Recent content by ellenf

My coop has hardware cloth for the floor. In the winter, I cover it with shavings to keep it warmer in there but in the summer I just use a poop board under the roost (on top of the hardware cloth) so there is more ventilation. It seems to work well for me. This is my first coop so I've no...

Mine all sit on top of the nesting box at night, ignoring the lovely roosting perch. Wondering if I should block it off somehow, but in the meantime I just scrape it off with a flat shovel once a day.

So giving a chicken a bath will rank right up there in my stories to tell the grandkids I think. ha ha. She was NOT overly fond of the idea, nor did she get used to it, but I did get a bunch of gunk off. She looked terrible right after but much better today. Still sitting in the nesting box...

Thanks everyone. Sounds like maybe there are two things going on. I will see how she is today.

My one laying hen has had dirty back-end feathers for a bit I've noticed. Then the last couple of days she's been what I thought was "broody", sitting in the nesting box much longer than normal. Today I noticed she had quite an, uh, attachment of fecal matter to her rear. I enlisted a friend...

Thanks for the welcome everyone! Just got my first egg yesterday and another today. Pretty exciting. My hens are all a bit different ages due to some roosters that needed swapping out. I've got two Light Sussex and a Barnevelder. The older of the Light Sussex is the first to start laying.

Have been reading for a bit so thought I'd do an intro. (1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? Yep! Got them just before Christmas. Started with 6 but had lots of roosters. (2) How many chickens do you have right now? Right now 3 but one is a rooster so he will...