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"If I understand correctly, you are feeding layer feed and then offering oyster shell on the side, right?" Sorry to take so long to get back, I thought that I had clicked onto getting your replies directly via email but apparently not. Yes, layer feed and oyster shell on the side. I even mix...

Hi, it's been a while. Our 4 hens are healthy and fine but one of them is laying very fragile eggs that break as the hen gets out of the nest. The other 3 hens eggs are just fine, only one hen has this thin shell problem. I give them oyster shell and feed that is fortified with Ca but the...

Ok, I placed the mirror on the outside of the run so that the hens would see themselves thru the fencing and not feel threatened. At first they were shy, then curious, then after one day they just ignored it. So not much reaction at all. After 3 days I removed the mirror.

This is a question alone the silly lines, but has anyone placed a large mirror in the run or coop to see how the chickens would react to seeing themselves? I've got a large mirror to get rid of and was curious if it's a wise idea or not to place it in the run. I wouldn't want the hens to react...

Update : Just over 2 weeks now and things have settled down a little between the new & older hen. Placing them on the same roost at nite does allow them to sleep together in peace but it's not a quick fix. Once they wake up it's jump and run time. But the new hen has learned how to manage...

Thank you so much for the wise advice. The attacking wyandotte (finally spelt right?) has been the sweetest of all the 3 hens so we were surprised at it's anger towards the new young hen. We scolded it but probably to no avail. I'll try your "sneak her in at sleep time" idea to see what happens...

Hi there! I searched but could not find a similar situation as mine, so here it goes... We presently have 3 one year old laying hens and yesterday my neighbor gave us one of his younger 3 month old hens. All 4 are the same size now so yesterday we placed the new one in a side-by-side run so...

Thanks Nupe, that's a good idea as I do give them fresh collards almost daily and that probably takes them away from the regular feed. I believe that my local feed store stocks pullet feed too at 18%? and will check to see what they have to offer in the way of high protein poultry feeds. I also...

Howfunky, it's 16% protein layer feed. No animal protein products in the ingreds. Maybe I should up it a bit? But I think this pecking Buff just does it because it can and it likes it.

Yes, the Buff is eating the feathers. But it gets the same layer feed diet as the other 4 hens which do not eat feathers. All 5 hens also get plenty of "greens" and hi-protein snacks each day. I have read that feeding it a little meat might help? Open to other suggestions.

Hi Folks, I've read several threads here and on the injury site about this problem and suggested solutions. My situation is 5 hens with lots of living/run space, little or no stress. But 1 Buff is pecking the other 4 hens butts and neck areas and will not stop it. This 1 Buff is the only one...

Quote: Yes, the run area is 8'x12' (6.5' high) and is fenced in 100% with 1/2" mesh hardware cloth. The hardware cloth (stiff wire) is buried under ground below pressure treated 2"x10"s and extends away from the run on all sides by 15" so digging underneath it is prevented. The roof is...

Thanks a bunch for all the replies and experiences. Nite time temps here rarely drop into the single digits so I'll stop worrying and relax. Just wanted to be sure. Perhaps I'll disconnect the heat lamp unless it really freezes up here.

Thanks for your quick thoughtful replies. My coop design is based upon the Purina design where the ventilation is passive via front and back 1.5" gaps each 4' wide just below the N/S facing roof ends. The heat lamp does not point directly at the hen roosts but rather is aimed at the floor of the...

This is more of a behavior question. My 5 hens (10 months old now) prefer to roost outside of their coop at night and now that it's getting colder here (mid 20's at night) I'm wondering if I should force them inside their coop? My coop is 4'x5', has 2 roosts and 2 nests for the 5 young hens...

Wow Thanks Krista! Lots of good advice there! Some things I have already done such as a roomy coop and run for the 5 hens (1 Leghorn, 1 Wyadnette(sp), 1 Black Sex Link, and 2 BuffO's. It's one of the Buffs that's the pecker and it has plucked a few feathers off of all of the others except the...

This didn't seem right to me so thought I'd seek advice. Our hens are now 9 months old and I noticed some rough feather patches on a couple of them and wasn't sure if it was early stages of molting or something else. Today I opened up the nest box and found one hen sitting there while another...

Final update : I fried the tiny egg this morning and to my surprise it did not have a yoke, only white. The End!

Thanks for responding! Updating - She is back to normal size eggs now so not sure what went haywire. Not stressed as far as we can determine all 5 appear as happy clams, nice roomy coop & run, 5 hens in a 4'x5' coop with attached 12'x8' run with extra run area under the coop which is 22" off...

Hi there, Our young Black Sex Link was laying excellent eggs since August but the last 2 eggs were small, esp the last one this morning which is the size of a Robin egg. She seems ok in health and behavior. Our other 4 asst hens are doing just fine. Thanks for any insight and answers as to this...