Recent content by TN Chick Mom

We added an 8'x12" covered run and used clear poly for a section and smoke grey for the rest. We had to have 8" panels for each side so it wasn't the cheapest and we don't have the cap on it. We had some very hot days for TN and it was not an "oven" under the clear. It does get some build up...

I'm having this exact issue with my Prairie Bluebell Egger (Willow), who was consistently laying 6 days a week at the start of the day. I noticed 2 things: I caught (on camera) my black Australorp (Rue) pecking Willow and chasing her away from the nesting boxes (5 hens, 4 boxes). Then today as I...

Our weather has been absolutely erratic, but it's been in the mid-80s the last two days and my girls already seem to be struggling. It is normal for them to struggle with the first hot days/weeks? My Prairie bluebell seems to be absolutely miserable. They are all around 1 and we didn't move...

I've been using pellets in our coop for a few months now, switching from wood shavings which absorbed nothing. Sand is too heavy for our elevated coop and it's hard to get here and too heavy to lug up and down all our hills. I didn't wet them at first and my girls were NOT fans of walking on...

My Daisy Lou, our olive Egger, died in my arms tonight. She layed yesterday and was the first one out into their play yard today when I let them out midday. When I went down after work, she didn't come greet me with the others. She was standing with her beak a little open and would gingerly peck...

I wanted to share a different POV. We started with the largest pre-fab coop/walk-in run we could find with a goal to allow free range time everyday. I went into it knowing our 5-6 girls would outgrow it at some point but it was already tipping what I was comfortable spending as a 1st timer. I...

Thanks! Now that we've almost been through 1 full calendar year, we're trying to think about it with a year-round lens because the area gets next to no sun in the fall/winter. We thought a small area of clear would let some in since all our girls love to sunbathe. We're not quite ready for the...

(aka project 🖕u hawks) When your sunroom looks like and smells like Lowe's (according to a certain resident 16 yr old 🤣), something big is afoot! We're *finally* adding an 8x12 outdoor palace for my girls after too many hawk close calls. It will be OMG-so-much-white-paint with black hardware...

At long last... Splash Marans for the win!

Yes! We are anxiously waiting. She's our oldest and still no egg. We call her Lily the last chicken because she is usually the very last hen in every night and now she's the last to lay. 🤣

Thank you. I think I finally found her. Splash Australorp. And if so, they are my two mean girls but we love them anyway. We ended up with a lot of brown layers.

Does anyone know what our Lily might be? We bought her out of an Ameraucana bin at a local feed store but not sure that was right. Her comb and wattles look more like our cuckoo Maran. But we don't see any copper in her coloring. She's close but not laying yet (7 months old).

My husband built her a transitional condo (more like a shack but it served its purpose) for her to be out there during the day. After a very long transition and just having to let her figure it out, Willow is officially an outside chicken and with our other girls! Saddle jackets are helping for...

Thank you! She's a prairie bluebell egger

It seems all our spring 🐥 are starting to lay. We knew our cuckoo Maran was close so I've been checking each day. I was a little later going out today (damn job) and so sad to find the first egg in the run. Not sure if it was stepped on or pecked and we no idea who laid it! But, someone actually...