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I have a chicken I *thought* had water belly; her belly was swollen and featherless, and she hadn't laid in ages. I tried to drain it using a large gauge needle, but felt like I was having to stick her too many times to get fluid— so today I opted to use a (clean! sanitized!) scalpel to make a...

I have a Cochin hen who is always sort of a mess— if it’s not one thing it’s another, though she always pulls through. This eye is looking especially awful though. I’ve brought her inside, washed her vent area since it was looking rough, and washed her eye with anti-microbial wash but…any other...

Hi there everyone-- One of my hens has a massive, water-balloon-esque belly. I checked and it doesn't appear that she's egg bound; I wondered if perhaps a broken egg was in there since she's laid especially soft eggs in the past, but that doesn't seem to be the case either (I tried to syringe...

I have some water soluble antibiotics but really want an injectable for when I have birds that aren't eating or drinking. Tylan 50 was, of course, my go-to, but since it's no longer being made I'd like an alternative. I saw TyloVet 50, which is supposedly generic Tylan, but couldn't find much...

We constantly have problems with scaly leg mites, and I’ve got a number of chickens whose feet are mainly scar tissue as a result. We treat as best we can, but yesterday one of my Spitzhaubens had these dark marks on her feet. It looks like blood from dryness/mites, but it wouldn’t wash off (and...

A friend has discovered that her first flock has mareks and is understandably devastated. She's already lost a number of hens, and can't decide if she wants to return the remaining three to the breeder and start fresh or just give these three a home for as long as they can carry on. She would...

Hi friends-- I adopted two older female rabbits from a local rescue that were tightly bonded together. Unfortunately, one died today. It's not clear why, especially given that they were given a perfect bill of health from the vet only nine days ago. :( This means I'm left with a single bunny...

I've got both my coops hooked up to rainbarrels, and I absolutely LOVE the simplicity of the system. I do worry, however, about what might be filtering into that rain water from the roof-- I have plenty of screens to block out leaves and debris, but nothing is going to stop watered down wild...

I just had a really nasty bout of a bacterial infection with my flock that I (and the state poultry lab) thought might be Avian flu-- it managed to take out two of my girls within hours of one another, and its pretty incredible that the others bounced back! While dosing them with antibiotics, I...

Hi everyone-- I have two rabbits but am fairly new to them. I'd like to put a higher volume feeder in their pen than the teeny one that's in there now, and happen to have a spare Little Giant chicken feeder. I can't see any obvious problem, but is there any reason why using this in the rabbit...

Hi all! I've been feeding my hens New Country Organics, and while I love it, I'm trying to save a little money for the next few months. New Country is $40 per 50lb bag, and I go through two bags each month (though hopefully less now that I've solved a rat problem!); does anyone recommend a...

I have built MULTIPLE variations, extensions, and adaptations of The Garden Coop design (www.thegardencoop.com) over the years, and feel like I've got a boatload of advice to give. I thought I'd start a thread here, since I know it's a very popular coop design, with my thoughts (in no particular...

I so appreciate the advice I got from everyone here about moving my rabbits to a wire floor enclosure! I think they are much happier and it's easier on me, too. They have an area with a flat floor, which of course, they like to use as a litterbox, but still-- it's an improvement! I have my...

I've got to use something to kill the poison ivy in my yard-- I'm super allergic and if it spreads, I'm in trouble. I'd typically use Round Up to murder it, but it's in an area my chickens occasionally free range in or around. My chickens don't free range often due to hawks, but I still don't...

I purchased two Little Giant style feeders that are supposed to cut down on food waste, and they very much don't for me. These weren't inexpensive, so I'd strongly prefer not to buy something else new. Has anyone modified theres in a way that results in less waste...

Hi all-- I'd like to get some outside thoughts on this before I start building. This is my bantam pen (save one Marans who thinks she's a bantam). I also use it as a growout pen from time to time. Right now, the henhouse/nesting box are on the back, as pictured. However, I need to convert that...

I have two older rescue rabbits and want to use their manure in my compost/as fertilizer. I've been giving them hay as their primary bedding source, but it takes a while to break down and makes the compost a little hard to handle when I'm using it in smaller pots. Anyone have an idea for bedding...

A friend and neighbor contacted me recently upset because the flock of white geese that has lived in their neighborhood pond for 10+ years was attacked, and mama goose didn't survive. She had been sitting on eggs, and they wanted to know if the eggs were still viable. I figured there was no...

I have six 3 week old pullets who (obviously) aren't yet fully feathered but are filling in nicely. Today I moved them to and outdoor brooder with a heat plate and a cozy amount of hay for insulation in a smaller, sectioned off part of the brooder; they've also got a Cozy Coop heater panel in...

I am expanding on the chicken coop and want to move my rabbits into it so they have more room. Right now, I have about a foot and a half of 1/4" hardware cloth apron around the coop to keep out mice and predators. Should I just wire over the entire bottom of the coop to keep the rabbits from...