Recent content by hensofhallora

  1. hensofhallora

    How to best introduce new hens?

    Hi all, I have 500 of my own free range hens who's eggs I sell at market. Sometimes I sell a few pullets to customers who want to add them to their own few laying hens. I get a lot of calls from these people saying that the established hens just wont let the new pullets eat, or roost (or do...
  2. hensofhallora

    Dogs!! Help!

    I have always found a hotwire or electirc fence to be a great dog stopper. you can buy a small, solar powered unit for a few hundred. depends on what you want to spend and how much piece of mind you want. Once a dog has had a good shock they will always remember. If you are not at home for...
  3. hensofhallora

    electric fence only?

    I must also agree, hot wires are great for keeping out foxes but hens just dont seem to care. I watched one of my girls straddling a low hotwire. She went "BBBRRRKKK"! in time with the zap but it wasnt enough to make her get off the thing and find somewhere else to scratch.
  4. hensofhallora

    What could be killing my chickens?

    We dont have raccoons or weasels here but the same thing happens to our chickens. head bitten off and left or missing. when that happens here it is always a red fox.
  5. hensofhallora

    Fox Got A Lot Of My Chickens!

    foxes in Australia dont "just take what they need". If they get into a flock of chickens they will usually kill them all and then take what they can carry, stash them, then return for more. I have 450 hens that use 3 acres (1.2 hectares) to free range. I use a 5 foot mesh fence with an...
  6. hensofhallora

    Rat problem

    I use a poison that is accumulative. it takes about 5 days of rats eating the poison to finally kill them. A 2kg hen would have to eat about 70 dead mice to consume enough poison to kill them. One of my dogs would have to eat over 1,000 dead mice to kill them. Much safer for the animals you...
  7. hensofhallora

    Hello from California! New and have a coop question....

    if you have an airy well lit coop i would put the laying boxes in the darkest place..... usually facing away from the rising sun.
  8. hensofhallora

    Protecting against ground predators on an uncovered run. Ideas?

    i feel the need to pass on what I know about electric fences even though i have never even seen a racoon. In australia we have a huge fox problem. they are very smart, very determined and they love chicken! I have a 3 acre (1.2 hectare) open area in which i run 450 hens. the whole area is...
  9. hensofhallora

    doo open or closed?

    I use the same systems on my coops. big door for me with a little door for the hens built into it. I leave the big door open on warmer days. i shut the big door when it is windy or really bad wet weather. I find that wild birds are more likely to go into the coop when the big door is open...
  10. hensofhallora

    Our temp. coop

    I love the hanging rack for the tools and the auto waterer, it's great!
  11. hensofhallora

    Wanted: New Coop Design Features from Experienced Folks

    all sounds good. I would have the nesting boxes high enough off litter so that when a hen is nesting she cannot be pecked by a more dominant bird standing outside. she will get no peace and be constantly told to move. I always have one nesting box that is a little difficult to get to so that...
  12. hensofhallora

    Effective Egg Catcher design for nest boxes

    I had a problem with hens laying on the floor. when one started they all started! I would find a dozen eggs in one corner, all filthy! I built this box and put it into the corner. it worked because they could see anyone elses eggs.
  13. hensofhallora

    Is this Bumblefoot

    I too have recently found something similar on some of my hens. have a look at this and tell me if it is the same thing
  14. hensofhallora

    Wheel ideas for my tractor coop

    I wish i had a really easy answer for you..... then I would have tried it myself! I have tried a few different designs and non really worked. I found the problem was having the weight of the shed on the wheels when you want to move it but then removing the weight when it is stationary. the...
  15. hensofhallora

    Nest boxes....single divided or community...

    I have found that the individual boxes are better because you tend to get less eggs in the one spot. less eggs together means less breakages. I have tried the communal boxes and they tend to cause more fighting too. For 20 hens I would have at least 5 boxes. they will probably pick their...
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