Recent content by nhorrin

I have 4 Columbian Wyandot bantams that just started laying eggs. The problem is that they only lay while on the roast so the eggs land in the droppings. There are 4 fresh clean nests available but they do not use them. Any thoughts on how to get them to use the nests. I have had chickens before...

What bantam breed might be considered calm to have in a small flock. I have had some mixed bantams in the past and all roosters seemed to be aggressive. At my advanced age I would like to get a very small flock of the same breed bantams that tend to be calm. Thanks in advanced.

I have 1 rooster and 5 Dominque hens that are about 5 months old. Is this a good ratio for hatching some chicks in the spring?

I have seven 5 month old Dominiques. Five hens and two roosters. I am finding a lot of feathers around the coop. Also notice the tail feathers on the roosters seem to be ragged. Could this be feather picking? See photo. Thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks for the replies. They are straight run and the ones with pronounced dark and light bars seem to be slightly larger at this point. They are probably males. Thanks for the information. First time with Dominiques.

I have 7 chicks about 5 weeks old. Two have pronounced black / grey barreding while 5 are mostly black with little barreding. Is this common until they mature? Thanks

Well I think I'm all done with chickens. I have raised chickens on and of since I was a young kid and I am now 75 years old. I've had problems over the years but this winter was the worst. I've had regular laying hens, backyard mixes, Bantams, White Chanteclers and Buff Chanteclers most...

Have 9 hens that are 6 months old and just starting to lay. Some still do not use the roost at night but sleep in the corner of the coop. About half of the eggs are in the nest boxes and the other half are around the coop in the litter. I have blocked off the dark area under the roost droppings...

Hens are taking lots of dirt bathes and preaning each other. I'm thinking mites. If this is the case what is the best method to get rid of them? Thanks

Had to cull 14 chicks today all went well quickly for the chicks. The problem was with me as I cut my finger in the process. The cut came in contact with the blood from the chicks. I wonder if anyones knows if this is a problem. Concerned about infections etc. Thanks.

Last year I had a problem with mites. I got rid of my flock in October and cleaned the coop but did not us any insecticide. The coop has been empty all winter with temperatures down to -25 many times during the season. Is it correct to assume the mites will be gone or is more work needed before...

Going to be getting some more chicks and have narrowed it down to either Dominiques or Buff Chanteclers. Have had both White and Buff Chanteclers before but have no experience with Dominiques. Any info. anyone has comparing these two breeds would be helpful. Thanks

Thanks for the information. I have never seen any mites on the hens but they do take a lot of dust baths when outside.

The coop is 8' by 8' with a 7' by 12' fenced enclosure that they have access to 24 hours a day. They also have a 30' by 40' fenced run that they have access to during the day.

I feed them layer pellets which contain 16.5% protein.