I'm planning to put some crude gutters on our house and run. I don't know yet if we'll use the water for the hens or the garden. Maybe both.
I'm interested to see what others do!
They do. I just went to the feed store and observed the same behavior in their older chicks. Apparently it's normal. Having no experience with chickens, I'm unfamiliar with what is normal and abnormal. :)
Not medicated feed. They were vaccinated at Meyers before being picked up.
i read that the medicated feed can negate the benefit of the vaccinations.
They had electrolytes added to their water until 3 days ago when I used up the packets that I originally bought.
I just noticed another one doing the craning neck and opening beak move, now before they all laid down for a snooze.
Is it respiratory?
i forgot to mention that I brought two sticks in from the yard for them to roost on instead of their water and food containers.
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Just over 2 weeks old. 5 chicks, 2 BR, 3 RIR. They are all growing visibly and getting feathers.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Quick head shake. Occasional scraping beak sideways on the...
Same here. I check their water many times a day and pull pine shavings out of the feeder if its really covered up.
The water is now sitting up higher on a block. That works a bit better.
There is less pooping in the dishes since I added a few sticks for them to roost on instead of the...
The one on the right of your photo is identical to my Rhode Island Red girls. Yours looks about a week behind mine who are now 2.5 weeks.
Here's a picture from one week ago of the one that is a bit darker than the other two. The other two are the same shade as yours.
If you turn it with the opening on the top side, then it won't start to fill until you have the whole thing turned over. (If it has one hole like mine does.)
Our two barred rocks do the same thing! The RIR will not hop up for anything, though!
We have Betty and Batgirl the Barred Rocks and Austra, Beyonce and Pippin the Rhode Island Red chicks.