Recent content by Donna in Montana

I hope you get some info on this. I love hatching eggs but hate the time period I have to care for them inside the house and never know when it's safe to put them with the other chickens. I tried once putting a chick under a hen that was brooding but she didn't like that at all and I had to...

Last year we gave these a shot twice. Our goose immediately pulled them out both times. My "Big Bird" has the curiosity of a cat. Will try again when he goes to Goose Heaven.

Chicks hatched in the coop with the rest of the chickens will work out fine if the hen is a good mother. She's so protective no chicken messes with her. She'll hang out by herself with her babies. One hen had her own little group (her babies) for over a year. Finally broke it up when she got...

A week ago last Friday I caught a little 6 week old chick that was limping and have been keeping him in a birdcage in the house. We can't see what's wrong but it seems to be in the leg/body joint . The leg would be extended behind him until he 'hopped' and brought it back under him again. We...

At this time we are down to one chicken laying. Two are sitting on eggs and the rest are too young. "Oreo" is around 4-5 years old. She's a Cochin and my favorite bird. Her last 8 eggs, regardless if put into a hot pan or a bowl, will look fine for a few seconds then the yoke will 'melt'...

... that has none? Let me explain. Jill laid seven eggs in our lean-to the end of June. I had told hubby I really wanted to see her babies so I took her eggs and put them into my incubator. She didn't lay any more eggs in the lean-to or anywhere else I know of. She wasn't sitting on them...

Thanks earnhardtlvr... Took awhile to get the hang of it (was downloading slower then I'd expected) but here's a couple of pictures of my White Crested Black Polish and then my darling Oreo and her current baby. Regarding my babies hatching today... six of seven eggs have hatched. That...

I will be watching this posting, too, as I have 4 Crested Polish. My chickens are all on the small side but the Polish are very light weight (almost three months old). When picked up I really notice the difference between them. I read the Polish are usually at the bottom of the pecking order...

Can u post some pics of urs? I'd love to but can't see how to on this reply page??? I haven't done a lot of posting yet, doesn't this site require so many postings to be able to put a picture on a post?

Dear Jetgirl... Thanks so much. Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what I'm seeing although the sheath is all one color, yellow. They seem to be on all of the crested feathers. None are totally free of the sheath. It sure feels stuck on but perhaps it will loosen up with time. They're about...

I hope I picked the right place to post this. It isn't a disease... just something I need to know if I should deal with it or if it's natural. In April I bought 4 White Crested Black Polish chicks to get some new blood into the group (although I have since read they aren't really that inclined...

I had four keets in a brooder for a couple of days (was able to put them under a mom then) and used an idea I saw on BYC. I took a new feather duster and put it in the brooder, safely away from the heat source but it isn't cold now anyway. The keets took right to it and snuggled inside the...

For 'new hatched' chicks I have a (really inexpensive) little metal container that has a number of openings around the sides for individual birds. The top is flat.. a bad design/I have now seen tops that are pointed which takes care of the perching babies. What I did was take a glass ball I...

I wish my chickens/guineas would learn to USE those nipples. We've had them in the coop for 3 months and have yet to see one being used. It's probably my fault as I have a dog dish and a 'chick waterier' (the red plastic bottoms you attach a canning jar with water to) in the pen as well. We...

If it's on earth I can't imagine why not. My chickens, goose and duck love to work through the water for bugs or other little tidbits to eat.