Recent content by benthere-donethat

  1. benthere-donethat

    One feed for chickens and ducks together?

    If you were housing chickens and ducks together, what commercial feed would you give: Starter, Grower, or Layer? My ducks have free range access most of the day; the chickens do not. They all have access to oyster shell and granite grit. Thanks in advance.
  2. benthere-donethat

    3 dead chickens over the past three weeks - suspect Mareks?

    Very helpful, everyone. Chicken #3 continues to be stable. It's just so strange to me that these cases are stretched out over 3 weeks. To me, that weighs out ingesting something to impact their crops. And even if it is botulism, isn't it strange to affect one per week? I'd think a few at the...
  3. benthere-donethat

    3 dead chickens over the past three weeks - suspect Mareks?

    Chicken #3 seems to be doing better today. She moved around and out the ramp all by herself. It just started raining, so I went out to put her inside and she was trying to do it herself. The only new sign I see today is some green poop stuck to her back feathers which seems to be a sign of...
  4. benthere-donethat

    3 dead chickens over the past three weeks - suspect Mareks?

    I have a flock of 16 chickens. Three weeks ago in the morning, we found one dead outside the coop (they hadn't been counted that night). Last week in the morning, we found one dead inside the coop. And tonight, my son brought one to me and said that he found her outside the coop without the...
  5. benthere-donethat

    Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

    We have successfully hatched a duck using a broody chicken. We had one hatch last week and it died after 3 days. I'm wondering if I should let the mother hen take care of it, how much I should supplement food and water, etc. Will the mother hen be able to care for it or should I step in? Thanks...
  6. benthere-donethat

    Listless chicken. Thoughts about where to start?

    I tried all the above. Gave her calcium, warm bath and searched for the egg - and didn't find it. She died about an hour ago. Mostly, I just want to make sure that I'm not missing anything. If it's an odd case of egg trouble, no worries. But, if these are symptoms of something bigger that...
  7. benthere-donethat

    Listless chicken. Thoughts about where to start?

    I just examined her again. Tail is pointing down now. When I gently squeeze the sides toward her vent, I think I can feel an egg and she seems to be straining. I'm assuming that this is the problem - does that sound right to you? I'm going to give her a warm bath and try to get some calcium...
  8. benthere-donethat

    Listless chicken. Thoughts about where to start?

    I have a bantam hen - about a year and a half old. Yesterday, she was sitting in the corner and I assumed she was broody - she seems to go broody every couple of months. But, she doesn't puff up when you go near her or make the normal broody noises. She's pretty listless with her eyes half...
  9. benthere-donethat

    Duckling wih Chickens - and niacin...

    I have a batch of baby chicks coming next week and also 3 ducklings. I've read repeatedly that I can brood them together - and I've worked out the issues, except for adding Niacin to the ducks water. How can I brood them together, but keep the ducks drinking the Niacin water and the chicks...
  10. benthere-donethat

    illinois towns that allow backyard chickens

    Hi. I was searching for rooster regulations and came across your posts. It may not be relevent anymore... We moved to unincorporated West Chicago about 3 years ago. I called the County twice and got different answers each time. The first time they told me that you had to have 30,000 square...
  11. benthere-donethat

    How high will raccoons climb?

    I am converting part of my old garage to a coop. There are two sections. The coop section has its own garage door and a separate door to the other part of the garage. But, I just realized tonight that the rafters are open from one section to the other. And the non-coop section has no garage...
  12. benthere-donethat

    Do raccoons actually eat whole chickens?

    I woke up at 4 am to the sound of panicked chickens. By the time I got outside, there were 2 dead - but the rest (13) were okay. I assumed it was a raccoon. We have a light fence around the garden area and the chickens themselves are in moveable A frame coops. I know what happened with the...
  13. benthere-donethat

    What predator is this? (graphic)

    Hi everyone. I lost six chicks last week - I have two Catawba Coops - something dug under the pen and took them in the night after I forgot to lock them up. I assumed it was a fox or coyote since it ate 6 chicks (about a month old) and left no trail. Last night, I lost eight more. This...
  14. benthere-donethat

    Will my chickens get enough air on the top floor of their ark?

    Thanks for your kind reply. I ended up putting hardware cloth on one of the sides - the wooden side is removable, so when it's hot out I'll just leave off the wooden side at night and they'll still be protected by the hardware cloth. We replaced the chicks and we're back where we started...
  15. benthere-donethat

    catawba coop ramp

    Hi everybody. I realize these are older posts and I've posed this question in another thread, but thought I would ask here too. My new chicks have been doing well in the Catawba coops that I built, but last night I forgot to close the ramp door and something (a fox?) dug under the pen and ate...
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