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What would happen to the pecking order of a small flock if the bottom of the pecking order was removed? If detail is needed, I have one hen that is an outcast. She’s always alone and often picked on. She’s a Wyandotte and the rest are australorps and I am considering rehoming her to a flock...

I’m trying to decide if its a good time to rehome my little guy. I have 4 two month old chicks that I’m working on integrating into a flock of 4 year old hens. Turns out 1 (maybe 2) of my chicks is a roo. One has definitely found his voice. Unfortunately, I can’t have Roos in my city so I have...

I have 4 one year old hens and 4 two month old chicks I’m working on integrating. During the day, they seem ok. There is some pecking order drama going on, but nothing major. They spend most of the day free ranging and spending some time in the run (200sq ft) staying on opposite sides of the...

I have a 2 week trip planned in august and don’t know what to do about my flock of 6. They are super high maintenance: I live in a neighborhood where all our houses are fairly close and when my girls aren’t free range, they are super noisy. I can’t leave them out all day or they destroy the...

Quick background story: I’m on my second mini flock. My first flock of 4 all turned out to be hens. (Nice work Hatchery!) Now I’m on my second flock of 4 - which I hatched myself, so the chance of getting a roo is much higher. I only want to add 2 more girls to my established flock, so I’m going...

Ok, I was super confident in my ability to hatch some eggs. I hatched a quail in a cheap incubator as a kid so I figured I could do it - but after reading Gail Damerow’s book on Hatching, I’m super worried I’ll mess things up (unhealthy chicks) or get no chicks at all. I’m ready to give up...

My hens won’t eat their food. I got a new brand. Could that be it? OR We give them treats and that seems to be all they are interested in, which I get, but we havn’t given them any treats for over a day and they still won’t touch their crumbles. They have just started laying, so I’m worried...

My new egg layer is being so good and going into her coop to lay her egg. HOWEVER, she moves the nest, I’m assuming not intentionally, and the egg is cracking. How can I keep the nest in place??? See photo. You can see how the nesting material is sliding out and there are dark spots where the...

I have 4 chickens that are now exactly 4 months old. One Austrawhite, 1 Wyandotte and 2 Australorps. The Austrawhite has laid 2 perfect, but tiny eggs over the past 3 days. The other 3 haven’t laid anything but there have been 2 globs of egg with no shells found around the yard. I’m not sure...

I’m curious to hear stories about people training their chickens. Mine will come when called and follow anything that looks like a meal worm. Can yours do anything more or special? Share your stories with me!!

My young chicken, about 5 weeks old frequently shakes her head. She’s been doing it for a couple weeks now and seems otherwise healthy. It’s almost like she has a tik? I know this is not the cause. Does anyone have any ideas?? I have a video, but can’t seem to list it. Here’s a photo of her...

Hello chicken parents! My chicks, about 3 weeks old, can’t seem to get enough roosting. They keep hopping up on the brooder walls and it looks painful for their feet. Can I bring a large old peach tree branch into their indoor brooder? I’m worried about what they might peck and eat off the wood…...

I live in a place with very hard water, so we soften our whole house. Outside, the spigot is untreated water. Our dog hates softened water, honestly, I hate the taste too, but it’s just so hard on our pipes and stuff. Softened water is here to stay, so with that said, does anyone have an opinion...

I have 4 chicks. One in particular is the most active, has a hard time relaxing, is the most vocal and the biggest. It’s also the only austrawhite (others are 2 australopes, and a BLR Wyandotte), so maybe that’s why it’s different? Are those the first signs that I’m getting a Rooster? I’m so...

HI! Chicken Newbie here! I am getting 4 chicks in a couple weeks and need to start planning my coop. I am overwhelmed by all the beautiful coops on this site and while I have dreams of building my own, I want to be as cost efficient while being kind to my chickens until I know that this is...