Recent content by dennisma1

I got down to one older hen once and she was obviously bereft when her sister died. Just standing in run staring into space. They def have feelings. She took to hanging with the dogs on the porch. I moved her into house in the kitchen at night. That perked her up. I bought some pullets...

Poop doesn't look too bad, white stuff is what passes for pee in a chicken. I wash them in Sink with a sprayer or a bucket. Had a few hens get fly strike. You have not lived tell you picked maggots out of a butt. Sometimes it just happens.

I'm going with fox. My old neighbors free ranged with no fence , birds roosting in trees, and I would see a fox go by every morning for a week like clock work at dawn when I went to work . Not sure if they wised up or started locking them up. I free range but inside a stock aid fence, but I also...

I had a coyote do this. I heard commotion and saw him book it over fence with hen. . I chased him with a shovel. All I got back was a head and a foot. Coyotes are excellent fence hoppers.

I am sorry for your loss. Do you have any broad spectrum antibiotics or soluble tylan? It can't hurt for rest of flock.

I hope this ended as a success story. I think one of my hens is egg bound so I appreciate the advice given to you and hope your hen survived.

I gave two roosters to neighbors down the street and feel the same way. We go visit too. One was always free ranging and he still remembered me and the dogs when i stopped by ( or so I assumed, he obviously thought the dogs were no threat)... they are smarter than most people think.

I'd make an escape hatch where smaller chickens can go. Luckily little chicks seem pretty darn fast and fly better too. So far I haven't had a chicken kill another but I know some breeds are more aggressive. I usually keep them in a separate partition in the run for a few weeks and let...

Yes I have one ( non nsolar) they do alert you that something might be out there. In my case it's usually rats but I've noticed less rats since the coyotes started hanging around. It's always a battle..

I like your thinking, I'd like one too that was solar. but is there a secure coop in the run? You definitely need both. In my experience everything wants to eat chickens, and some loses are inevitable. Just lost one to a coyote in the yard, but she free ranged for 5 years and had a...

I didn't read your article yet but I have snow birded with chickens from New England to Florida for 10 years + and chickens are excellent car travelers. Ive never had more then 6, split between 2 crates. I tend to put paper towels in the crate or cage over shavings to make Clean up fast...

She's puffed up already to keep warm. With chickens it's basically keep the coop from being drafty. I sometimes use a regular light bulb in the coop like you would use in construction if it gets super cold. it has a little cage around the bulb on an extention cord and i hang it near a...

Poor girl. I take it no bugs? Have you given her a bath? Mine usually seem to enjoy it and I use dog shampoo. I've never seen that, so sorry. The search function here is always a gold mine though.

Luckily I've never had two broodies at once, but my broody queen buff o always seems very protective of her babies as is kind of a jerk to the other hens . I dont think anyone could steal them if they wanted to. I do put them in a separate run lined with chicken wire inside the big run...