Recent content by mollygrace

  1. M

    Easter egger questions

    I started with a flock of 6 EE chicks and I love them all so much. I handled them a lot as chicks and they are all great. Some are more friendly than others, but one in particular is so affectionate and will hop on my lap as soon as I sit down and sometimes even waits at my feet for me to pick...
  2. M

    Ended Official BYC Coop Page Contest #15

    Finally got mine written! I've been using it for a year now, so I feel good about how it's worked and held up. :) Open Air Coop and Run built off a Loft Bed in South Texas
  3. Open Air Coop and Run built off a Loft Bed in South Texas

    Open Air Coop and Run built off a Loft Bed in South Texas

    I live in south Texas, near San Antonio, and it’s hot here almost all year. I knew ventilation would be the name of the game and after seeing a few open air coop designs online I said “how about ALL ventilation then?” So that’s what I did! It doesn’t rain often, but it’s possible to get a pretty...
  4. M

    Is this vent gleet or....?

    I just noticed this a couple days ago on my year old hen. Her bottom is bare and there is a white streak running down from her vent. The vent itself looks okay. She is still laying eggs. She is my hen that will run away if I even think about touching her, so it was difficult to catch her and...
  5. M

    How do you soak a chicken's foot?

    I have a hen with bumblefoot and it sounds like an epsom salt soak will be beneficial, but I can't figure out how I'm actually supposed to get her to stand still for a foot soak! How do y'all do it?
  6. M

    minimum number of chicks for well-being

    I was able to buy a single chick last year at a local store after one of mine died.
  7. M

    minimum number of chicks for well-being

    I'd like to add 1-2 chickens to my little flock this year and I'd like to raise them from chicks. I know getting just one would be bad since they are such social creatures and I don't want her to be lonely in the brooder, but is 2 also too small of a group? Would 3 be the absolute minimum or...
  8. M

    nesting box bully?

    I have two nesting boxes for my 6 one-year-old hens. 5 of the hens will only use the box on the right and they all seem fine and happy with whatever system they've worked out for sharing it. My 6th hen is a crossbeak and just finally started laying regularly. She likes the box on the left, so...
  9. M

    Meal Worms or Black Soldier Fly Larvae?

    My ladies will eat mealworms, but they go bonkers for BSL. My compost pile attracts many black soldier flies and I live in south TX so fly season is like 10 months long, so in the mornings in bring the chicken poop out to the compost and when I turn it over I find a cluster of BSL and just scoop...
  10. M

    Crossbeak and egg laying.

    Answering your original question, I have 6 hens and one is a crossbeak. The 5 started laying in the 20-24 week range. My crossbeak did start laying but probably closer to 30 weeks, and she only laid for about a week and then stopped. She is definitely thinner than the others so it makes sense...
  11. M

    Laying hens avoiding laying in the nesting boxes?

    I have two nesting boxes that don't hold deep shavings either, like yours. What I found makes my hens happy is to have a little padding on the bottom so there is something cushy even when they kick the shavings out. And I have free padding by just putting in an old folded up feed bag! Then I...
  12. M

    Chicken finds it annoying when i try to pick her up!!

    I raised my hens from chicks and handled them every day. Now they are all quite friendly. Some are very very friendly with me and will hop up on me any chance they get and love being held and petted just as they've been doing since they were chicks. Sometimes even falling asleep on me. Some are...
  13. M

    anyone else have chickens who double up in a nesting box??

    I'm not concerned, I just think it's so funny that I wondered if anyone else sees this commonly. My 6 hens have 2 nesting boxes and they use both. But sometimes I see two chickens sitting in the same box while the other one is empty! They seem completely happy. It's not even always the same box...
  14. M

    Is this really how a brooder heat plate should be?

    I don't think they typically eat a lot in the nighttime anyway. And I assume they came out to eat in the morning just fine. Sounds normal!
  15. M

    Is this really how a brooder heat plate should be?

    Yeah, holding my hand against the plate does feel uncomfortable to me. I think that's normal. And the beauty of a plate is it allows the chicks to move away from it if they are too hot (unlike a lamp which they can't get away from as easily). So if they aren't moving away then they are pretty...
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