Recent content by chickiepie

I do have her separated and she is doing better, but...I talked to my friend who has had chickens her whole life and she thinks that I should cull her. She is also eight months old, and not laying. She gets confused and has even run into the fence in an attempt to get back into the run. I had...

The story of Mike is real. I actually grew up there near Fruita, Colorado and have attended the Mike the Headless chicken Festival myself. The farmer was spending the day butchering chickens and Mike somehow survived the catastrophic injury. They traveled across the country with him to show him...

I thought I would add that I recently switched to a new kind of layer feed. I had them on layer, then went to get another bag and they gave me pellets for some reason. Arrr!! They wouldn't touch the pellets, so I mixed it with grower feed which I had for about a week til I could get back to the...

I just went to let out my hens for the morning. One of them was sitting there with her head flopped waaaaay back, face pointed up. I went to pick her up and she is just flopping around with no balance. I don't know if she can use her legs even. I moved her away from the other chickens, but I am...

Mine are 7 months old, and the last three of them just started laying in the last few weeks. Give them some more time. I know I felt like going crazy waiting, but they like to take their time!

My neighbor has roosters and says they crow when they hear his truck pull in or know he is home, so I guess its feasible that the would crow when they hear certain noises.

Congrats! Mine have laid one nearly every day since they started, but I suppose it varies by bird. And no, I don't think that now the other chickens will start by seeing her. They will start when their bodies are ready for it. I have had one laying for a few months, but so far only one of the...

Now, I don't have direct experience here, but I do think that a hen will go broody whether there is a rooster around or not. Also, I think it has to last more than a few days to be considered broody? Hope someone gives you an experienced answer!

While I have no problems with SSS, I think in this case it would not really solve your problem. You mentioned that you live next to a large preserve with lots of potential predators. Just because they haven't caused problems in the past doesn't mean they never will. With that in consideration...

I'm not a man either, but I would also say NO! I would think that it would be difficult to ever get it totally clean afterward and to keep them out of whatever 'stuff' you have in there. If chickens are legal in your area, and they aren't too loud, I wouldn't worry about it. I stressed myself...

I have two BRs and one is lighter than the other and has a bigger comb. She was the first layer, still waiting on the rest of the bunch!

I guess it just depends on how much you invest in them, especially initially. We built our coop and run very cheaply, about $100-150, and we give them scraps and let them free range some. They are just starting to lay and based on the amount of feed they eat, and the projected number of eggs...

I think you will have to put up a barrier if you want to keep them out. I think the garden is like a smorgasbord for them. I let mine out of their run for an hour or two in the evening, and it seems to minimize the damage, however I did wait til the summer after my plants had established...

From what I understand, and from my experience, they **probably** won't fly out, unless they are really flighty birds. However, I would also worry about hawks and other predators that could come in from the top. You can also clip their wings. There are posts here about that.

Mine really like broccoli leaves, watermelon, grass, and oatmeal.