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We have a blue speckled marans recovering from a fox attack 2 weeks ago. Astoundingly, I interrupted it just in time, the fox fled, and she had no injuries we could see; just missing feathers; but she couldn't walk at first and her wing was hanging oddly low- vet said nothing broken or...

One of our hens has been in and out of broodiness for a month or so. She is a blue easter egger, about 3 and a good layer. We keep lifting her out of the nest box and carrying her away from it before putting her down. She gets water and eats and hangs out with the others briefly but goes back...

we're trying to intro chicks to a broody and we took the first one to the nest box and tucked it under her and...NOPE. Not having it. She tried to peck, hard, at the little one. So, we took it out but are wondering if we should try again with another one. We read we should intro one at a...

My chickens leave the spurge alone (and it shows-spreading all over.) I didn't know it was poisonous and just pulled some and then absentmindedly fed some of the leaves to several of them as they came up to check out what I was doing. They loved it. Just how poisonous IS it? Should I be concerned?

It has been HOT here (upstate NY) for days/weeks and our remaining 3 have stopped laying. "Remaining" because our other 2 were killed by a fox on the same day. The other 3 haven't laid much since. 2 are nearly 3 yrs. old, a golden laced wyandotte and a buff brahma; the third is 4 and is a...

we are going to be taking care of a neighbor's flock for a week and wonder if we need to be concerned about going between the 2 coops. I've read that this can be a way to introduce illnesses but not sure how vigilant we need to be. Should we bleach the boots we use or...? How likely is the danger?

We've had chickens for about 8 yrs. and this is a new one to me. But our girls were not to be deterred yesterday until the offending snack was removed. Thing is, we live in the country with land and our dog is pretty free range herself. I never gave it a thought chicken-wise. Until...

what do you think of bringing the girls in at night when it's below zero and then putting them back outside during the day (still very cold, hovering around 0 but sunny)? We don't want them to become so used to 45 degrees that they can't handle cold but until we can open up more ventilation in...

I'm both sad and worried. Without warning, our SLW, who wasn't yet a year old died tonight. It is hot here-high 80s today-but she was fine this morning, laid an egg, seemed to be normal. When it's hot, they (we have 6) they go under our screened in porch where it's cool and they dust bathe...

one of our chickens just squatted and laid an egg in our garden while my husband was standing there rather than going to the henhouse. Is that weird? None of the others were nearby so she wasn't being hassled or bullied (she is low bird of the 6). I can't imagine why she'd do that. Anyone have...

a college run child care center has 18 chicks that need homes soon. Apparently they are all red sex links. If you want some or all I can give you the contact info. (I wish they would think about this when they think having eggs hatch is a cool thing for kids. which it is but....).

we're building a new henhouse and have looked at magnetic pet doors (that have a locking option for when we need it). If a cat can push through I'm thinking a chicken could too-not much magnetic resistance (just enough to close it behind her). Has anyone tried one of these? We don't have...

I know this is a common inquiry but I want to make sure I'm not missing anything-we got 3 chicks today and 2 are racing around, eating, drinking, pecking, and sleeping. The little lav. orp is noticably smaller and mostly sleeping. I've dipped her beak in water and crumble but she doesn't seem...

I have 4 girls, 3 are about 2yrs. old, 1 about 6. One of the 2 yr olds, a submissive barred rock, was crazy to be let out of the pen this morning (they always crowd the gate when it's time but she had been pacing back and forth frantically). When they came out the other 3 did their usual thing...

Our eggshells seem to be getting softer. our 5 girls are 5 and 2+, have charmed chicken lives (every day they are out and about on our property, in addition to their layer pellets and calcium in a bowl in their pen. No fertilizer/ chemicals in our grass or anything). Could it be age? It isn't...

If one chicken hatches babies, how will the other 4 girls in our flock greet them? Will they accept that one of them is a mother and let her bring up her chicks undisturbed or would the little ones be at risk? What if there were just one chick? We have no roo, just mulling getting some...

I wonder if our girls are right weight or fat but don't really know how to tell. They have dropped off their laying recently and maybe we're giving them too many treats. When I pick them up I can feel their breastbones and they seem quite lean but I don't have anything to compare. They have...

I wonder if our girls are right weight or fat but don't really know how to tell. They have dropped off their laying recently and maybe we're giving them too many treats. When I pick them up I can feel their breastbones and they seem quite lean but I don't have anything to compare. They have...

I know this is common but our low of of 5 seems to be getting pecked more and the feathers just behind her comb look wet and thin and the skin there is red/ bleeding (hates to be picked up so I haven't been able to see it up close yet without the others crowding round). She isn't cowering and...

we have a 3 yr old JG who is generally top of the flock of 5. It has been very cold here, with a foot of snow last week, now warmer and melting. She has been keeping apart from the others though she knows they are getting treats (and eats happily when I give them to her). She won't follow...