Recent content by ChickenThunderdome

It just amazes me that a snake that's not big enough to eat anything larger than a rat would attack and strangle to death(they are constrictors) a large bantam rooster and a hen.. This is the first snake we've ever seen on the property. I'm not sure even hardware mesh would make it snake proof...

I also need to point out that this snake has entered the run and coop during the day. At night the coop is shut and there is no crack to get inside anywhere.

There was a black rat snake in a coop two days ago. It was rather small at 4ft long so I simply moved him a couple acres away. Today I go in, there's the snake who has eaten most of the eggs and killed both a silkie hen and a silkie rooster. Last week I had to cull our flogging Houdan rooster...

Went in their run this morning and he attacked my leg, when I kicked him away he then flew up and started trying to slash/attack my face. Dispatched him with a handgun shortly there after.(I was out of birdshot). Wife had been working with him, holding him and walking around. I believe I made...

She doesn't want him either, just based on how horrible the hens look due to his constant mating. That said, I'm the type that runs into roads to help turtles across, so I don't believe in taking a life unless absolutely necessary.

We're about to cull our rooster because he has drawn blood on me twice now inside and outside the run. But he's a houdan and we'd like some more houdans, because of that I plan on saving some of the eggs(which are hopefully fertilized) and allowing a broody to camp on them. 1. Can I pull an egg...

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I'm going to give him one more chance, try grabbing him and holding him as the wife did for an hour each day. If that does not work then it's cull time.

We let ours out for a couple of hours every couple days weather permitting. This allows them to forage and get greens/insects but we sit with them the entire time. This is the best method for not losing one in my opinion. We have a decent sized run though so they can get plenty of exercise when...

We have 14 hens and a Houdan rooster. All of them are 14 months old. The Houdan has been attacking me both inside and outside of the run repeatedly. I'm a 6ft tall man and to me it seems stupid to attack another animal 20 times your size but this idiot does it. Today I let the chickens out to...

My barried rocks, columbians, houdans, easter eggers. They all sit outside and get soaked.

No, they ALL(every breed of chicken) run around in the run in the rain. Nobody is bullied or pushed out, none of them go in the coops during the day unless to lay.

Do they seem to be bothered when it's below freezing outside? Just worried I'll walk out one day and find a silkie-sicle. Not too worried about the barred rocks/other birds whose feathers don't seem to be effected by it.

17 Chickens, big run for them. Two spots covered as well as the coops they can get under yet when it rains they are all running around. My silkies look like cats that have been tossed in a tub. They were hatched in March so they are still learning and being NC it's been pretty warm. But we are...

We do not have anyone here that can help, just e Our chickens are only 5 months old. When do they usually start becoming broody? -- @ Having someone check on them. Most of the folks around here are elderly and with the chickens bolting for the door the second it opens I would be afraid they'd...

My wife cried when we gave 3 of them away. If I don't want to sleep in the garage, the other 3 are staying. XD