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Can anyone suggest a way to strip off the waxy cuticle/coating off my old girl’s new tail feathers? I know they are very sensitive but I didn’t do it after her last fall moult because I assumed they would fall off. It took months and her feathers never spread out properly, the poor thing never...

My 8 yr. old hen’s nostrils are slowly being closed off by her own tissue. She’s been coughing intermittently for 2 yrs. or so but has been healthy in every other way. No signs of contagious disease, but her nostrils look to be closing off, and not by mucus. Eating aggravates it as she eats...

My banty Leghorn finished a winter molt about one month ago and hasn't starting laying again yet. Now that the days are lengthening she appears to be starting another molt and I am concerned. Once again she is loosing the feathers on her head and is replacing them. I worry that this is going to...

I've noticed one of my two BR pullets is more vocal this week and wonder if they get noisier as they reach POL. She seems to be a little more excitable too.... Thanks in advance, Carrie Lynn

I took a clear Starbucks cup, cut some holes in the lid a nd sides and filled it halfway with BOSS, soft wheat kernels and birdseed. They peck at it, move it around, scratch at it, and the contents comes out a little at a time. A nice way to help them from being bored. The curious BRs really...

My banty's comb has paled during her molt, which I think is normal. However, it has folded over as well. Is this normal? Will it return to its upright position when she has finished molting? Thanks for your input... Carrie Lynn

I'm having a friend roof my run. He needs me to find sources for the roofing material, but I don't know what it's called....I'm no handywoman. I'm looking for a fiberglass (?) frosted wavy (corrugated) material you frequently seen on coop or shed roofs made out of metal. My run is 12'x6' so...

When compared to my BA and banty Leghorn, my wo 20 week-old BRs hardly dring water at all. Is this a Rock thing??? Why the difference if they're on the same food? Thanks in advance

Can I put a 2 moldy red peppers in the compost pile? They have black mold on them as they were lost in the back of the fridge. I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is... Carrie Lynn

Dried mealworms aren't cheap. How many should my molting BA get each day? Of course the other 3 hens want some too...but they only can have a few to save money. Thanks for your input, Carrie Lynn

A while back I posted chick pics and I'm wondering if my two pullets are still pullets. They are 18 weeks old, I'm seeing wattles and comb changes and am hoping they are just maturing girls and not boys. No cockerels are allowed in the city... One of the two has a dry-looking, pale comb, I'm...

My BA is having her first adult molt. She seems to be acting differently - more withdrawn, hates to be handled (although she never likes to be picked up), not as actively bossy. I think she is eating less too, but that's hard to tell as I'm at work all day. Also, she doesn't beg for foods quite...

I've been reading about crop surgeries and wonder what a healthy crop should feel like. I try to check them now and then before they go to roost for the night (after their last feeding). To me, they often feel hard, so I'm not sure I'd know a too hard crop if I felt one. Thanks in advance...

I composted my first batch of shavings this past year and can hardly wait to use it in the spring. I'd like to start another batch but my chickens are moulting. Do feathers break down? Do they add anything beneficial? What about the scattered feed (crumbles) I scoop as I'm cleaning poop out of...

One of my 12 wk.-old hatchery-type chicks looks she she has knock knees. Is that the problem, or is it another deformity? She gets around fine, just wondering and concerned it will cause her problems when she is grown...

I live in an old, established neighborhood. Late in the evenings I have been hearing some really strange sounds. It sounds like more than one animal. They sound excited, and some of the many vocalizations sound almost like a hyena. I've seen screech owls, opossums, groundhogs, rabbits, skunks...

I have two 11 wk-old BR chicks. They started to lose their long feathers, one at a time starting about 10 days ago. Now it's as though they are molting, their losing lots of their short feathers daily. Their tales are disappearing, tell me this isn't a prelude to roo tails coming in. Please...

I have a 1 yr. old BA & Banty Leghorn. I have been trying to introduce two BR chicks, now 9 wks.-old. I started about 10 days ago by putting them in a wire dog kennel inside the chicken yard. The Banty, who I thought would be a problem, is doing the predictable chest bump/peck on head thing...

I had been letting them have it this week but then wondered if I was doing the right thing by giving them these treats. They do have access to grit. Thanks in advance!

I thought I could spay some OFF onto my hands a put just a dab or two by their combs to try to give them some relief. My BA especially, is bothered by them, constantly trying to shake them or scratch them away. The mosquitos are horrible and they can't get away from them! Thanks in advance!