FAQ

We aim to be a good source of information for new and experienced chicken keepers alike. We have included this section and will continue to work on it to provide as much help and information as we can. We welcome questions about any aspect of breeding or chicken raising!

WORK IN PROGRESS!

Incubating and Hatching

We sell hatching eggs and we carefully pack them to make sure they arrive in the best condition. Of course, there could always be issues. We can't control the postal service. Remove eggs CAREFULLY from the packaging and inspect for cracks or damage. If there are any cracks, do not incubate. The risk of the egg getting bacteria inside and going rotten is too great. Some people will seal any cracks with unscented candle wax but this is a personal choice.

Set your eggs pointy end down in an egg carton or tray for 24 hours after receiving them and before putting them in the incubator.

Incubation temperatures and humidity are a hotly debated subject, but I always incubate around 37.9-38.4C and I tend to prefer lower humidity during incubation (days 1 -18) with humidity levels being between 20% and 40% during this period. This is known as the dry hatch method and I personally find it works best for me. I then raise the humidity to 60% to 69% for hatching (day 18-21)

Everyone has their own preferences and what works best for them so it may take you some time to find what you prefer. There is lots of information on the internet on various ways to incubate and hatch! You can get lost for hours looking into it. 

I recommend candling the eggs around day 8-10 as this is when it should be very clear what has started to grow and what hasn't. By Day 10, remove any eggs that show no signs of development. Some eggs will be tricky to see through - especially Marans and Olive Eggers. When in doubt, leave them in the incubator.

On Day 18, I remove my eggs to a special hatching incubator that I have. It has no turner and I set the eggs in egg cartons. I find this works best as the eggs do not get jostled around by other chicks. If you put them loose in the hatcher, chicks can move the eggs around and cause problems for any chicks that are still unhatched. I carefully monitor humidity. I highly recommend buying extra thermometers/hygrometers and calibrating them (Google is your best friend when learning to calibrate!) I personally use an analog thermometer/hygrometer as well as a digital one that has an app on my phone where I can monitor temperature and humidity levels in real time. I like to have three different ways to check the temperature and humidity as I have found that the ones included on incubators aren't always the most accurate.

Brooding

Your chicks have hatched. Congratulations! You will want to make sure you have a brooder set up, a large Rubbermaid tote with a heat lamp safely secured over it is common. You want to make sure the heat lamp has TWO different ways that it is hung up. If a heat lamp falls, it is very likely it can cause a fire.

After your chicks have hatched, show them where the waterer is by gentling dunking their beaks into the water. The food they will quickly figure out on their own!

Check for poopy butt!!This is an accumulation of dried feces that can get stuck to their bottom and can quickly prove fatal. It is something that can happen to any chick but is even more common if they get shipped and change environments/temperatures. Thankfully it is a very easy fix - take a shallow glass, fill it with warm water and place the chicks lower half in the water. The feces will start to soften and can be removed carefully with a Q tip and then some paper towel. If the feces are not coming off easily, keep soaking. Chicks tend to fall asleep during this procedure as they love being held in the warm water. When the poopy butt is officially gone, dry the chick with paper towel and place back in the brooder. ((Important - a chick who got poopy butt once tends to get it again, perhaps even a couple times so be extra vigilant when watching them)

In the first week of life, chicks are supposed to be brooded at 95F. This drops 5F every week. The easiest way to tell if your brooder temps are appropriate - chicks who are at a good, comfortable temperature will be walking around their brooder happily. Chicks that are too cold will be huddled under the heat lamp. Chicks that are too hot will be splooted out in a circle, trying their best to avoid the heat lamps reach. This guideline is a very basic way to figure out if your chicks are comfortable. The brooder should always be big enough that the chicks can get away from the heat lamp should they need to. ((A heat lamp can be used or a brooding heat plate can be used, this is all down to personal choice but just be sure your chicks are comfortable!))

Chicks should be on either medicated or unmedicated chick starter up until approximately 8 weeks of age and then should be switched to chick grower. Once they get close to laying age (18 weeks or so) you can switch to layer feed. Please note, that hens will start laying at different times. Heritage and rare breeds such as the ones we carry are NOT bred to start laying as fast at they can. When your hens combs and wattles start to get redder, typically they are approaching laying age and you can start keeping an eye out for eggs! Provide a laying box, somewhere secluded they can feel safe and comfortable laying.

Pickup and Delivery

Please check out our "Delivery" page for more info on delivery routes. Pickups at our location are farm gate only or we can meet in Shawville, Quebec or Portage du Fort, Quebec. We practice strict biosecurity and we do not allow anyone on the farm. Why? To protect our flock from potential exposure to disease. Poultry diseases can be spread very easily and wipe out entire flocks. One of the ways they can be spread is on footwear. As such we have made the decision to have a closed flock and no visitors on property.