I’ve had the Ador for about 6 or 7 years now, and can’t recommend it enough! I change the battery about once a year, just to be safe. It is mounted inside the coop, and even though I bought the remote light sensor, I never installed it. The door opens & closes fine with the light coming in the...
I’ll sometimes mix a handful of pellets in with scratch and throw it in the run. I know that it will be eaten long before it gets moldy. Inside the coop, I use pellets a lot. It’s dry, no need to worry about anything going bad and I don’t have to worry about it being too many treats. If I’m in...
I always rehydrate when giving anything freeze dried. I hadn’t really thought of the swelling, just the fact that it is so dry and hard. I had freeze dried blueberries, great in pancakes after rehydrating. When I decided to give some to the girls, I mixed them up with some feed and made mash for...
I have used lights before to keep my girls laying during the winter. I had 2 timers, both plugged into one extension cord, and used clear LED Christmas lights that went around the walls inside the coop.
I had them both set to turn on at the same time, but turn off at different times so that...
I painted the floor of my coop with Black Jack 57, it’s made for roofs but works great on a coop floor. My walls aren’t painted, but I wish they were and it’s on my to-do list for this summer.
I did add OSB (sort of like plywood but it was cheaper) to the walls, but it really isn’t necessary...
What breed is she supposed to be? Is she eating & drinking regularly?
If she is, and seems healthy except for being fat & lazy, I’d say she might be a meat bird that got mixed in by mistake?
My last couple batches of chicks were started with the mama heating pad, it worked great for me, and lots of others.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/
The last batch I did right in the coop, I think it was about mid to late...
I have 4 boxes stacked 2x2, because of the Silkies I used to have. Mostly the girls I have now use the top right box, with top left second favorite. But it seems that whoever goes first starts the trend, and there will be a lot of eggs in one box. I have a couple heavier Buff Orpingtons, I think...
Saw this on the local news and thought some here might like it.
https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-emu-escapes-leads-owners-police-on-chase-through-several-towns-city/42829954
Chickens LOVE lobster! They get the shell bucket any time we have lobster, and everything is picked clean in no time. Some will just peck at them a little here and there after the initial excitement of a new treat, others will tear apart the bodies & work on them until there is nothing left...
I had 2 silkies (the white ladies in my avatar, R. I. P. Lavern & Shirley). Lavern never roosted, she would bed down in a corner every night. Shirley sometimes roosted, but would usually sleep beside her sister. I tried making them a low roost, but they never used it. I ended up putting a...
I've always cooked any meat they get. They only eat raw if they catch it themselves. I've seen a silkie (the white one in the background of my avatar) swallow a frog whole, with the legs kicking.
I bet she’s even cuter when she’s not covered in chicken poop. LOL.
my beagle does the same if she gets the chance. She tries to sneak in the coop or run with me any time she’s out while I’m tending the girls. Luckily she can’t get to the compost pile, it’s out of range of her invisible fence.
I moved last year, about a 20 minute drive. No boxes, just folded down the rear seats of the SUV and put down an old blanket. More than enough room for the 8 girls I had at the time. Within a few miles my RIR (RIP Nutmeg) was working her way up front to get petted and see where we were going.