Pretty country out that way! I've got 5 Welsummers, 3 Arabians (one is 30 and raised her from a foal out of my mare I bought as a 5-month old filly), 2 German Shepherds, a Decker Rat Terrier and 3 indoor cats. Looks like we think along the same lines!
Yeah, figured the blackhead was more HER problem than mine. I don't even feed the wild birds, much less the turkey. We have bobwhite and roadrunners all over as well. I spray my coop once a month for mites "just in case" and watch my hens carefully. I just wanted to know if there was a health...
I have a wild turkey hen "sort of" hanging around. I have a burn pile about 100 yards from the coop which of course has lots of ash. She loves to dust bathe in it daily around 4pm or so. I see her in my back yard (about 4 acres in the back) foraging, often within about 50 yards of my birds while...
We see "size" as a physical thing. Most animals do not. To them, size is an attitude/aura/general way another creature acts. The largest dog is not always the alpha. The largest chicken is not always the alpha. Chickens and other animals aren't human and often the problems that arise are of our...
If it's anything like horses, I usually find the lowest horse in the herd is the one who is most aggressive toward the newcomer, trying to make sure they don't go any lower in the herd order. Perhaps the low hen is trying to assert herself over you and the dogs for the same reason? Just a guess...
Next time you get birds with a min. and want to share, get 6 so you can split them into threes. You might ask the manager at Tractor Supply if you can get 2 more instead of 4. (most folks will recommend you never keep just 2, for the very reason you've just discovered-if something happens to one...
Eliminating a door won't make that feel like one coop. It will still have separate areas in each coop and therefore remain as separate coops.
The wood-tone coop is exactly the one I have as a quarantine coop for pullets. 4 is the maximum that will fit and then only as young birds - and I have...
I wonder if I can get my local feed store to carry that? Closest one is sorta by my Vet's office. Not that I go there often, as my vet comes to me, but it's only about half an hour away. Thanks!
You know you're a backyard chicken owner when you take all your dogs for a perimeter walk and look behind to see a parade of chickens coming with you. The.whole.10.acre.walk.
I've never found a layer feed with more than 16% protein. That's why I went with an All Flock (20%). My birds do great on it. They have a bowl of oyster shell to dip into whenever they need it.
DE does NOT act as a dewormer. Never has, never will. It's not a preventative either. Once wet, it is ineffective and I'm pretty sure if a chicken eats it, it's getting wet. Valbazen is an excellent dewormer as is Safeguard. Both are easy to get. Don't ever rely on ACV, garlic, DE or pumpkin...
You may also want to consider using shavings instead of hay or straw in the nest boxes. Not only do mites love that stuff, but it stays wet longer than shavings do.
I would have chosen "looks" except for me that means coloring that makes good camouflage for the birds, not necessarily "pretty" birds. But really, temperament, foraging ability and weather tolerance are my top 3.
I agree and I also feed Purina flock raiser. Higher protein that layer feed too. I keep a bowl of oyster shell on the side for anyone who wants it. They MUCH prefer this to the layer.