Recent content by birdlady11

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    My Chickens Are Messing With Me

    if you want to really see what's going on and how they're doing it, get a trail cam. I had some weird things happening in my coop and I took one of my field cameras (Reolink has a great camera) from the front yard (used to see what bears are using my property) and set it up in front of the row...
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    What are these white round seeds?

    I believe in America these are called pigeon peas. I've seen them used in both chicken and pigeon feeds for their high protein content (22-27%) and used as an alternative to soybean meal. However, I've read the following: "Raw pigeon peas may have low palatability. Processing methods like...
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    Only one chicken left in my flock. What do I do?

    I think the most important question yet to be asked (hope I didn't miss it. Sorry if I did) is - have you fixed your coop/run so that predators can't reach your chickens. Getting a buddy for your single hen won't do a lot of good if the predator is still able to get at the chickens. I had two...
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    Bobcat has made it personal

    Our Fish & Game guys told me to take a strip of uncooked bacon and tie it around the wire in a half knot. You could go the whole knot route but it stays on the wire just as well with a half knot. It holds together better and is harder to pull off than anything else I tried. In Florida much...
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    Bobcat Tried My Chicken Run

    Having a constantly live electric wire near the bottom of the run/coop to keep the cat from digging and another live wire at the top to prevent the cat from climbing up and over would be what I'd start with. That would prevent the cat from reaching your chickens and learning a painful lesson at...
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    White Mite Infestation - Please Help 😭

    Yes! Soaking the mitey clothes in a Dawn bath will kill the mites. Soak for several minutes and in as warm a soak as your clothes will allow (don't want to shrink clothes, just kill mites). I love the idea of an outdoor shower. We live in Florida and I should have had my husband put one in...
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    Nest found now what?

    If you have any type of predators in the area DO NOT put any food or water in or near the nest as you will only be drawing the predators right to nest to investigate the smell of the food/water. I would also not put anything underneath the nest to "catch" the chicks when they jump. That...
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    Can't break a broody, please give me ideas

    With my determined broody hens it didn't seem so much a choice as a total obsession, something that MUST be done. It's like asking a child with chicken pox not to scratch or a parent not to pick up a crying child. She just cannot help herself. So rather than trying to completely stop her from...
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    White Mite Infestation - Please Help 😭

    If you don't have permethrin and want an emergency treatment for your birds, I can strongly suggest using a Dawn dish soap bath for your chickens. It is effective but nontoxic. Wildlife rehabbers like myself have been using Dawn for everything from fleas to mites on everything from infested...
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    Official BYC Poll: Have you ever experienced a power outage during incubation?

    We have a gas stove so I heated up water, put in a jar, and placed in the incubator. Then I wrapped the incubator in winter down jackets (more insulating than a blanket or towel). Experimentation told me what size bottle kept the temp up without getting too hot (better not hot enough than too...
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    Chicken etiquette?

    You sound like a great chicken mom. I want to be your chicken in my next life! What BlindLemonChicken said is absolutely correct - chickens are prey animals and are always watchful of things coming from the sky to get them. Things (hawks/hands) coming over them can feel threatening. Thus...
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    Trespassers and ducklings...

    You might also consider Muscovy ducks. Muscovy's can have large clutches and sometimes the last few hatchlings get left behind as a way to be found orphaned. The other duck you may want to consider is Wood Duck. They nest in tree cavities and the babies have to climb/jump from the bottom of...
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    Help! Tongue stuck in the throat of a baby chick

    It was just a thought. I was a wildlife rehabber for 40+ years and my curiosity usually got the best of me to find out what caused a demise. As I said, not everyone has the time or ability to indulge that curiosity. I'm sure they did the absolute best they could to save her. I'm sorry you...
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    Help! Tongue stuck in the throat of a baby chick

    Just curious - after she passed did the rescue people attempt any type of cursory necropsy to see what exactly the issue was with her tongue? If they were able to open the area up after she died they might have been able to identify the cause. Not every rehab center has the personnel willing...
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    Extreme heat issues

    I found my girls also appreciated it when I took the hose and wet the dirt/sand in their favorite dust bathing spots. They would scratch down and set their breasts down in the damp soil where it was cool. Spraying the soil in the run with the hose will bring the temp of the run down a bit too.
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