Recent content by 4myHennyPenny

Thank you all so much for your support and ideas about what might be happening. I'm trying to accept that there might not be anything else I can do, so I'm keeping my plans to visit family this weekend. If you do think of anything else, though, please let me know and I'll check replies on...

I've been mixing in a good cup of oyster shell in their feed (this is maybe 5% of their feed). They have it out as well, but I noticed they haven't really gone after it since being in their run with a lot more room (they're too busy digging up the remnants of grass). Do I need to somehow get...

I've been giving them oyster shell (mixed in with feed and also set out). I've been mixing their feed myself for the past 3 plus months with all organic grains: corn, wheat, kamut, millet, amaranth, barley, oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, dulse flakes, kelp, lentils, split...

LoneCowboy, thanks so much for the offer. I'm actually very near you. I have to leave for work in 30 minutes and was supposed to go out of town directly from there for the weekend to see family (dh was staying home to take care of things while I was away). Now don't know what to do. Is this...

Sage, the one who died this morning, is the same one we thought was sick right before she laid her first egg. Turns out that the behavior we thought was her being sick is typical of some first-time layers (squatting down a lot, leaning to one side and stretching a leg--all trying to pass the...

Two weeks ago we found our favorite girl, Henrietta, dead (6 mo. old BO just getting ready to lay). She hadn't seemed ill at all and we have no idea why she died. Our best guess after I posted earlier was Sudden Death Syndrome or maybe that she was eggbound with her first egg. Six days later, I...

LoneCowboy, how did the BO hatching go? Our favorite girl, a BO, died 2 weeks ago very unexpectedly (while laying her first egg, we believe). Our dd is crushed, of course, and really wants another BO. Just curious to know what's around us (though doesn't need to be right now), rather than having...

Thanks for your replies. Awful to have lost her, but hoping that it was just "Sudden Death Syndrome" and our other girls won't be afflicted. No more eggs from Sage yet, but our mean broad Wanda has been squatting a lot today--maybe a first egg for her tomorrow!

A week and a half ago I went in to check on my girls only to find that our favorite had died. We hadn't noticed any signs that she had been ill, but I understand they won't often be apparent until the chook is very ill. Anyhow, the other girls had pulled off a patch of the downy feathers from...

I'm considering raising some mealworms to give my girls some extra protein treats over the winter. I've read about caring for them on a couple of sites, and I'm a bit confused. One site said that they could be stored in the fridge (down to about 40 or 45), and they would become dormant. They...

Our DD also reached most milestones very early. And while she would, on occasion, use the potty even before age 2, it took her a lot longer to actually get the hang of it. Luckily, her doctor and articles I read discouraged pushing potty training. They encouraged allowing your child to come to...

Depends on whether you have banties or standards, but general recommendation for standards is 4 sq ft per bird for the coop. Run-wise, general recommendation is 10 sq ft per bird. These are recommendations; some people have used more or less space based on their climate, amount of time their...

Yep, alread tried there. I wonder if they'd consider ordering some, though. Maybe if they had it in and were the only feed store in the area offering organic, they might actually bring in a few new folks. Worth a shot. Thanks for the idea anyway, LoneCowboy.

Hi Chirpy, So far, looks like Turkey is actually a girl! They're 11 weeks old now, so I guess I can be reasonably sure if they don't have a large, red comb & wattles and aren't crowing, right? There was one other questionable in the lot, but it's an EE. Lovely, though. Very beautiful. I still...

Quote: I'm sure you've already thought of it, but be sure to use vapor barrier with your fiberglass insulation and seal it in as best possible. Another recent thread pointed out that damp conditions associated with coops can be a problem with fiberglass insulation as opposed to the foam board...