Recent content by Brooklinechicks

thanks, I was wondering if that was what was going on....I wish I could give her some fertile eggs, the chicks would be fun, but I'm not allowed to have more than the four hens I do...will this pass after she's unsuccessful for awhile?

I have 4 2 1/2 year old hens, brahma, speckled sussex, rhodie and jersey giant. They have all been doing well until the last few days when, in 100 degree heat, the sussex won't leave the nesting box. I have taken her out, and put her in the run twice and she is just eager to get back into the...

Thanks for the thoughts...here's a little more clarity. I was granted a special permit to keep the hens, thus their home in the garage with the attached (through the window) beautiful run. I finished the run several weeks ago and can leave the window open for them from early morning to...

Hi all, I've had the hen house and a small run inside my garage for a year, long story having to do with accomodating the zoning board. Now that we've finally completed a beautiful run, attached to the garage so they can get in and out a window, they are not using it. Well, not entirely...

Hi. My daughter's favorite hen, an 18 month old Brahma, is losing feathers at an alarming rate from her rump area. The other three hens (all different breeds) aren't losing any. She also, the hen, not by daughter, made a very strange colored poop yesterday. She seems fine, we don't seem to...

Help? My newly legal chickens have been confined to a coop inside a garage for a few months while I've jumped through hurdles to keep them. The 18 month old brahma seems fine except for that she is losing feathers and has diarrhea. The other three chickens seem fine. I noticed the feathers...

I'm preparing to present an argument about keeping chickens to our town and I'm wondering when small cities changed there laws and what the current laws are....I'd love to include a list of cities with a comparable population density...approx. 8400 sq. mile. that have legalized backyard...

I would also love a copy of the brochure when you are done. I'm in Brookline, MA and trying to keep our four girls. I was under the radar, but then was caught. I'm thinking of this not only as teaching my daughter and her friends about food, but also a summer civics lesson. Get the kids...

Hi, I will be appearing before the Brookline, MA zoning board on July 2 at 7pm, any and all backyard chicken supporters will be welcome to attend. The current zoning requires chickens to be sited 100 feet from any residence, impossible throughout most of the town including, sadly, my own lot...

Hi everyone, I filed for a zoning variance today in Brookline Massachusetts in order to keep our 4 pet chickens. One neighbor has complained, otherwise we were roosting below the radar. Now I've got a summer civics lesson planned for my 9 year old daughter and her friends. What kinds of...

I'm thrilled to find this section just after I was notified that I am not in compliance with zoning here in Brookline, Massachusetts. While other local towns allow chickens within 30 feet of a residence, in Brookline we are required to situate them 100 feet away from all residences. This is...

Thanks for the feedback so far. I think I might not have been clear. The chickens are locked in their run all the time. We live in the city and the way the house and run were set up, it's very awkward to be rounding them up to get them to go into their house. If it is possible for them to be...

Three of our seven chickens were killed last week by a predator, probably a raccoon. I know we have them around here. I've patched the one narrow opening that seemed a likely entry point, but I'm still too anxious to sleep when the girls are not in their house as I'm not totally confident the...

I'm so sad, the girls were growing so quickly. I went to feed them and was horrified to find that a predator had found its way into the run/coop. Those poor babies. It killed three of my seven 8 week old chicks in a way that made me think it must have been a raccoon. I'd thought the coop was...

This is my first foray into chickens, into posting on a forum, and I really need some advice. We have a coop and henhouse that our neighbor built for us which we're in the process of modifying as we're learning more about what our 4 week old chicks are going to need. Right now two sides are...