Recent content by Boneheadeb

I rarely use this site simply because the length of forum threads is too daunting. Some run into the thousands for replies. Who can slog through all of that? I understand if it is a chat thread, but my primary objective in joining was to quickly find answers to questions. I don't find the...

I have a broody hen (buff orp). She's been setting on eggs for over 2 weeks. Shortly after she started setting I marked 10 eggs and pulled the rest out. My other hens keep laying in the same box she is setting in, and I have been trying to diligently remove all new eggs. I'm not always...

I think it depends on the size of your coop and the size of your flock. I have a 4x8 coop for a dozen birds (give or take). They have an inside food dispenser which holds about 30# of feed and inside water elevated on a block, and extra outside water in a trough. I toss them scratch outside...

Also found another outside-the-yard nest, at the foot of a hemlock tree, with 14 eggs in it. That is my Polish Crested who is so light she has no problem flying to the top of the fence. She gets herself in and out on her own and now that I know where she is laying, I can nab her eggs. The...

I'm trying to search through some threads on this issue myself - and many of them get WAY too long for me to prowl through. I have 10 pullets and 1 rooster, all 5 months old, mixed flock. The pullets have started laying and I am slowly increasing my daily egg yield. One of the pullets went...

Due to procrastination more than anything, I have really done nothing, and they are gradually starting to use the roosts. Mainly because the nesting box is too small for all of them to fit. I'm particularly happy to find the rooster is not up on the roost, maybe the hens will follow his...

I'm noticing more of the chickens taking to the roosts lately, so will just see if they all eventually 'get' the idea. This is a young flock (5 months). My nest box is a larger 2-seater which may contribute to the night time nest box snuggling. I also have a vent/window behind the roost which...

Not sure I want to put my pullet in jail for 3 days. I assume she will eventually unbroody herself, correct? I don't really care that she's not laying during this process and would prefer to just wait it out. I'm really hoping it is a bit of a fluke because she is so young. Or I suppose I...

I have eagles and hawks also, and have seen them swooping over my chicken yard. So far, the rooster has been doing a good job at alerting the flock and getting them under cover (their coop is set up on stilts, giving them a pretty good hiding place). My neighbor directly below us has lost hens...

At this point, I don't want or need any more chickens. My coop is full. I plan to continue shoeing her off the eggs and hope she gets over her broodiness. Nice to know she will be a good mom-to-be when/if the time is right. Seems I'm going through a whole gamut of odd chicken behavior, and...

I have a buff orpington who is going broody on me. She is just barely 5 months old and started laying about 2-3 weeks ago. Everything I've read says they shouldn't get broody until they are about a year old. I have 11 pullets and 1 rooster (all same age). I'm getting about 3-5 eggs per day...

My granddaughter named my chickens: Roto & Sissory - Wellsummers Scram & Bulls - Russian Orloffs Violett & Blossom - Gold Wyandotts Mojojojo - Banty Bubbles - Polish Crested Karen - Brahmin The Blonde Squad - Buff Orpingtons that are indistinguishable from one another Roto ended up being a...

I gave her the boot off the eggs which she protested, then nabbed the eggs. An hour later, she's back setting in the corner, I assume on nothing, but all puffed up again. We're planning to be gone for the weekend, and I usually just leave them be, but may have to ask a neighbor to come gather...

He seems to be coming around. He still eyeballs me through the fence rather fiercely, but when I go into the yard with my trusty broom, he high tails it to the far corner. Not sure if I'd trust him with my back turned, though. Ha ha.

I have a buff orpington who I think is going broody on me. She's been on the nest all day today, puffing up, and is usually a morning egg layer. She's about 5 months old and has been laying for about 3-4 weeks. I'm still waiting for the rest of the hens to start laying, and don't need more...