Hi. I am new to this. I have been raising chickens for about 3 years now. I have 11 hens, 4 of them are about 2 months old and I call them my "teenage" chickens. This summer I recently added to the original coop which
was about 4 X 4 feet. Now I have 2 coops under one roof. I added about 6 feet more and have 2 layers of wire between the youngins and the older girls!
I have 2 grown wyandottees, one golden and one silver-laced, 2 black sex-link, 2 rhode island reds, and one buff orpington and I lost one of my buff orpintons to some kind of predator. Since then I have sturdy coop doors and locks
and a light outside the coop which turns on when any movement is detected at night. It is solar powered. I stumbled upon this website by accident when looking for some kind of solar heating lamp. I'm trying to get away from
having to use fossil fuels and the expense of electricity. I have the heat lamps, not just for the chicks to start with, but also to give them more light in the wintertime and keep their water from freezing! Oh, forget to
say that my four new girls (2months old) are 2 silver-laced wyandottes and 2 barred plymouth rocks.
Actually I was raised with chickens as a child but don't remember much because I just had to collect the eggs and of course had a favorite one that I would get to hold.
Oct 16, 2011 I had a Rhode Island Red hen that just sat in the nesting box and mostly slept for 3 days and last Sunday when I went to check on her, she was as stiff as a board and consequently we buried her. I have no idea what
she died from. She had no discharge of any kind and none of the other chickens were acting like her. I even called our local Farm Store and they don't know and there is nothing written down in my chickens reference book about
what she might have died from? I also have another chicken (buff orpington) that had some kind of swelling around her but and not feeling well, but I have antibiotics in the water and have washed her but end off several times
because it seems she has poop sticking to her bum feathers. Last time I got her all cleaned up I used some desitin on her, but maybe bag balm as someone suggested might help. I'm sure it is some kind of infection at her outlet
but I have no idea how she got it as all the other chickens seem to be okay! Never had sickness among my chickens before this and I have had these ones about 3 years!
was about 4 X 4 feet. Now I have 2 coops under one roof. I added about 6 feet more and have 2 layers of wire between the youngins and the older girls!
I have 2 grown wyandottees, one golden and one silver-laced, 2 black sex-link, 2 rhode island reds, and one buff orpington and I lost one of my buff orpintons to some kind of predator. Since then I have sturdy coop doors and locks
and a light outside the coop which turns on when any movement is detected at night. It is solar powered. I stumbled upon this website by accident when looking for some kind of solar heating lamp. I'm trying to get away from
having to use fossil fuels and the expense of electricity. I have the heat lamps, not just for the chicks to start with, but also to give them more light in the wintertime and keep their water from freezing! Oh, forget to
say that my four new girls (2months old) are 2 silver-laced wyandottes and 2 barred plymouth rocks.
Actually I was raised with chickens as a child but don't remember much because I just had to collect the eggs and of course had a favorite one that I would get to hold.
Oct 16, 2011 I had a Rhode Island Red hen that just sat in the nesting box and mostly slept for 3 days and last Sunday when I went to check on her, she was as stiff as a board and consequently we buried her. I have no idea what
she died from. She had no discharge of any kind and none of the other chickens were acting like her. I even called our local Farm Store and they don't know and there is nothing written down in my chickens reference book about
what she might have died from? I also have another chicken (buff orpington) that had some kind of swelling around her but and not feeling well, but I have antibiotics in the water and have washed her but end off several times
because it seems she has poop sticking to her bum feathers. Last time I got her all cleaned up I used some desitin on her, but maybe bag balm as someone suggested might help. I'm sure it is some kind of infection at her outlet
but I have no idea how she got it as all the other chickens seem to be okay! Never had sickness among my chickens before this and I have had these ones about 3 years!