We have not added birds nor have we been anywhere around other poultry. This pullet was one of four I hatched in May. No other birds show any signs of disease.
I had a pullet (4 months old) that started staying in the coop and wouldn't come out. I brought her out and noticed she seemed a bit unsteady on her legs. I decided to separate her and the next morning found her laying on her side in the cage. Her legs were strong and she would kick violently...
We pay $25 a day for someone that has to drive to get to our house. Feeders only need to be filled once a week, but she will top off their "favorite" feeders. She cleans and refills the waterers every day. She comes in the evenings so she can make sure everyone made it in before the auto door...
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I would get a reliable sitter than can come in a couple times a day or stay home. I always take travel plans into consideration when getting or hatching chicks and have cancelled trips before.
So, even if you let your numbers go down, you will still need a chicken sitter for however many you keep. Or are you saying you do have options if you have less birds.
If you have a school with a 4H group, you may be able to find one of them willing to make a few bucks taking care of the birds...
We also used a shed we purchased from a local builder to give our girls and boys plenty of room. We spent a day building a roost of multiple levels with plenty of space for everyone. And every single bird uses it as a ladder to get to the rafters.
We have two lights in our coop (its large, 10x16). One is on a pull chain to use when we need/want light to do something in the coop. The second is on a timer. It comes on around dusk and off after the coop door closes. We adjust the time as the sun adjusts throughout the year. We have Guineas...
We have two lights in our coop (its large, 10x16). One is on a pull chain to use when we need/want light to do something in the coop. The second is on a timer. It comes on around dusk and off after the coop door closes. We adjust the time as the sun adjusts throughout the year. We have Guineas...
Our 1 year old hen started limping earlier this week. I picked her up and could feel/see a swollen area. I had seen a few things about bumblefoot so read about it and that we should remove the black scab-like place. It was only 1-2 mm x 1-2 mm. So we soaked her in Epsom salts and was able to...
I am definitely not an expert. We've had guineas for a little over a year. I grew up on a farm and we had Guinea but that was a long time ago.
I'd not heard of water belly until I read a post on a FB group. Still not sure what is happening with Ester but she seems much better today. Out...
Oh yes, she loves egg shell. They are treats for her. I keep them in a plastic container and if I shake them she comes running. I'm like you and don't want chemicals in the eggs.
We have a Guinea Fowl hen that is just over a year old. Soon after she started laying eggs this spring she developed a saggy belly. B/c she otherwise acted fine I didn't do anything. She has been fine for months and months. About two months ago she quit going up into the rafters to roost with...
We have a one year old Golden Comet hen that peels pain off the house and eats it. She's like a toddler! If you go to take a big piece away from her she swallow it as fast as she can.
The house is cinderblock with a stucco-like exterior. We had it painted a few years ago but some places are...
I thought my dad was the only one who trapped and drowned predators. He would do this when the predator was too dangerous to attempt to get out of the trap to shoot (raccoons because of the rabies concern and skunks because of spraying). But this was on the 30 acre farm where i grew up.