Recent content by notiones

I bought square metal tubing from the hardware store and drilled the holes myself. They also sold caps for the tube ends to keep moisture out.

Update. The hen is doing great and putting on feathers like crazy. Now I have others going into molt too. Must be contagious, lol.

Thank goodness that's all it is. I've been feeding them scrambled eggs lately and I can easily supplement their feed with cat food and higher protein feed. I'll visit the farm supply tomorrow and pick up what I need. Many thanks!

One bird is losing feathers and weight. Here is a picture of what just fell off of her. Of 12 hens, I'm only averaging about two eggs a day. None of the other hens looks like this and I'm sure it's not contagious, or at least I hope not. I did find some bugs so we have dusted them the last two...

I think I might have solved my problem. The evening of my post I was reading and somehow got the idea that perhaps my hens were looking for more protein. I had left the black oiled sunflower seeds and cat food out of my last batch of scratch that just happened to coincide with the start of the...

I have lost two hens in as many days. One looked sort of lethargic, the other showed no signs at all. Both were found dead in the morning but were fine when I closed up the coop at night. Background: Most, but not all of the hens are loosing feathers and it looks like there has been some...

Did the bolts bend? There was a little play in mine too, but once they were engaged, i.e. wheels down, they were sturdy enough. To answer your question though, I used one foot of threaded 5/8" rod stock cut in half. One half for each side. Place a flat washer, lock washer, and nut onto the...

Anyone else having problems with raccoons right now? I assume that is what is eating my chicken feed because of the amount that is gone by morning. I've been moving the feeder in at night, but sometimes I forget and by morning it is empty. I would like to trap and euthanize the little buggers...

Update: Optics Planet blew it. The timer I received was not what I ordered and not compatible with the D20 motor. I did find a very good timer at http://www.foreverlast.com They have two compatible timers. The least expensive is the Redneck Timer. It looks more than capable. The other is...

1) My hens just stopped laying. Or almost. I went from 10-12 eggs a day to 3-5. Has anyone else experienced this recently? I have 14 layers, with one rooster, and they all seem quite happy and look healthy enough. I visit them at least twice a day and haven't noticed anything unusual and I can't...

Well, I found the timer I needed at Optics Planet. They have assured me it is the correct one. I guess we'll see when it gets here. The link for the timer is http://www.opticsplanet.com/american-hunter-digital-timer-for-deer-feeder.html I was able to order the rest of the parts through...