Recent content by buttonsamy

http://ontheurbanfarm.blogspot.com/2012/10/cross-beaksplit-beak-not-hopeless.html Apparently it CAN be fixed! YAY! I had half the birds I ordered come with scissor beak this season. We culled most of them as peeps, but one was just so....friendly, I couldn't do it. Her beak is SEVERELY...

My neighbor built some tractors like this, they are about 2 ft high, have feeding boxes along the edge, a metal roof down the middle for shade and hardware cloth around the entire structure except on the bottom, obviously. Plenty of room for 100 birds, since it is about 25x25=400sqft. I cannot...

My hubby and I live in Wisconsin and we built a hoop house tractor for ours. It has become the year round house, since it acts like a greenhouse in the winter and keep the birds toasty warm even in -45 degree weather! See this blog here, this is exactly like ours...

So, I have a large farm, 20acres or thereabouts. My husband and I would like to raise a flock of birds between 60-80 hens and a few roosters. We also want to start breeding our flock of guineas and have them be tractored too. Our neighbor used to be a large scale chicken farmer and made many...

I just discovered this breed of chicken and I am dying to add a few to my coop. I read that they do not take confinement well, but living in Wisconsin, there is not much free-ranging they can do during the winter, though they would get out and about in a run plenty. Would these beautiful...

Thanks for the above info, I just lost two peeps today and now I am pretty sure I know the cause. Cocci.... Well, only two out of 30 is not bad, just want to make sure I medicate the rest of the flock to prevent more death. :( Thanks and so sorry for everyone's losses- Amy

I just put food out for my chickens this morning that are almost 2.5 months old. One EE was dead, nothing wrong with it, just dead. (No broken neck, no sign of trauma, etc) another peep, a blue silkie, was very near death. The only thing I could think of was that they ate something bad or they...

ACK! This bird is ADORABLE!!!! I love her!!!! So cute!!!!!!! Especially the last picture, where it looks like she is talking or smiling. :) I am joining in! I have 5 bantam buff brahmas. I love them, but mine are VERY skittish and shy, despite constant handling as chicks. I haven't touched one...

I AM SOOOOO JEALOUS!!!! you actually went to cacklehatchery??!? I ordered all my birds from there, all bantam straight runs. I got lucky with my 5 buff brahmas, they are all females. However, all the EE's I ordered look like males from the pictures here, but after reading more about the combs...

WoW! Thanks for this! I have 10 easter eggers and I think they are ALL MALES! :( One is still questionable, but looks identical to the orange and black one pictured above. Trying to rehome mine on craigslist. I really do not need MORE roosters. I got my chicks from CackleHatchery, 15 silkies...

Here is a strange question: I started with 9 guineas from babies this May. They are thriving and doing very well, but when I open their house to allow them to free range, either they refuse to leave their coop OR they spend most of the day roosting in a tree! They seem VERY confused about...

My guineas have not taken much issue with baby chicks yet. They seems more protective rather than aggressive, but the guineas are pretty young yet. Keep an eye on your chickens and guineas and see if either is being argressive towards the chicks. If they are, rid yourself of the mean guinea...

Hi-after reviewing everyone's posts about this wry neck business, I am convinced that is what's wrong with my 3.5 week old silkie chick. He seems pretty dizzy or confused, off balance and twisting his nexk oddly. He is able to eat and drink. He is able to move around and scratch. My husband...