Recent content by jillstu

  1. jillstu

    Just lost my first chicken - help me figure out what got it? (warning: picture)

    No fur or prints. The hawk is an interesting idea, although I have a hard time imagining a chicken with a hawk attached would be able to make it through a dense thicket of salmonberry and end up under a brush pile with low clearance. I also found a spot by the edge of the forest where the...
  2. jillstu

    Just lost my first chicken - help me figure out what got it? (warning: picture)

    Facts: - I live in the pacific northwest; rural suburbia bordering forest. - Animals that have been seen in my neighborhood: bear, cougar, bobcat, coyote, raccoon, possum, weasel, rat, snake, owl - Opened the coop up earlier than usual this morning 6am and left at 6:30 on a foraging trip to...
  3. jillstu

    Sponsored Post Win an Ecoglow 20 Chick Brooder from Brinsea with your best tip for winter!

    I have a (more or less) open coop with an attached run and a series of additional outdoor paddocks my chickens range in during the day. The coop has a living roof (insulates in summer and winter) and the run has a clear plastic roof that functions like a green house. I use the deep litter...
  4. jillstu

    Impacted crop treatment - when to start back on solid food?

    I started treating one of my hens yesterday for impacted crop - (massage the mass, olive oil/molasses/cooked oatmeal/meal worms/acidopholus capsules and access to water with ACV (they always get that anyway). Her crop wasn't completely empty this morning, but much better. I have her isolated...
  5. jillstu

    crop issue or no?

    I isolated her in a dog crate so she can't access the feed, and put a dish mixed with molasses, olive oil, ACV and water in there and a few meal worms to make it appealing. She also has access to plain water with ACV. She can scratch in the dirt for entertainment, but hopefully not find too...
  6. jillstu

    crop issue or no?

    I haven't noticed anything, but they did get leftover bread as treat today and I just switched out their litter yesterday. I use grass clippings, and although they never seem interested in eating them, I suppose it's possible. But, it feels like it's full of grain when I massage it.
  7. jillstu

    Is there anyone who is able to review the feed I have created-soy, wheat, corn, and dairy free due t

    Now that the weather is turning colder - I am wondering what folks feed their chickens to give them extra warmth, since traditionally it is suggested to give them a handful of corn before bed during the winter.
  8. jillstu

    crop issue or no?

    26 week old speckled sussex with enlarged crop. She is acting fine and when I massage the mass, it isn't hard. I know I need to check her tomorrow and see if her crop is empty - and if it is not, isolate her and take her off solid food and try olive oil and/or molasses - but is there anything I...
  9. jillstu

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    Does anyone know what breeds lay through the winter here in WA? I have 2 buckeyes, a speckled sussex, a gold-laced wyndotte, and a cuckoo maran, live in greater seattle area, and am wondering if any of them are likely to lay through the winter (naturally - I don't plan on doing the artificial...
  10. jillstu

    consolidating chickens: no trouble on first introduction - all will be good?

    Hi there, I'm attempting to consolidate a flock of 3 18 week old hens (speckled sussex, gold-laced wyndotte, cuckoo maran) and 2 9 week old buckeye chicks. I had the chicks in a wire dog crate during the day next to the hen's run/paddock for a couple weeks, and then moved them into a plastic...
  11. jillstu

    buckeye cockerel?

    No wattles on either chick. These were sexed too. As were the last batch I purchased. It's no guarantee. I already have one unwanted rooster to deal with; these chicks were supposed to replace him...
  12. jillstu

    buckeye cockerel?

    I have 2 seven week old buckeye chicks, and due to differences in the combs, I suspect one is male and one is female. Suspected pullet: Suspected cockerel: thoughts?
  13. jillstu

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    Unfortunately, one cannot post to BST if you have made less than 20 posts. As someone relatively new to the forum (and chickens) this is pretty frustrating. I joined before I knew I'd have to remove a bird or 2 from my flock, and don't have an extensive chicken-related network. I don't have...
  14. jillstu

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    Any Puget Sound area Wyndotte aficionados? If so, would love to talk to you about a gold-laced I have. Send me a message, or let me know if it is ok to send you one. </trying hard not to break forum rules>
  15. jillstu

    nice, then mean, then nice, then mean

    Thanks for the feedback you two. Didn't think of the feather issue. Guess I need a little more patience...
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