Recent content by olivigus

  1. olivigus

    Our New Pallet Coop

    That is one cool coop!
  2. olivigus

    7 week olds transition to flock

    Sounds like a successful integration! Regarding needing to rehome two of them, as long as you have a nice big run, the indoor space may not be an issue. Based on the formulas to calculate coop space, I technically have too many chickens for my coop, but since they only go into the coop to lay...
  3. olivigus

    6 week old EE — hen or roo?

    Behavior can also be a clue. Her overall posture seems more pullet than roo to me. The few times I've gotten a rooster with chicks, they tended to stand more upright than the others and did a little more posturing when interacting. My EEs have all had fluffy cheeks from day one, so that's...
  4. olivigus

    Pullets not using roost bars

    They're young still. My 7-week old pullets just started roosting this week. I have a 2 x 2 with rounded edges in the little coop they share with their mama. She actually tried to get them to roost on it when I put the perch in there 2 weeks ago, hopping up to show them, but they didn't want to...
  5. olivigus

    Official BYC Poll: How do you name your pet chickens?

    My chickens' names come from all of the above. My friend's 10-year-old daughter, who was a very creative namer, named most of our first flock, which is why I have older chickens named Happy, Smudge and Sushi. Sushi is a particular favorite, so when I got another Americana with this spring's...
  6. olivigus

    Help! My chickens are bullying another to death!!

    A very similar thing happened with one of my black australorps, I noticed that Happy was spending her days in the coop because the others (many of whom she had grown up with) were suddenly bullying her mercilessly. I don't know why it started, but it was vicious and relentless. So I wound up...
  7. olivigus

    How often do you hold your chicks or chickens to make them love it?

    I have a reliable broody Buff Orpington who has now raised three batches of chicks over the years for me. I let her sit on ceramic eggs for 3 weeks then get day-old babies to slip under her at night. It's worked every time and she is an excellent mother. This year, really for the first time, she...
  8. olivigus

    Fly strike after-care questions

    @Eggcessive Thanks for taking a look! There were these pockets full of maggots on either side of her vent (they were in her vent too), so I'm not surprised there's damage there. I do not see any pus in the puffy area, and it doesn't seem particularly sensitive for her when I touch it. I was...
  9. olivigus

    Fly strike after-care questions

    Regina, one of my older barred rocks (6 years) is recovering from fly strike, discovered last Sunday. I got a lot of help from other threads on here around what to do. I really thought I was going to lose her that first night, but she has rallied and is alert and seeming much better overall. My...
  10. olivigus

    Australorp vs Wyandotte

    Personally, I would get one of each, because they are both lovely, and you can't necessarily predict who will do what. It's interesting to read people's breed experiences. I have found a lot of variation from the conventional wisdom about various breeds in my own flock. I used to call my two...
  11. olivigus

    Wyandotte’s and egg issues

    I have several different wyandottes (silver-laced, blue, blue-laced red) and have not noticed any tendencies toward soft shelled eggs. I would think this is more due to them being the same age and just beginning to lay. Like @neo71665, I would look at what you are feeding them--have you switched...
  12. olivigus

    Cream legbar?

    I just got two cream legbars in my recent batch of chicks. They are starting to develop their crests and are just so darn cute! One is rather skittish and the other is very friendly and likes to sit in my hand. Your uncrested ones look to have slightly bigger combs? I would lean toward olive...
  13. olivigus

    Official BYC Poll: How Do You Expand Your Egg Laying Flock?

    I buy chicks when I have a broody hen who can raise them. The first time a hen went broody, I got fertilized eggs for her to incubate. It was exciting when they hatched, but also difficult because out of 6 eggs, only 3 hatched successfully. Two never did anything and one pipped but wasn't able...
  14. olivigus

    Can a chicken have a stroke?

    My pullet that this happened to recovered. I'm pretty sure it was Mareks, but because she had been vaccinated as a chick, it wasn't as severe. None of my other chickens ever showed any signs. I fed her a wet mash with a dropperful of polyvisol infant vitamins each day for at least a month. It...
  15. olivigus

    Keeping broody and her chicks with the flock this time? Seeking advice...

    Thanks! The chicken side of my coop is about 5 x 8 and 7 tall. The chickens really only go in there to roost and to lay. The rest of the day they have a very large yard that's about 30 x 30 to run around in. I do have an adapted rabbit hutch that I use for my medical coop. Now I'm thinking I...
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