Recent content by Jimmy

I have 12 hens (no rooster). They all live in a 8'X12' unheated coop.and have not been out much because of the weather(Northern Pa.) Everyone seems to be healthy and productive (they are nine months old). I noticed yesterday that one of the RIR's had a round bare spot about 3" in diameter just...

I have heard of putting apple cider vinegar in the chickens water. What is it supposed to be good for and how much would you put in?

I have been feeding my hens Dumor Layer crumbles from Tractor supply, but for various reasons, I am considering switching to either "Nutrina" or "Buckeye". Can anyone offer any advice on these three brands? I have had no problems with the Dumor food other than my local TSC store can't seem to...

I have 13 hens who were four months old on Labor Day. On that day, one of them started laying eggs.I suspect another one started in a few days,because the eggs were a slightly different size and shape.These eggs were really small,but had a strong shell.They were not on layer feed yet(still on...

Can you raise a turkey with a small flock(13) of chickens? The chickens are almost full grown(14 weeks old) and I was wondering if they would get along in the same coop and run.

I moved moved my chicks from a small pen to an 8'x12' coop when they were six weeks old. They have been in the coop for 11 days and I want to start letting them out in their "run" but I notice that four of them have not figured out the roost thing yet (or just prefer to sleep on the...

I accidentally bought some bails of Cedar shavings...are these OK to use for bedding or is the odor a problem for chickens ?

As usual, your responses were very helpful. Funny that lots of people mentioned TSC...that was one of the few places I could find pine shavings around here. Do you ever put straw on top of that..and is 5" about what everyone uses? Thanks again !!

My chicks are five weeks old now and have pretty much outgrown the 4'x4' pen in the garage, so I will be moving them into their new coop which is 8'x12". Is this going to be traumatic for them ? Anything I need to do to make the transition less stressful? How about bedding...I have been using...

First of all..thanks for all of your responses and your concern.What a great resource this forum is and you all seem like such nice people. Well,they(four each of six different breeds) all arrived alive and pretty well(only one vent needed work)..I offered them water and they figured that out...

No,I guess I was not very clear on that..the lamp is adjusted so that the temp is 95F 2" off the floor

I am picking them up in an hour..the brooded is all ready with a heat lamp adjusted for 95F 2" off the floor and room to get away from it if needed....I felt prepared until this "early" arrival thing came up. Thanks everyone for your quick responces ..although there seem to be conflicting...

I ordered chicks from a hatchery,they hatched yesterday(Monday)..the post office just called and said they will be at my house this morning...they will only be one day old(instead of the two I was expecting)...should I give them food and water right away? I remember reading something that they...

Being very new at this, I have read myself to the point of confusion. Are there any feed brands that you would recommend over others? Are there any to really avoid? I have read good things about "Purina" and 'Dumars". Any advice would be appreciated from someone with first hand experience..as I...

I will be getting my first chicks next week. I have ordered 12 hens and one rooster.Was the rooster a good idea to maintain order or will he be more trouble than he is worth? I have done a lot of reading and opinions seem to vary.