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I live in southwest NM and want chickens who can deal with heat, drought and hunting raptors. I got random-breed hens from a local guy and have collected others at farmer's market and a rooster from a fighting-bird breeder. The rooster wouldn't fight. None of them claims any breed, but they...

I got some hens from someone I suspect may have been breeding fighting cocks and rejected them for not being violent enough. I got one hen who killed everyone else's chicks, so I put her in the stewpot. Then lately, I discovered a hen chasing broody hens off their nests and breaking eggs...

You seem very diligent. I just kicked a dozen chicks out in the yard, making sure they found the food and water and letting them decide for themselves where to spend their days and nights. I have 2.5 acres fenced in 6' chain link, with a henhouse they go in when they want (some of the chickens...

You could check that they are getting enough calcium and Vits D and E. Some might need more than others and show it with inadequate toe growth. That said, it will probably correct itslef.

This is abnormal. He got some mutant genes or something. Me, I'd cull him. Nobody needs an aggressive roo, unless you are going to fight him. Or give him as a gift to someone you dislike if you hate to kill him.

Do your chicks have enough room? Food? Establishing a pecking order is normal, but that's pretty extreme punishment. Make sure it gets enough clean water and high quality protein.

Your gander might have been fighting the critter, brave boy.

It's an owl. That's their MO. And they move territories to visit good areas once in ?several years?. I had my first owl this year. Kept the chickens locked up 6 weeks and it moved on.

Do you have another hen that would prefer to brood? They differ from breed to breed and among individuals. There's no forcing one. In my limited experience (a neighbor tried it), chickens break brood when moved.

They are "supposed" to die when exposed, but I have seen eggs take 35 days to hatch because the hen did not set well, so they must have been able to wait until she could get back to grow some more. Me - I hate to kill living things off just because the chances or percentages are small. I'd let...

10 X 10 is small for that many, even with one (or no) roosters. My book says 4 sq feet per bird. The rooster fighting depends more on the breed, or the particular rooster than it does on space. I've seen 2 roosters with fifteen hens very happy, but they could be let out when the owner was...

I like buff orpingtons because they are versatile, friendly (one regularly steps on my foot when I feed and I have never cuddled them). They are meat and egg, and quiet (don't fuss when they lay or fight over food). I have three different breeds and an Orpington is sitting on eggs for me now...

One thing: if the seed is hybrid, you might not get back what you planted. In that case, the corn seed you buy is better. But in Virginia, I planted out of the bag (15 rows of 50') and got only three cobs with any seed. I planted those back the next year and got a couple dozen better looking...

Most of rooster behavior is genetic. There are people who breed roosters to fight and some of those genes might be in your flock (not true if you have bought purebreds.) I like to interbreed my chickens, swapping out the rooster every 2 years. But I get rid of any rooster that attacks...

Pyrenees take 2 years to grow up. They areknown for playing too hard when young. They grow up to be great protectors. If your dog knew what you meant when you scolded it for killing chickens, it might never again be a problem. They are good hearted, just strong willed.

I had a G.P and he never killed chickens - perhaps some do and some don't. They need training to establish human dominance; otherwise, they decide how things should go and dominate the barnyard. My guy never offered to run away. He stuck with the goats when they went out to browse. His...

That kind of aggression is in his genes. Another rooster will be fine no matter how you trick him or rooster-dance with him. Remember that some people in the US still raise roosters to fight. Just like attributes like meatiness or egg quantity, fighting is genetic.

Oh, that's good news. Maybe they are succeeding after all. When it gets warm, I'll let them keep their eggs and raise a family.

It's because they make the move, give up, and try again. After several tries, he gets off, dances, and gets on again. She sometimes stays there and sometimes gets up and shakes herself, then, with the dance, squats again. They finally give up. I don't see the mutual get-off-crow-shake self...

My rooster does everything right, the ladies are patient, even eager, but they can't complete the cloacal kiss. It seems like they have too many feathers. Does anybody clip the chickens' butt feathers? I'm in NM and the temps rarely go below 20 degrees, but they have great, thick coats. I...