Recent content by colmcmanus

I'm planning to grow grass in small sections in the area where my birds free range. We are planning to fence off each area, but knowing our birds, they may get creative and find their way in the area and eat a little before we scoot them out. I want to buy grass seed that will not harm them in...

Hi - I'm in the Northeast and on the tail end of what's been a brutal winter. I want to grow some grass indoors for my birds as well as provide them with some dirt to bathe in. I have planted grass in the past with some dirt I had from outside (everything now is frozen and covered with lots of...

You are all making my day - thanks!

Sorry - misunderstood your original post. We bought him as a chick, so we don't know more about his background/family members.

Thanks! It alleviates some worry. We already have one rooster from that batch (think I found a home for him though - no easy process and quite stressful). Appreciate the response.

Thanks this helps put my mind at ease - is the coloring a definite sign of gender regardless of the breed? It's an easter egger, so not sure of the breeds of her parents...? My daughter thinks she has some saddle-like feathers. I can't tell - her feathers seem narrower than my other easter...

Hi - I need to reseed my lawn and patch up a few spots. We do not use any products on our lawn and haven't for years. Now that we have birds, we're looking for grass seed that will produce grass that is fine for them to eat (not sure what kinds of chemicals etc. might be added to typical grass...

He's only 10 weeks and only socialized with hens 10 weeks old - so we haven't been down that path yet. I may have found a home for him. Will post if I do.

Hi - looking for a good name for my australorpe - we called her Cookie (as she's black and white like an oreo), but one of my children isn't a fan of the name. We've ruled out midnight, blackie, oreo, and many other black themed names (though may not though of them all). She's a quiet, not...

I recently acquired 6 baby chicks. One has definitely turned out to be a rooster. It may be paranoia, but I'm now worried that another one (easter egger) may be. When I pick her up she lets out a squawk that is deeper in pitch than my other birds. She has not crowed at all. Can that be a sign of...

Hi - I have a young Welsummer rooster that I am desperately looking to relocate to a good home. He was a surprise in my batch of chicks, and I cannot keep him because of zoning rules (he's starting to crow). I am willing to drive a fair distance to relocate him (VT, ME, CT, NH). He's a nice bird...

We've placed ours on an inverted tray that you would use for plants - it's not perfect, but it definitely helps. We've also used bricks in the past.

Hi - I would recommend Easter Eggers. We started with seven birds last year (2 easter eggers, 2 speckled sussex, 2 buff orpingtons, and 1 cinnamon queen) and have added a couple more easter eggers, an australorpe, and a light brahma chick. The Easter eggers are very friendly. One of my older...

Hi - received my 2nd batch of chicks this spring, and one of them (now 9 weeks old) is a Welsummer rooster. We really would like to find a new home for him (vs. giving him to someone to eat), as we have raised him as a pet, and my children would take it hard if we couldn't find him a home. We...

Not exactly. We have 2 layers. The chicken that laid first wasn't too noisy before laying. The second one actually had sung the egg song 2 months before laying. She did get extremely noisy about 3 weeks before laying her first egg - generic noisiness, as well as the egg song. And she was loud...