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[Jelle]

Ah I think I figured it out, I forbade the eggs and now mother bird is keeping them nice and warm in all peace and quiet.
I'm looking forward to seeing little elk bird chicks.

Another thing then, is there some way for me to figure out how much space a single domesticated grazer needs? I know about the grazer amount value, but hwo does it translate to space needed? I'd love to figure out by experimental science, but it seems silly to risk my lovely birds dying out.
Right now they have about the maximum zone size pasture. The cursor won't allow me to make a larger selection.

[PremierMeridian]

Is there any way (including using outside programs) to find the caverns beneath my fortress without having to blunder about mining for years and years?

[Jelle]

Finding caverns shouldn't take to long, just dig a staircase down and you'll find one within an ingame season most likely.


My elk bird female is still sitting on her nest box, however she has gotten a brown downward arrow (hunger) but she refuses to stray from her eggs. Is she starving? Halp!

Okay I allowed my dwaves to collect the eggs stopping her from hatching the things and she got herself something to eat. Still I do want those eggs hatched. What do I do?

[DTF]

Ah I think I figured it out, I forbade the eggs and now mother bird is keeping them nice and warm in all peace and quiet.
I'm looking forward to seeing little elk bird chicks.

I am fiddling with poultry in my current fort. Took 3 hens with me, let them egg and waited for the eggs to hatch. I made 2x2 little rooms with a locked door for every hen and waited.
At some point the youngs hatched... which must have been a very explosive process. Some of them hatched right through the door. I then had 30+ poults, useless, cluttering and fighting amongst each other. Started to butcher them all at one point as they weren't useful at all - eggs arent really vital as a food source. And sadly, neither are poults - they give almost no meat, no bones to work with and only one leather. Funny enough: the grown up hens havent layed any eggs since then. Probably traumatized by what reproduction can unleash.

My tip: dont bother with poultry. Get 2 Llamas instead, they give wool, leather, bones, meat, milk...

Is there any way (including using outside programs) to find the caverns beneath my fortress without having to blunder about mining for years and years?

DF Hack -> dfreveal.exe. It reveals the whole map, I use it too to find a proper way through the caverns for my staircases.
Unless you want a visit from the circus you'd better NOT unpause while the map is revealed. Hearing the circus theme for the rest of the game because you accidentally unpaused can get very tiring.
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Utilities#DFHack

[Jelle]

I don't know elk birds have horns and a high value multiplier, I see a lot of profit in this.

However if I'm not mistaken your hens do not need to graze no? I have the problem if the bird starts hatching her eggs she stops eating it seems.

After I had the dwarfp ick up the eggs I had him drop them again, however the bird didn't seem interested in taking them under her wing again and they ended up rotten.

[Sphalerite]

My elk bird female is still sitting on her nest box, however she has gotten a brown downward arrow (hunger) but she refuses to stray from her eggs. Is she starving? Halp!

Okay I allowed my dwaves to collect the eggs stopping her from hatching the things and she got herself something to eat. Still I do want those eggs hatched. What do I do?

It's a challenge.  Elk Birds, uniquely among the egg-laying creatures, need to graze.  They won't graze while sitting on their eggs, and if they move off the eggs for a moment the eggs die and won't hatch.  You have to let them sit and hope that the young hatch before the mother starves.  I don't know if this is possible at the moment.

[Jelle]

Oh damn sounds risky. She just laid another batch of eggs and I guess I'll let nature have its way this time. I just hope the damn bird doesn't die.

Thank you for the info.

[shadenight123]

why not trying with more than one elk bird?
i mean, make sure there are four.
close them in a 2X2 room, with all the needed, (maybe entrap them in a cage or something, and then free them but don't let them out) and wait. maybe they will "swap" and the eggs won't care as long as they have a "elk bird" on top of them, even if it's not a mother.
it's just theory, but what could hurt to try?

[Jelle]

I only have one so far. I'm only half a year in the embark and the second female bird that came along managed to slip away.

[shadenight123]

I only have one so far. I'm only half a year in the embark and the second female bird that came along managed to slip away.

wait the liason caravan and place top priority on elk bird cage, (if there is).

now i do have a question: teaching how to swim to dwarfs...how? throwing them with a catapult in the ocean doesn't seem to be the right way. or tied to a ballista arrow for what it seems.

[Jelle]

My previous fortress had a lot of succes in that matter (the one in the sig). Basicly I made a 3/7 filled dwarven bath house, turned it into a meeting hall so that idle dwarves would occasionally take a dip.
Removed all the filth and grime and gave them some skills in swimming if I recall. Or was that when I forced them to go into 4/7...I'm not sure.

[DTF]

now i do have a question: teaching how to swim to dwarfs...how? throwing them with a catapult in the ocean doesn't seem to be the right way. or tied to a ballista arrow for what it seems.

Fill a room with 4/7 -  6/7 water and let them stand there for a bit.
It's like a danger room for swimmers.
You can get them in by assigning them to a miltary squad for the time being or by using a burrow.
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Swimmer

[kardwill]

now i do have a question: teaching how to swim to dwarfs...how? throwing them with a catapult in the ocean doesn't seem to be the right way. or tied to a ballista arrow for what it seems.

My miners and haulers all got swimming lesson when the stupid little creeps understood that going THROUGH the cistern was 5-steps shorter than around it when they had to haul ore between the deep mines and the furnace-level stockpiles. Of course, the "Urist Mc Stupid cancell hauling : dangerous terrain" spam and the numerous iron ore boulders at the bottom of the cistern was "somewhat" distressing.

I'd say : Have a 5/7+ bath in a place the dwarves have to go through (the tunnel leading to their quarters?) They won't be happy, but they'll learn fast.
Or use a "swimming pool" burrow, perhaps. It would require a little micromanagement, though.

[Jelle]

Oh yes now I remember that was when I pumped it to 4/7 to see what would happen.

Also w00t the eggs hatched, and the mother is alive. So to anyone wondering the same yes the birds do reproduce in a natural way.
She went straight to laying more eggs, I guess I'll need to stop her right there as she really should get some food now.

[Klaerth]

I had a legendary marksdwarf/hunter get caught outside the fortress by a goblin ambush, and I have a couple of questions afterwards.

1) What is the easiest way to tell a member of the military to run? Will they flee combat if told to defend a far away burrow, do they have to be removed from a squad, etc.?

2) He managed to survive, but barely. So many limbs broken. He has healed up as best as he can now, but has a good deal of yellow damage that shant go away on its own (on about a dozen different body parts), along with some nerve damage. If I were to wish to try and cure this up by less-than-legitimate means, what would be the way to go about it, if it is indeed possible at all? Right now he can walk and care for himself, which surprises me. I'm not certain if I will heal him up if there is a way (he could serve as the grizzled, scarred veteran that shambles around telling the youngsters tall tales of his exploits!), but I'm rather tempted, and would love to know if a method for it exists.