Recent content by Kittymomma

I'm glad you were able to match the symptoms with a treatment plan. It feels so much better when your able to do something. It drives me nuts when I have to fall back on basic care and support while waiting for that magical new symptom that will pin point what is going on. Please keep us...

I'm not sure and hope others will chime in soon, but it almost sounds like wry neck to me. Silkies seem to be prone to it though it seems to be more common in youngsters. I'd go ahead and start her on a couple of drops of poly-visol infant drops (NO IRON) along the beak a couple of times a day...

Quote: Good advice! As far as solar chargers go, I love our Parmak charger. They can be really good as long as you buy one that fits what you need and the eviorment you're using it in. We live in an area that loses power regulary so solar was a natural choice for us. The fact that we also...

Quote: Yep, what AlbionWood said. Teenage roos can be rough and randy so what you're seeing is very normal and should get better as the pullets get older and start to squat/submit to the roos, and the roos get their technique down. Three roos is too many for the number of hens you have though...

Quote: well said, I agree. X3 and I'd also add that you won't want to leave her alone with them, even for just a minute until your sure she understands that they're living things not animated stuffed animals. Toddlers don't really have the capacity to understand death yet or the cause and...

They can sure be a problem, Dh and I are tied at two apiece for last year. If you don't have a safe field of fire from the house, but do from other parts of your property you might ask around at some of the local fishing/hunting stores and see if anybody would like to come out and get him for...

Quote: In my experience it actually seems to attract them. After my youngsters got spooked out of their cedar tree they homed in on the porch/house lights like moths to flame. They would settle down on the railing much quicker if I turned the light off, but on or off they didn't stop roosting...

If possible (space permitting) lock them in their coop for a couple of weeks. It takes them some time to get it into their little bird brains where home is so just a few days won't do it. Freeranging birds love porch railings, I think the porch and house lights attract them, but if you can lock...

Sometimes they just hide them to hide them, it doesn't always mean that their going broody. If she does get the broody urge she'll go for it even if there are no eggs to sit on. I've had lots of hens try to hatch out nothing but pine shavings. You'll know if she goes broody and can put eggs...

I use the pellets in the cat boxes and in the chick brooder, but like sand better for the coop. The thing that is so great about sand is that it's easy to "scoop" the poo and when used along with a poop board under the roost has pretty much eliminated the need for full scale coop clean outs...

Quote: x2 Also they're not 100% effective, but they help ALOT especially if you freerange your birds.

I've used pumpkin on other critters to help even out digestive issues. I think adding a bit to the chooks diet would work well too. Good luck and what a wonderfull thing you're doing!

I like this site-- http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf Just be sure to tell them that older "spent" hens are called stewing hens for a reason. Chicken and dumplings, yum yum.

They really like kitty litter boxes too, especially the covered ones.

I'd pull the unhatched eggs so she'll care for the chicks. Most of the time the momma hen will abandon the eggs to care for the chicks on her own, but my BO let three chicks starve/dehydrate to death because she wouldn't give up on the two dud eggs that were still in the nest. I was working a...