I do have an electric fence, and those little *+#$%@*$ still figure out ways to grab a chicken when they can. It’s not just my coop that I am reinforcing but their already multi-layered run area. The elec. goes aroung the whole enclosure!! I am beginning to think that there’s nothing critter...
Thanks all!
Luckily no other health issues for any of my girls!
My biggest battles are against raccoons, and I have 1 buff orpington that gets a bit bullied ( but I am hoping to remedy both of those things soon).
Ugh! So sorry:( Been there—I’m in the Hudson Valley and have been battling losses to raccoons since I got my first chickens 3 yr. ago. I am currently making my run & coop area seriously more secure than fort knox. The crafty varmints have gotten my girls late afternoon, while my dogs were...
Well, just in case anyone is interested... yup, Mabel has pox. One of my buff orpingtons just started showing some lesions also.
Bummer, but they seem ok ( it really seems to bother me more than them). Can’t do anything about the virus itself, but have added some supplements to their water just...
She’s not molting yet, still in great feathers. Not exactly sure when her last egg was, but doubt if it’s been more that 24-48 hr ( based on total egg count).
I will get a pic tomorrow am to post.
Thanks so much for your reply!
hi! I have a 2 yr. barred rock hen that suddenly looks very old and wrinkly around her face & eyes. She seems to be fine otherwise— in good body condition, normal droppings, active. I haven’t checked closely enough for mites ( what do facial mites cause to the skin?) but she isn’t rubbing or...
Thanks for featuring this in the email! I have a small mixed flock (2 rhode island reds, 1phoenix, 1 barred rock, 2 buff orpingtons) and the buff orpintons are definitely getting picked on. I never really see bullying in the yard, though you can tell the phoenix is “alpha”. I am thinking it’s...
This thread was so helpful! I have been toying with the idea of letting my gals have the whole yard ( fenced but certainly not “secure”) during the day. Now I am certainly only going to do that when we are home. I have lost single chickens to racoons ( & maybe other predators)over the years...
I'm sorry about your ducks. Just had to replenish my small flock of chicks due to a rascally raccoon and a few unexplained illnesses. I love the chickens,but find it hard to deal with the inexplicable deaths--we've had some autopsied at Cornell with no answers ( I was afraid of Marek's and bird...
I have a question for the electric fence user-- are the chickens exposed to the fence too?? how do they do?
I have lost 3 chickens to raccoons (they are STEALTHY!!-they don't leave a trace, but I saw footprints in the snow...). They don't come TOO frequently, but I want to discourage them from...
Hi! This may be a real dumb question,sorry, but i'm a new chicken chick... Anyhoo--just finished building our coop and realized we didn't include any actual "shelves" for the birds to roost on inside the coop itself--not a big deal for us to add them, really, but didn't know if it's a "must...
Hi! I'm new to the site, & to keeping chickens in general. We've just finished building our coop (a project 2 years in the making!!!) and I'd like to get some "older" chicks--looking to have about 6 total, I'd like them to be maybe 8-12 weeks old or even more;do people sell them that old?
I...