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My chickens unscrewed a compact fluorescent lamp that hadn't been used for months, so heating/cooling cycles cannot be a factor in my case. I decided to allow them to rest naturally over the winter this time so I didn't use any supplemental lighting. Not only did they unscrew the lamp, which...

Personally, I prefer a metal water container over plastic. Unless you're absolutely sure of the plastic material, you could be leaching harmful hormone-disrupting chemicals into the water, whether it is heated or not. Overly softened water can leach out such chemicals as well. Chemical...

Congratulations, Janet. That first egg is a thrill to see, along with the knowledge that your former pullet is an "online" layer now. My birds are on strike due to the upper-90s temps — 99 today! I've started putting a big chunk of ice in their water pan every day around noon, but it's not...

Ha. Yes, when I saw "longhorn" it gave me a chuckle picturing what such a chicken might look like! "Cluck-cluck, moooo!"

Welcome, Roody. I'm in north central near Horseshoe Bend. Since the weather is getting chillier, how will you manage your new chicks? If I may suggest, you might use a brooder box that's heated and protected from the elements. You might be planning to do that already, and there are some...

Mine hatched in early April — looks like I have at least a month to go before we see an egg, perhaps after New Year's Day. Thanks for the perspective. I supplement light in the coop to provide 13 hours a day, so I hope that will make a difference.

hofhine68, Are your Buff Orpingtons laying? If so, how old were they when they started? I think mine may be late bloomers...

Weevils may provide extra protein, but they reproduce like mad and after three episodes of bringing weevils home from the supply store, I've stopped buying layer pellets in paper sacks. The paper feed sacks where I live have holes in them when they're manufactured, so weevils have easy access to...

My original three BRs from 2012 have not molted yet. They started laying in early October 2012 and haven't lost their feathers yet. Only one is currently laying at all, maybe twice a week. There are no tell tail signs of a molt whatsoever. Anybody else experience a three-year, no-molt interval?

So sorry about that. It's high time to make some changes to your hotwire setup, and it won't cost you much at all. My neighbor had the same problem using a single wire, so he made a double-wire system. The first loop is about 4 inches off the ground, and the second is 5 inches higher, or 9...

For inside your coop, you might consider using a Thermo Cube (model TC-3) with a securely fastened infrared heat lamp plugged into it. The TC-3 automatically switches the current on at 35F, and off at 45F. Your Silkies will thank you. Farm and ranch stores stock them, or you can order them...

Yes, it stinks to lose a chicken to any of those varmints. I lost four healthy young cockerels to 'coons on two occasions during 2012. I've since beefed up my security to foil any attempts on my chickens, and got a new dog that keeps watch. She's a Mountain Feist who lives to attack any threats...

Hi Miriahb, and welcome! Batesville is where we go when we need to "go to the big city!" Up here in northeastern Gizzard County we don't have a lotta places to go — 'specially after 5 p.m.! Our flock consists of 3 Barred Rocks, 2 Black Stars, and 2 Buff Orpington youngsters (one's a boy). I...

Bought a couple of Buff Orpingtons last week that were supposed to be pullets. They're probably six or seven weeks old, and it turns out one of 'em's a cockerel. His pecked-off tail should've been the clue, but there had been a lot of pecking where he used to live so I wasn't sure and neither...

This past May, my five-year-old BR rooster's seizures were getting worse and lasting longer until one day he was down more than he was up. The hens seemed to know that Buster was getting worse and gathered around him for a whole week, as if saying goodbye. During that time I had to place him in...

Just bought two last week. One might be a roo. Can't tell their age, but they're growing fast.

Our big BR rooster had been in excellent health for four years, then he started to fall over on occasion. He'd squawk, do a little "break dancing," then get up like nothing happened. He'd crow just like always, eat and drink normally and bed down with the girls in the coop at a night. We figured...

How is your possum situation now? Ours has gotten worse. This cold and snowy winter has them looking for easier sources of food and water. We routinely let our chickens into the garden in winter to scratch it up and eat weed seeds. For the past few evenings our dog has gone berserk up by the...

I've been lurking for a while. We're up in the northeast corner of Izard County with five hens — 3 BR, 2 BSL — and one BR rooster named Buster. The girls have been batting 600 and 800 every day lately, which is a big improvement from just 10 days ago. The ground is finally firming up around...

Consider pallets! We had ice, then goopy mud when it melted, so I put down wooden pallets for us humans to walk on our paths through the yard, sort of like a boardwalk. Then it dawned on me to place pallets around the coop to give our girls and boy a place to walk with firm footing. If snow or...