u/SpinachReasonable262

Sitting on my front porch, rocking in my rocking chair, eating watermelon and spitting seeds to my chickens.

I’m a newbie to smoking. After every cook I clean the smoker box, the water pan and the grates. How often should I be cleaning (if ever) the inside walls of my smoker? I have an electric Masterbuilt smoker 30” analog.

How do I open my smoker to spritz the food or check the water and wood chips without getting a painful face of smoke?

Sitting in my living room and I keep hearing a strange noise outside. It sounds like a goat bleating. After a few minutes I go outside to see what the heck is going on. It was a noise I wasn’t used to hearing coming from my yard. It was my French Black Copper Maran rooster trying to grow for the first time. Maybe he was crowing in French? My baby is growing up. 😢

When my chickens free range, they come up on my cement porch and wipe their beaks on the cement. Do you think they are sharpening their beaks to overthrow us humans? Their actions make me suspicious.

About 7:30 AM, my dog started barking and I didn’t get up and check. When we went to food the birds, there was a dead bird in our run and another bird STILL ALIVE with its wing ripped off. I have her wrapped in a towel. One bone that is her ‘shoulder bone’ is still attached. I can post a picture but it’s very gruesome. Cull her or can she survive?

I have a broody hen and I was letting her sit on 4 eggs. The other hens keep laying their eggs in the broody hens nest box. The other day, there was a cracked egg under her that got many of the eggs ‘icky, sticky’. I like to sell the eggs as eating eggs. Can I clean those eggs off with plain, unchlorinated water and still leave them on the counter or would I have to refrigerate the eggs after cleaning them with plain water?

Can any suggest a meat probe for me to use when smoking meats? I have a Masterbuilt electric smoker.

Will chicks regulate how much grit to eat? Will they overeat the grit?

Any guesses on what breed this chick might be? It kind of has cheek puffs.