye for pasty butt though, I handle all my chicks every day for the first three or four days and look for any that have poop crusted over their vents. Stress and dehydration can cause this...

I've raised Freedom Rangers for maybe 6 years years, this year and last starting with 50. Once they are out of the garage brooders half go into a 4'X10' coop in a maybe 1/4 acre fenced run and the other in a mini-van turned chicken coop with an attached 12'X5' tractor/run. We have a lot of...

I think you've already received some good advice about Cornish Cross and the need to supplement their feed. I have read stories about people pasturing CX with good results, but be warned that they will lie out in the sun and overheat and die if the sun is where the food is. They will need lots...

Just checked and now they're saying -7F instead of -17F, so I guess things are still in flux. Either way, pretty cold.

Well, the good news is that the worst of the cold will happen (if all goes as predicted) between Friday night and Monday morning, so I should be able to check the run pretty regularly. I figure I don't want to lift the box and actually check on the kits during this period, because I'll just let...

AAAAAH! Now they're saying -12F Thursday.

It will probably get down to -15F several times this winter. The end of this week it is forecast to get down to -7F.

Here's what the burrow/drawer looks like this afternoon. It is partly buried in shavings, dirt and straw. The calico doe is sitting on top of it.

My colony has warm sheltered places that I thought were appropriate for adult rabbits to get out of any wind. It is inside an outbuilding that has three walls and a roof, so it has some wind protection and is out of the rain and snow (other than what might blow in). The rest of the colony is...

Perhaps I should start a new thread, but thought I'd try here first. My colony situation has been working pretty well. I do have a new issue right now and I could use some advice. I just came home from a 19 day vacation leaving all my rabbits, chickens etc. in the care of my adult son. I...

How very sad. I think if it were me I'd try to capture the free-ranging rabbits and then butcher them for the family table. I never asked if you are raising these rabbits purely as pets or whether they are lifestock. I know that wild rabbits in my area have all sorts of predators to deal with...