Recent content by erin175

Hum. This black never fell off.

At the risk of sounding stupid, I have two Buff Orps with black tips on their combs. They've been this way since last winter. I assumed this was frostbite. I noticed today the black tips are now swollen and their eyes are swollen almost shut?? Plus little black spots in the exposed "skin" on...

So I think I know what's going on with my 1 yr old Buff Orp, but just confirming! I believe she's molting, along with the rest of the flock, (egg production has been waaaay down for several months) but this particular hen looks much worse than any other in the flock. She doesn't have bare...

ALSO I inspected a few other flock members (who are acting perfectly fine) and found their belly feathers "worn off" too?? Weirdness.

So I found this glorious poop this morning... Looks like it has yolk in it?? She's much more alert but still less perky than normal. She had a 2nd poo that was much smaller and almost exclusively the yellow stuff?? She's eating meal worms but nothing else.

She seems so lethargic though?? She doesn't object whatsoever when I mess with her (which is SO unlike her, she's the most vocal & stand offish in my flock). I haven't caught her in the nest box sitting. She didn't poop at all last night. I've offered her yogurt, goldfish crackers & grapes and...

I went to throw some scraps to my flock tonight, and had 1 Australorp hen (right at 1 yr old) who didn't come running. She was sitting on the ground. I poked her with my toe a couple times and she didn't move. I carried her into the run and she didn't move around. I haven't noticed anything...

I don't get many face-licks from my dogs, and I certainly don't have to the time or patience to "discpiline" them not to eat it. I'll have to bring up with the vet next time we're in there... And if I got rid of everything in my life that is stinky, messy and a nuisance, I'd have a pretty lonely...

So here's a new one! My Labradors and chickens get along swimmingly! Yay!!! However, the labradors find chicken poo to be their new favorite delicacy. My chickens free-range in my yard once or twice a week, and the dogs follow them around cleaning up. While this is extremely gross (albeit fairly...

My hens need a nightlight!! Lol. Not really for heat, just a 60 watt bulb (or similar) for at night, would love for it to have a timer and it must be solar powered (with a decent amount of cord running from the solar panel to the fixture). I'm having trouble finding such a thing, any...

She wasn't in the coop or the shavings at all, so I didn't worry about her footwear. That's also why I was so confused by all the bites! Does it matter what bug it is, or are all mites treated the same? Is the Seven/DE combo still the way to go?

I cleaned out my coop yesterday with the help of my 4-yr-old daughter. She stood outside the coop while I shoveled shavings into a wheel-barrow. Afterwards, her legs were COVERED in some kind of bug bites. I got none. Now that I think about it though I was wearing rubber boots and she was in...

I guess my doubt is raised by someone telling me "oh, no you can't just butcher & sell them! You have to pay a US inspector $24/hr blahblahblah" but if I'm using a USDA facility... I've found you're really better off not sharing your ideas with people because they just fill your head with...

Right. I figure with 50, I can eat some, sell some to friends, maybe hit a few farmers markets this fall. Are there any more legal.... things?? that need addressed when selling a finished product like that on a person to person basis? I won't be forming an LLC or anything...yet

After much success & joy with a small layer flock, I'm thinking about trying my hand at meat birds. I'm starting small (50 chicks) and have housing, feed, watering, etc figured out. I've found a USDA inspected butcher, so I can sell the meat... what am I forgetting or over-looking?? I figure if...