Recent content by JaneyJ82

Thank you! I did have a lab analysis done on the first one to get ill by an avian vet. I just hope it doesn't kill many more of my birds.

I've had two pullets die in the last week from Marek's. I did separate the sick birds when they started to show symptoms but now I am just not sure what to do. Both coops have been cleaned but I understand that Marek's is very hard to get rid of and can hang around for a long time. Some of my...

There is a very bad outbreak of trichomoniasis in the finch population in our region. Apparently it can spread to other birds. Wondering if my hens would be a risk? I don't have bird feeders or bird baths on my property but I have seen finches around...should I be concerned? Are there any...

I have a question related to this for my run. We are new to chickens and our run is uncovered (there is chicken wire over top but no roof...just a roof on the coop). Right now the run is just bare dirt with landscape cloth underneath. Should sand be used in this set-up or something else? I find...

Thank you so much for all of this information! I appreciate it :)

Thanks for this info - I know my parents often "shock" their well and this sounds like a similar approach :)

Thanks for the info - I hand draw the water from the dug well too, though we are going to install a pump jack just to make it a tad easier on the back ;)

Thanks so much for the advice :)

Our property has two wells. The old dug well and our drilled well that we use for our house. Our drilled well produces very hard water and is on a softener (very salty). We drink from a reverse osmosis system and that's what I have been giving my chickens so far but it takes a very very long...

Good call on the light! I do live in Canada so our summer days are super long, but this will be very useful come fall. They managed to spend a little time outside yesterday evening...getting them back in the coop was quite comical from my husband's perspective.

Thank you :) I'll keep working to get them outside. The advice is definitely appreciated.

Hi - I'm new to all this and just got my pullets yesterday. Maybe its normal, but they will not come out of their coop and only one of them seems to roost at all. The rest of them just sort of hang out on the floor. They seem terrified and do not like to be handled. They are eating and drinking...

Thanks for the advice! I will be free-ranging our girls and I'm sure my kids will be giving them treats now and again.

Hi - just wondering if it's okay to give our chickens the occasional snack of dulse? We eat quite a bit of it at home as a snack and wondering if its fine for chickens. I've heard of people supplementing their birds with sea kelp so I'm wondering if dulse would be similar. Thanks!