Recent content by heidil

So, based on that question, it sounds like the short answer is that mid-60's is too cold if they aren't fully feathered. :) OK, we'll wait.

No, not yet.

Hi, I came looking for an answer to this same question except that we are having high 80's to low 90's during the day and lows in the mid to upper 60's overnight. With hay bedding do you think that 5 week old ducklings would be okay overnight in an outdoor shelter? Thanks!

While I know I could confirm with a necropsy... I don't really want to do that. She was my favorite hen and I feel like I have evidence enough at this point based on my other hen. I realize it's circumstantial evidence... but good enough. I give the egg shells free choice normally. Separate...

Hi all, Great suggestions for keeping chickens cool. For my chickens, I don't think it was heat (even though there was heat stress). I use a chickshaw rather than a standard coop. It has a hardware mesh floor and three sides are hardware mesh. TONS of ventilation. Much of the day they free...

Regrettably, she has passed away. :( We tried to get some fluids in her... just a few drops at a time, but she inhaled some. She struggled with her breathing for a few minutes, had a seizure and died. I think that was just more than she could handle in her extremely fragile state. :hit...

Thanks so much for your reply! I don't think she went broody... just because she never spent an inordinate amount of time in a nesting box. And, she also has diarrhea and is lethargic. So, she is definitely "unwell." I just have no idea the cause. The poor girl. :(

Hi all, I have a 1 yr-old Barred Rock hen that has been acting like a bit of a loner lately, free-ranging away from the rest of the flock, but she was eating and drinking so I didn't worry too much. Then when I got out of work last night I noticed she was bedded down at the base of an oak way...

10/30/2018 9:00 am

I purchased the Safeguard pellets - (0.5% fendbendazole) - and it contains dosage instructions for equine, cattle, swine, zoo/wildlife, and turkeys. Should I go with turkey dosages or will that be too much for laying hens?

What was the dosage of fenbendazole? I bought some and the instructions only give dosage for turkeys and other livestock... no dosage instructions for chickens.

This is why I love the Backyard Chickens forum. When I have a question (like this one), I look and find that someone else has usually already asked it and the answers are right there waiting for me!

I'm also in Central Florida and our land used to be a citrus grove. Think sugar sand! But, there are weeds for them to eat and they do love to bathe in it. I'm just worried about the summer heat for them. They have already had a few days this year that they looked like they were heat...

Any opinions on whether my 11-week old Easter Egger is a pullet or cockerel? I'm leaning toward pullet since there is no red, but began to worry that a pea comb is emerging.

I bought 8 different breeds and the SLW's are way behind the others in developing mature feathers.