Search results for query: *

My pesky rat friends have moved into the walls of my stone coop for the winter. I have only seen one, but I assume there are more. I really can't handle poison. The stress of worrying if my dogs (one is a 10 month old puppy) would get it or a dead rat is just too much for me to deal with. I just...

Oh no! Last year it was a Golden Campine hen that turned out to be a rooster, now named Spock.... this year it may be a Wyandotte. I ordered two Blue Laced Wyandotte hens... and I got what appears to be Golden Laced and a TBD so I only have a silver laced Wyandotte to compare this one to. She...

:( It was -9 here in CT last week one morning and I noticed my rooster Spock's comb starting to turn black on the tips. The coop got down to a balmy 15 degrees that night. I have never had an issue with frostbite before in 4 winters of keeping chickens in the same coop except for a few single...

This is Spock: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/777222/this-has-to-be-a-rooster-right/10 And yes he turned out to be a Golden Campine rooster. At almost 6 months of age he is pretty loud now. My house is 100 ft from the coop and with the windows closed I can hear him when he crows, in or...

Hello! It seems like every year I have a chick that develops a comb first but then eventually everybody else catches up. So far in four years of getting chicks from Meyer they have all been the pullets I ordered. This year I ordered two Golden Campine pullets. Here are pictures of the two of...

I am hoping for some advice on if it would be beneficial to try to dye my white 10 week old sultan pullet to help protect her from hawks . I trimmed her head and leg feathers and now she is goes outside on her own to the free range area. Her being outside now is making me very nervous! We have a...

I wanted to write about my Lyla because I believe her story might help another dog. In January of 2011 at age 5 she had her vaccinations in one vet visit: Lepto, Lyme and the 4 way parvo, distemper cocktail. Then 4 weeks later Lyla had her first grand mal seizure. Then she had two more seizures...

Our 15 spring peeps are here! 5 are mine and 10 are for my friend. But I can't figure out which two are the Silver Spangled Hamburgs (they are mine!). I would appreciate any help in trying to pick them out so I can work on taming them! It was easy to identify the 4 with the feathered legs...

I have been very lucky not to lose chickens to the hawks in our area. (Knock on wood). I was reluctant to let my chickens free range but an old farmer friend told me to just make sure to have plenty of good cover. I have only had chickens for a year and a half...but wanted to share a few ways I...

A chicken was abandoned by our trashy neighbors when they abandoned their house. I say trashy becuase it matches the state of their yard! These are the same people who tied their puppy to a trampoline where it hung itself...luckily I saw it and my other neighbor rescued the puppy. I have a good...

At 18 weeks Florence and Wheezy are beginning to look a bit different. I have had them since they were a couple of days old. I ordered females from Meyer. Wheezy was always VERY precocious...jumped out of the brooder and onto my lap when she (he?) was less than a week old. Wheezy also chases the...

Just a warning for those of you who use a grazing muzzle...check the fit and tooth wear pattern on the inside of the muzzle every day!!! My 13 year old paint gelding had a touch of Laminitis from the ridiculous amount of grass we have had this year. The weather has been buckets of rain and then...

Just wanted to post these pictures of the Vultures we have here in CT. Finally got some close enough to see the red head! I believe they are called Turkey Vultures. They have never gone after my chickens. When it is very windy they do fly lower and some of the chickens get a little...

Introducing Wheezy: I have never had an Ancona before. I ordered two from Meyer this year. They are so pretty! When Wheezy was just three days old she hopped out of the brooder (with the door open it's about 4 inches to hop up) and then out onto my lap. Then she snuggled up next to my arm and...

Three weeks old this weekend! Today is their first day out of the brooder as a group while I cleaned their cage. They felt it was safest to hang out with the big, furry, warm dog! Anyone else have pixs of their three week olds?

Can't wait for the new peeps in two weeks! 5 Ameraucanas, 5 Welsummers, 2 white Leghorns and 2 Anconas. Will I be able to tell the difference between the Ameraucanas and the Welsummers? I'm think I'm OK with the other two breeds (2 yellow peeps and 2 speckled yellow and black I hope!). Should I...

It's that time of year! I have seen quite a few posts about brooders being to hot. I found this picture and thought it was worth sharing. A year ago I got my first peeps. I bought a 250 watt heat lamp and set it up over my brooder. It was pointed straight down. It seemed the right temp to...

I have a 7 month old crossed beak Americana/EE hen. I have had her since she was a chick. She lays eggs and has a pretty full crop when she comes in at night. I trim her lower beak just a tad every two or three weeks. I have a deep water dish for her. She puts her whole face in it and is able to...

My husband built a chicken enclosure inside an existing old stone building. It was great for the chickens in the summer as it stayed cooler than outside and there are many windows. Now we are getting ready for our first winter as chicken owners. The main door is a bit warped so some air does get...