Recent content by dfriloux

  1. dfriloux

    Mean Chickens - Thin egg shells!

    I have three wonderful chickens (EEs) that just turned a year old. Their names are Alice, Betty, and Princess Henrietta. They've been together all their lives and, until recently, were as happy as can be. Their eggs were wonderful and they all got along famously. Just today, however, I noticed...
  2. dfriloux

    Can you feed chickens uncooked rice?

    According to Snopes (an online mythbuster) (http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/birdrice.asp), rice does not cause birds any harm. "Uncooked, milled rice is no more harmful to birds than rice in the field, Cheesman said. The Curator of Ornithology at the University of California at Berkeley...
  3. dfriloux

    Mealworms, so confused! Questions added post 5.

    Here's an article I found very interesting. It looks pretty basic, but it does address some of your questions. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mealworm) I'm in the same boat as you right now and am trying to figure out whether it's even worth the trouble to grow them or, if I buy them in bulk...
  4. dfriloux

    How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

    I got 3 eggs from 3 hens today! I typically get 3 eggs, 3 eggs, then 2 eggs. But, why, do you suppose, my EE went from laying pretty greenish blue eggs to pretty pink eggs?? Just all of a sudden, out of the blue!
  5. dfriloux

    Automatic Coop Door Opener: Your Experiences Please!

    We bought our automatic door opener/closer for about $80 on the internet and we love it. However, I do check, on occasion, to make sure they made it upstairs safely--especially, when the times/seasons change and the days get longer/shorter. The door will shut and open according to how it's...
  6. dfriloux

    Bedding

    I'm a firm believer in rice hulls. I put it in the bottom of their coop and in their nest area. I buy a great huge bag for $4 and it lasts for 3-4 months (my coop is built for 5 chicks). It's easy to keep clean and seems to absorb the poop remarkably well! Of course, I clean out their coop...
  7. dfriloux

    Old Mother Hen

    Now I know where the expression "Old Mother Hen" came from! I got my five chicks right around Mother's Day this year and brought them home and have been worrying about them every since! I'd been talking about wanting some chicks for weeks, but, I only want Ameracaunas because they laid blue...
  8. dfriloux

    non-leathal hawk deterant

    I lost two chicks in three days a week ago. Covered the run and haven't lost one since. The three girls I have left are not terribly happy about it, but, they're alive and that's more than I can say for Gertrude and Amy Rose!
  9. dfriloux

    I lost my first chicken today *Update*

    I'm soooo happy for your sweet Esther! I lost two of my girls recently to hawks and I kept hoping and praying that they'd be hiding in the trees or come running around the corner and all would be well. Alas, they did not It broke my heart to lose Amy Rose and Gertrude and since I've grown...
  10. dfriloux

    Hawks or Fox?

    I have read that a hawk will defecate at the time of the kill leaving a whitewash spray nearby. from: http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-predators.html Here's what it says about a fox: There is a reason that you hear all of the old phrases about foxes and hen houses. They are a chicken...
  11. dfriloux

    Official BYC Poll: The Worst Predator

    We've lost two hens to a hawk this week! There were two "crime" scenes with the first one--a big pile of feathers by the outer fence and smaller one by the pond fence and a "whitewash" of poo all over the palm tree. I've read this indicates a hawk or owl. No sign of her body anywhere...
  12. dfriloux

    Owl (maybe a hawk) got my chick

    On Sunday evening, a bird of prey got my poor Gertrude! Only feathers marked the scene. I could not believe there was no blood or bones or anything left anywhere! After a little research, I learned that "Raptor birds often defecate when they make a kill. Most hawks will leave a sweep of...
  13. dfriloux

    New Egg Layer - What to Feed??

    One of my EEs just laid her first egg (which was small, but solid and a very pretty blue). She's the first out of the five to lay and I'm wondering what to feed them now. They've been eating starter feed and they get to roam around the yard a bit eating bugs and such. I rarely feed them "people"...
  14. dfriloux

    Ok really! WHO IS SICK OF IT?! ~UPDATED!~

    Don't worry! My girls were born right before Mother's Day and one just laid her first egg yesterday! I had just about resigned myself to the thought they might not start laying until the spring (what with winter coming and all) and, just like that *snap fingers* there was a pretty blue egg in...
  15. dfriloux

    The prettiest blue egg I ever did see!

    One of my girls laid her first egg today! The first out of five to lay. Here's a picture (the white one is a store bought Grade A Large (-: I'm not sure who laid it, but I'll find out tomorrow. I'm soooo proud of her. She went right to her nest and laid that egg just like she'd been doing...
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