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I had 5 healthy adult ducks this morning, this afternoon I found my WH drake, a WH duck, and a KC duck dead in the yard. All were on their bellies with their heads turned backwards, as though napping; all were barely warm to the touch. I cannot find a bite mark or a blood drop anywhere on them...

When I slaughtered by first three Pekin ducks, I learned that I'm not skilled enough to use an axe. So, the second three ducks were put in a cone and I tried to cut the artery and bleed them out. The ducks did not die as quickly as they should, so I was perhaps cutting in the wrong place or not...

I'm rather new at keeping ducks, and I'm wondering what to expect with a runt duckling. I mail-ordered a box of ducks including 6 Welsh Harlequins. One of the females is 4 weeks old and only half the size of the other females. My plan is to keep two females for the eggs, and a drake, but sell...

I have a broody coturnix who is sitting on about 10 eggs in a tipped-over flower pot. She lives in a colony with 11 other adults, I think 4 males. I want her to be able to successfully hatch and raise the little ones. I don't know the best way to accomplish this. 1) Should she be separated...

I have a quail with a severely crooked neck, as in its head appears to be coming out of its shoulder. I certainly don't want to breed this bird,but should a bird like this be used for food? Another bird is about half the size of its brood mates. It had crooked toes on one foot, which somehow...

I had my sick hen x-rayed today, and she has no signs of tumors or internal eggs. Etta is a 3-1/2-year-old Sicilian Buttercup, small for her breed, and her breast is downright bony. She's been waddling for about a week with a distended abdomen. She has laid eggs only rarely for the last year or...

My first ever attempt at hatching, with a new incubator, isn't working out so well. I bought the machine about a year ago, but only now have had time and resources to use it. I put 28 Pharoah quail eggs in it set the temp and humidity according to the manual. After 14 days I stopped the...

I want to raise coturnix quail for meat and eggs on a small scale in an urban setting. I'm not finding much information on how to breed birds to preserve or improve the colony, how to keep records, when to cull, and so forth. Does anyone know of a good reference/tutorial for managing a...

I've come up dry on researching this topic. What are the symptoms of fowl pox in very young chicks? My broody hen has dry pox. The chicks are 10 days old. My questions are --Since they have been exposed already, is there any point in separating them from the mama? --Do chicks this age...

I'm concerned about a broody hen. This is only my second time managing a broody, and she's been "in the mood" for about two weeks. I decided to go ahead and put some hatchery chicks under her, but it is not working out as easily as my previous broody hen. When I brought the chicks home, I...

This pretty bird was supposed to be a girl, but that comb and those wattles look rooster-ish to me! This chick is only 5-6 weeks old. I've never had this breed before. Can a pullet develop features this quickly or do I have a cockerel? Thanks! Judith

Someone brought me a feral hen who was taking care of a brood of 10 chicks when she was attacked by a possum or raccoon. The chicks are all gone. I'm not sure how to help her. She was injured several days ago, so her options are limited. She is part of a flock that went wild and is living is...

I heard a loud thud while out my yard late last night and discovered my 6-month-old Wyandotte had fallen off the roost and tumbled down the ramp. I picked her up and looked her over. She was sleepy, but appeared unhurt. I put her back on the roost. She seems fine today. My questions to the more...

Is this Silver Lakenvelder chick on the left -- with the dark head -- too pretty to be a pullet? Or is it too early to tell? Her comb is slightly more developed than the comb on the lighter-headed bird. But it's not as prominent as the Golden Lakenvelder rooster, either. All three of these...

My 9-wk Turken got pecked rather badly. She has a wound on the back of her neck and hole in her throat that I think goes through her windpipe. How should i attempt to close the wound? I'm afraid she may have to be put down, and I'm a total wuss/newbie at all this life & death chicken-reality...

I'm looking for excuses to not cull this Blue Wyandotte. At 2 days, the comb area was dark and the beak was straight. At 26 days, I notice that the beak is getting crooked and the comb is not developing the way the other BWs are developing. In other posts on crooked beaks, I see people keeping...

One of my Cuckoo Marans looks like a text-book cockeral: silvery feathers, larger comb, wider barring, and pink legs without the shadows on the shanks. I need to sell three of these birds, so I don't want to risk misleading potential buyers. I'm also new at chicken raising. They are 26 days...

I notice a distinct difference in the size and shape of the wing feathers on these 8-day-old Golden Lakenvelder chicks. I ordered pullets, but two of the five Gold chicks have the shorter wing feathers. I also have five Silver Lakenvelder chicks, all of whom have the longer feather pattern. Do...

I'm building a chicken coop, but I don't know what in the world I'm doing. I need to add a small window to provide light and air. I don't how to go about this. I was thinking of cutting a hole about 6" x 15", attaching hardware cloth to the inside. The wall is 1/2" plywood. I need to be able...