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I lost one older hen earlier this week. Fine in morning, dead in afternoon. She was eviscerated through the back end, guts and organs missing, no other marks on her body. I thought she had probably suffered a prolapse followed by cannibalism. Now, I just heard a racket in my poultry yard and...

A rose comb in a pullet chick is flat early on, never getting very big. If it's cockerel, it will start flat, but develop some elevations sooner than the pullet's.

I raise Wyandottes, and that looks like a normal Wyandotte 'rose' comb.They don't start to raise up for several weeks, and some stay relatively flat. Check out some pictures of Wyandottes and Wyandotte chicks to compare yours to.

I agree with 16 and me (and BTW Sammy is quite handsome). Roosters do best raised by chickens in multi-generational situations and not as pets (I do this with my turkeys as well - it saves a lot of injuries to juvenile/teenage males). If you want a pet, have a pet hen. I think genetics have less...

Mrs. K - I don't see the competition aspect. It's just a bunch of replies that show that there's quite a bit of variation in how long hens live. It's everyone's choice if they want to keep their old hens around until they die a natural death or move them along to the stew pot when they're no...

I would opt for turkeys or Guinea fowl. Turkeys are good for meat and eggs (seasonal layers), and Guineas are good for meat, eggs and tick control (if free-ranged), not to mention they are all just plain entertaining to have around. Peacocks and pheasants require more space management, ducks...

I raise turkeys and chickens. If you want healthy turkeys, get a Heritage breed as they don't have all the issues of the heavier Broad Breasted varieties. I have Standard Bronze which I raise for Thanksgiving birds.

I've had hens live anywhere from 1-10 years, mostly SLWs. My SLW roosters typically live 6-10 years, although I had one very special rooster named Trough who lived to be a whopping 15 years old! The majority that died before about 5 were due to predators. I now have some Easter Eggers, Olive...

What happened with your hatches?

How often are you candling your eggs? I only candle on day 7 (chickens) or day 10 (turkeys) then again when they're going into lockdown, unless I think I have a problem. Also, if your eggs are taking longer than usual, it may be that the ambient temperature where your incubator sits is lower...

I spent years with my coops covered in mesh and shade cloth. It was ok, but could be a mess when it rained. Then I redid things with corrugated metal about 9 years ago. I love it! The floors stay dry in winter (unless we get the sideways rain on a really windy day) and my birds stay a whole lot...

I raise Heritage turkeys in addition to chickens. Several years ago we raised a turkey that looked male and was bigger than the other males, but in every other way 'he' acted like a female, including hanging out and foraging with the turkey hens. (Turkeys segregate by gender when it's not...

I have a flock of about 20 SLW layers. I've been raising them for the past 20+ years, and for the first time, I had two of my mature hens (not first year girls) fail to molt this past fall/winter. Now that it's the end of April, they are laying regularly, but they have the most ragged looking...

Thank you! I just read a few articles on lash eggs - gross! I have many hens, so don't know who laid it, but I will keep an eye out for anyone looking off.

My girls are starting to lay again as the daylight period lengthens. I was collecting eggs yesterday when my hand contacted something in the nest box that was not an egg. At first I thought 'egg without a shell', but no - it felt more like hard rubber than the water balloon feel of a shell- less...

I don't like the metal ones either. They're ok at first, but you can't open them up to top off, you have to wait until they're almost empty. Then, after a couple years, they rust out. I'll stick with the plastic ones - they've served my birds well and lasted for several years - oldest one is...

I have 3, 5 and 7 gallon versions. I grip the 'bottle' with my knees then use both hands to turn the top.

I've been using these for decades, so have lots of experience with them. You shouldn't have to tighten it that much unless the o-ring is damaged. After filling, tighten it to a reasonable degree, then remove the lower black cap. Once the bottom pan fills listen closely to hear whether there is...

In addition to foxes, hawks and owls, I have also lost chickens to bobcats. Several years ago I lost some turkeys to a mountain lion.

I feed my chickens turmeric daily. It is a great anti-inflammatory. I use the powdered root and mix it into their fermented grains which are wet after being decanted, so the turmeric sticks to the grain. Never had a chicken or turkey refuse to eat it. If you're feeding pelleted, try moistening...