A white Americana named Marshmallow escaped my yard and flew down to Dunkin Donuts in Roslindale, MA. A Good Samaritan picked her up and took her to Animal Control. I went to retrieve her but was told I can't have her since I don't have a permit. I had to release her for adoption. If anyone...
It's normal. Since she's a new layer, she's probably surprised by the new feeling in her body. My girls actually will chuckle for a while AFTER laying. I think it's a way to say to the other girls, "Hey, Hey, Look at me. Look how great I am I laid an egg!"
I once had a bird that had a horrible injury -- possible from a predator and probably made worse by pecking by the other hens. Her chest was torn open and and skin was falling off and it looked like I could see her bones.
I took her to a vet friend who didn't know chickens but thought I...
I just returned from Traverse City and saw a ton of backyard coops while I was there. I had no idea they were changing the laws. In Boston we're still trying to make hens legal. Are you losing your birds?
I use the deep litter method as well but find I need to clean twice a year. Besides the litter, the amount of dust the girls produce from their feathers makes entering the coop a harrowing experience for me. I never have any problems with smells, but how do you handle all the dust?
I use a heat lamp on a timer that I hang so it shines right onto the water. It goes off at night and on in early morning. It doesn't take long to melt the water if it has turned to ice unless it was an extra cold night.
This is the cheapest solution I have found.
My favorite thing about my chickens is when the weather turns cold and we let them free range the yard. Their favorite place on a sunny day is right outside our south facing deck, just lounging in the sun. We love to watch them out the window. Sometimes I feel like I could sit there all day they...
I have new rooster too and have hand raised him from a chick. "She" was the sweetest friendliest bird, but I wonder now if maybe what you are describing is what is happening to my bird. I'll be keeping a close eye on him.
That is hilarious! It reminds me of a story about Maple Syrup my father told me once. The newspaper came to interview my dad about making syrup and at the end of the interview the guy say, "So I've seen how you tap the trees, transport and then boil the sap, but I missed the part where you added...
I'm new to this site but not new to raising hens. I started raising chicks in 2008, lost three to raccoons the first year, then lost one to heat stroke and another to old age. Now with three old ladies who lay occasionally, I've started a new batch of mixed breed chicks in the spring. Since my...