I did observe them this afternoon and saw the boss hen (Shirley) pulling her feathers in that spot. Lucy is the lowest hen and then run her around, but it usually just takes a look or feint. It seems that Shirley is specifically after the feathers and not pecking the skin.
here a few more closeup shots from this morning. The feathers were completely white last week but now are showing her usual red color. They feel rough (new??) but don't appear broken. They look like when one of the older girls molted last year but she wasn't limited to this area on the body...
Actually not sure if these feathers are cushion or tail coverts - hard to decide based on diagram I saw.
Anyway...Top photo was taken Jan 22, 2016 and the bottom, blurry photo was taken today Feb 27. Lucy is 7 months old and is as friendly as ever. She is one of 5 hens - no rooster - and the...
the roosts are not high at all. This is the inside of the chicken tractor, which is all I have right now. And I have put one of those stick on LED lights in the corner for them. It's not super bright, but hopefully makes things less scary. ;)
So far my two girls haven't sat on either of their roosts (2x4, wide side up or 1x2, wide side up), that I've seen. Before I got them, their living quarters did not have any sort of perch or nest box for them. At least one has figured out the nest box, but they both just sit on the floor like...
Hi Joan,
yes, there's a good sized chicken run in the planning stages. Trying to get thru holidays and hunting season before throwing something new at the hubby!
I got two chickens from our Mosquito Control sentinel chicken program. They are about 10 months old and have been laying regularly. They have been handled frequently and are very tame. I'm not sure of the breeds. The white one is Laverne and the brown is Shirley. Since I only had a week to...
I also have sentinel chickens and just brought home yesterday afternoon. ! Here's a pic of them in their new chicken tractor. they are friendly and calm, having been handled a lot as part of the program.
Sorry for duplication! I think I posted this in the wrong place earlier and am unable to delete it. Have mercy on an old lady! :)
I am plotting and planning my coop design, trying to reuse/recycle as much as possible. I have been checking out floorplans and examples on here and other sites...
I am plotting and planning my coop design, trying to reuse/recycle as much as possible. I have been checking out floorplans and examples on here and other sites. I have noticed that most of the photos of people's coops are pretty enclosed, with maybe a window or two and vents, but solid walls...
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I have never had chickens myself.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now? I will be able to pick up my two sentinel chickens this week at work, once the current mosquito season is over (yeah, right! there are always...