Given that you have over 3,000 posts on this site, I would assume you're not new with chickens. On the other hand, your comment above makes me wonder. Chickens do not "run dry". Chickens come into the world with all the ova they will ever possess, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands...
At my place, the chickens are all just collectively referred to as chickens and I haven't seen a need to name them. Quite the opposite. In fact, naming them makes it tougher (for some, not necessarily for myself) to harvest the birds for food, so I have forbidden anyone from naming them...
I should add that the rooster is at that age (5 months) when the hormones really start to kick in, so it probably wasn't a great idea to bring strangers in. I'd try to catch him, but since none of my flock are handled (unless they truly require it) it would be quite a job to catch him.
He...
A friend of mine was over recently and wanted to be in with the chickens. No big deal. The aviary is about 5,000 square feet and 14' high, so there's plenty of room to feel as "one" with the birds without crowding or scaring them. In fact, they love when people come in because we usually have...
You are right about those other birds actually requiring Iodine supplementation when in captivity, but I don't find it a good practice to assume that it is automatically applicable to all birds. See the study I linked in my previous comment for (scientific) information about Iodine toxicity in...
I didn't dismiss the idea of using iodine for keeping the water fresher. I don't think it should be added to the water directly, though. I think the container should simply be cleaned out regularly with a solution. If you're worried about birds pooping in the water, use inverted waterers --...
That may not work in winter as some days never get above freezing. As far as lighting goes, I am extending the day before dawn and after dusk -- this will allow me to have the most "waking hours" while the chickens are up and about. I have designed a coop automation system that controls 6...
It's been about 2 months since this contest was announced and I think I counted 6 entries so far. At this rate, it will take 14 more months for the contest to end. :|
Thanks for the lengthy reply to explain the situation more; I think you are definitely on the right track.
Let's put this into perspective: let's say I give you a dozen eggs and a nice welcome to the neighborhood. Are you then going to tolerate my dog howling outside 3 days a week because I...
I couldn't agree more with what you just said. I have 2 homes -- one is in a tight subdivision (1700sqft on less than a 10th of an acre), and the other is outside of city limits (2100sqft on 20 acres) so I have a simultaneous perspective on property rights issues that many people won't have...
So true. That chicken keeping lawbreaker should get a life and stop worrying about the people making complaints around them. Oh, that's not what you meant...but you see how easily the shoe slips on the other foot. If you don't like a homeowners association, don't move into one. Problem...