Recent content by Cierra

I have a flock of three barred rocks and two brahma's- and two of the BR's have just started to lay. The first BR to lay has been laying for about two weeks. The first time she laid, she made a RACKET. I was worried my neighbors would complain if it kept up, but she has quit it since, and she...

I have 2 Light Brahmas and three Barred Rocks, all at 24 weeks. Only one of my BR's is laying, but I expect one of the other BR's will join her soon. At 24 weeks my Brahma's faces are still pink (not red), and their combs and wattles small. We're in the same boat!

Good luck!

I heard a story about someone who had the same problem- what they did was cover the coop at night with a dark tarp or blanket, enough to make it dark in the coop. The birds stayed quiet while it was dark, then when it was late enough that the noise wouldn't bother anyone, uncover the coop, let...

Sounds like they're molting. Chickens molt about once a year, and during that time they will lose feathers and stop producing. Here's a quick link: http://backyardfarming.blogspot.com/2009/10/backyard-chickens-molting.html But if you google "chicken molt" you will read some descriptions and...

Whew, I'm glad you went with the standard bulbs. There was a story in Mother Earth News, I guess there was a woman who lost her flock to these bulbs, and she contacted GE. GE offered to pay for the cost of her hens when they were chicks, but that's not worth much. Especially considering the time...

I have a super precocious hen, Cooter, who keeps getting out of the coop, despite the fact that we clipped her wings. (I'm not worried, she free ranges on the yard in the day and goes in the coop at night). A few days ago, I came home from work and she had flown out of the run, across the yard...

She laid it right in the nest box! I'm certain that it is one of the Barred Rocks, exactly 21 weeks old. It's a little one- And people laughed when we put ceramic eggs in there...

Yes, you have to use a certain bulb! Mother Earth news covered this story, but I also found it here: http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/7/7-5/warning_teflon-coated_light_bulbs_toxic_to_chickens_the_full_story.html

I'm so sorry to hear that. Hope your missing hen makes her way home. Sometimes kids learn a lot that way...

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I've built a good sized coop, but I'm not sure where I could house three chickens seperately for 30 days. What do people typically do in this situation? I don't think a partition would be an awesome germ barrier. Do folks keep a smaller enclosure for situations...

I did some poor chicken math when I brought my chicks home in May, and I need to round up my flock by three. There are some 6-month old chickens for sale on Craigslist right now, and I'm thinking of getting three. My question- I am worried about introducing disease into my disease-free coop...

Hahahahaha, you guys have it made! Here if you're buying from a local person who keeps chickens for hobby, you can get them for $5-7. At the farmers market, pastured eggs go for $7-8.

They have a sizeable run behind the coop, and the next stage is adding a small additional run below the coop, so they could go outside when it's raining hard. Do you still think we should stick with 6 hens? I've seen so much conflicting info about how many hens per sqft.

My boyfriend built this beautiful coop for my birthday, and we just finished painting it! It's a modified purina coop, enlarged to 4x8'. Only thing we would do different- we disagreed about the colors, so we tried to compromise. BAD DECISION- we are both not pleased with the colors. We should...