Recent content by BonnieBlue

She only spends a couple of hours in the morning, and that is it, then goes about business as normal. But this morning was whiney while there. I have found a couple of feathers, but since they all love that one box, not sure if her or another of the three girls. (I do have another one tho, who...

One of my hens, 9.5 months old, has really slowed down laying the past couple of weeks. Through her laying over the past three months, she consistently went 8-9 days laying, a day off. Two weeks ago she gave me 4 eggs before a day off. Now, she has laid 2 eggs in the past 6 days, not having an...

I never thought about crayon. Good idea. I just ordered some grease pencils, which should be similar. Also good to know no need to bake egg shells, since I haven't been!

Thanks for all of the input. I knew to check the birds and roosting bars, doing the looking for the white smears on the bars. It's how I check for mites on plants. The rest is new and good info. I don't have mites now, but if I feel like they may have them, and checks are positive, I want to...

I have sand in my coop, and I am wondering how it should be treated when treating the coop for mites or lice. On top of spraying the inside of the coop well, and changing the nesting box material (shavings), do I also need to change the sand? I am unsure if mites and lice can live in sand.

I did shavings for a couple of months while it was cold (cold being a relative term). I absolutely hated it. I put sand back in a couple of weeks ago, and it is so easy to scoop out the poop each morning after I let the girls out. 5 to 10 minutes and it is cleaned well. Granted, it is only a 4x4...

Thank you. I ended up throwing away the mash with the eggshells. They didn't like it and it just sat there, whereas they usually would shank each other for it. I'll try bigger pieces and see if they will eat it that way. If not, I'll just wait for the oyster shell to do its thing. Luckily, rn...

I have those rat shot rounds for a .22 revolver for snakes. They tend to jam pistols. I have never tried them with a rifle, because of the malfunctions with pistols.

1. A rifle does not take bird shot/shot shells. Those go in a shotgun. 2. Bird shot and buck shot are not the same thing. 3. Depending on how close, a dog will not just be "licking out all of that xxx shot". More likely, a dog is going to end up at the vet getting small steel balls dug out of...

Regarding advocating shooting the offending dog: 1. Please do not underestimate how much worse that could make matters. Are you prepared for the fallout of that action? Retaliation? Legal/civil action? Retaliation could be quite destructive or deadly. 2. Do you have the marksmanship skills to...

My girls will be 8 months old this week, and have been laying beautiful eggs for two months. A couple of days ago, I noticed that their calcium/grit feeder (one unit with dividers) had gotten the divider loose, and the calcium and grit were mixed together and there was not much calcium left. I...

I am feeding Nutrena Hearty Hen, which is 18% protein, and they get a handful of dried mealworms each day. With calcium and grit on the side. And a few handfuls of fresh garden greens each day as a treat.

A pretty girl. My girls are almost 8 months, and their eggs generally between 1.85 and 1.95. You are getting what I am hoping for, so that's good to know!

First the sheriff to file a report. It will be on record. Hopefully, you have pics. Everything has to be documented as well as possible. If a visit to the offending owner doesn't give you an agreeable resolution, then an attorney. Often, just a nasty letter from an attorney outlining what you...

I don't know your growing zone (I am in 9a), but satsuma are a citrus tree that are fairly cold tolerant. Some varieties more than others. Plus, you will enjoy them too. I have them in the ground, and in large planting tubs. The ones in tubs get brought to my porch for a couple of the colder...