Recent content by path.otto

I'm so sorry for your loss! I just now euthanized my Rhode Island Red due to fly strike. I'm so angry with myself for not thinking about it sooner. I hadn't had an issue in 6 years and I got complacent. 😥

I've only done this twice with single adult chickens. I will always remember the post from the woman who said she tried "the sneaking the new chickens onto the roost" method and woke up to a blood bath in the coop the following morning. Not for the faint of heart! My best results came from the...

I have cold hardy breeds and they seemed to do well with the sheets. We've had colder weather than this and I didn't worry but my flock was larger then. I'm going to put another bag of chips in there so they can hunker down.

Glad to read this, I haven't posted in a while and I only have 3 chickens left out of my flock. I don't intend to get more so this upcoming frigid weather (northern Iowa) was concerning me. When I had 11 chickens my 8x10 coop seemed right sized. I hang sheets around the roost and have a radiant...

Very interesting and informative article. I've only had chickens for 4 years but I haven't lost any to predators, although I accidentally saved my BO from a hawk when I walked around the corner of the coop just as it was making its dive for the kill. She is the one I will lose if it comes to...

I eat eggs every day but I chose it's a nice benefit. My chickens were a retirement present to me from me and I've enjoyed every day with them even though some days ended in heartache. I'm almost 70 so I don't plan on replacing my girls when they are gone, but I hope to have them for at least a...

Sometimes they are, sometimes you will need to call your City Clerk, City Manager or Mayor's office depending on the size of your town. Regulations may be under Zoning or Animal Control. You can also contact the Zoning Department or Animal Control directly for help.

@Aunt Tat, I have two of my neighbor's chickens that decided to pack a bag and leave. Don't blame the chickens my neighbor's idea of animal husbandry differs from mine. They built a simply gorgeous coop but did nothing else to protect them from predators. When they first moved here they had...

Five is fine, six might be pushing it. I consider the inside part of the Cube the roost and nest box, not the coop. If you get the extended run and keep it protected in bad weather you should be fine. I decided not to use my cube in the winter and bought a large coop from a friend because we get...

I'm pretty sure her daughter wasn't actually trying to kill the chickens on purpose for heaven's sake!

@debik60, thank you for your very interesting post on vultures. We have a lot of them in Iowa and I see them every day. I have a new appreciation for them now!

Seriously? It is her property she has the right to plant a garden wherever she pleases on her property and she has the right to expect the owner of the chickens to keep them off her property. She can certainly complain and if it would go as far as court, the neighbor would win.

@Fishychix, good fences make good neighbors. Her chickens, her responsibility to keep them safe. The best way to do that is confinement, either in a run or by fencing some or all of her property. If her neighbor then continues to come on her property it is a matter for the sheriff or police. It...