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I have 5 australorp hens and a roo in a tractor for fertile collection. Recently 1 is laying eggs with light brown specks on the outside of the egg. These "barnacles" easily scrape off with fingernail but I've never seen this. Anybody else?

Wasn't sure how to title this one. My question is: is a molting still rooster able and interested in covering the hens...i.e. Is there any fertility loss and does molting make a chicken or just kinda feel crappy. I know I'm not interested when I feel crappy. And while I'm asking of this...

I had a thought and wondered if anyone here had experienced with using cayene powder in chicken feed to repels rats. It is a common technique in backyard bird feeders to keep squirrels at bay. The birds seem unaffected and I suspect its a mammal issue thus rats would be repeled but the birds...

Seems I read somewhere that hay was a bad thing as the chickens can gorge on it and get impacted. Can find that now so im asking here. Reason is that 3 or 4 times a year I till the run and bust a bale of straw over the freshly tilled earth. Chickens have a grand time for 4 or 5 days and it...

Noticed freshly dug earth beneath the bricks that support the nest boxes that protrude from the back side of the house. Went and removed the ramp up to the boxes. The tunneler has gained access to the house and there was tunneling about 3-4" in diameter the was about 3-4" deep. With long...

Sorry for this long post but hopefully the details will help with diagnosis. I have 3 houses and 2 tractors: 1 tractor has 23 pullets the other has a single roo, a lil house w/3 hens & caged run. 2 bigger houses with caged runs both covered to prevent aerial assaults but there are areas up...

A wise old beekeeper is quoted as saying "God sent waxmoths to punish lazy beekeepers." So I qualify as lazy. Some improperly stored equipment has a waxmoth infestation and im now spending my day cleaning up the frames and supers. I plan to feed the mature larva to my chickens but there are...

Bought 25 mixed brown layers from a hatchery. I'm rather new to chickens...only 3years...and only blk Australorps. Since my primary objective is eggs for consumption and sale I only got these for a little variety on our lil farm but now would really like to know what they all are. Was...

There seems to be plenty of discussion about house cleaning but I see nothing about run maintenance. Im interested in hearing how folks maintain the runs. I have 2 6X10 houses with 175sq ft runs. One gets so soggy after a rain that I put a roof over the run. That helps but not enough. Im...

I have about 30 young chickens housed together, all hatched here in 3 different hatchlings, each group being about 6 weeks apart. Still able to tell the youngest group from the others but the 2 older groups all look alike. Last week I had one, think it was a cockerel, just wandering about...

I'm rather new to chickens having just finished my second year. I have 14 2+year old hens in my laying house/run, 26 22week old housed with 14 14week old in another house/run and 22 3 week old in the brooder. And a rooster with 3 hens In another smaller house/run that supply my hatching eggs...

I have 14 black Australorp hen that are contained in a cage run. They were purchased as "about 1 year old" 14 months ago. 2 have developed a issue recently: they are balding. The feathers on their heads are receding. There is no other signs or symptoms of illness. They are feed a free...

Newbie here with chickens for one year. 15 black Australorps as layers and 3 hens and a roo, in separate housing,for collecting fertile hatching eggs. Small incubator and have hatched 41 chicks in 2 incubations. Intend to sustain my laying flock and grow meat birds.

I have 15 black Australorp laying hens. They were bought at 1 year of age. About a week ago I noticed one hen with poor color to her comb. Over the next few days she appeared to become more lethargic but continued to eat (I never saw her drink). 3 days ago she stopped coming out for afternoon...

I have 2 brooders going. 1 has 13 5.5 week old "chicks" (heck...they are too big to call clicks) and the other has 21 2 week holders. How long should one continue feeding starter feed?