Recent content by pcakes

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    Raccoons, rats, and capsaicin

    Amarsano ~ how’s it going? Any luck with pest control? I’m still struggling with the rats!
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    Long Pin Feathers?

    Update: I think her lack of preening is stress related. We thought we had a chipmunk going after their feed but it ended up being rats, and they totally freak out the chickens. While we battle the rats, I only put food down in their porch when I can sit out there with them. They stay locked...
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    Keeping rats out of the coop

    Since the coop is small, you might consider hardware cloth on the bottom ~ under the floor. If you don’t plan on a floor, stake it down before adding dirt. We have a 12” deep apron around enclosed chicken run and the rats burrowed under it. I don’t think it’s that common, but they did.
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    Raccoons, rats, and capsaicin

    I’m in the middle of a rat-battle as well. Started seeing early signs of them late October. There’s only one rat on my camera at any given time, and only in the covered porch, not the coop. Fairly certain the rat recently took over a chipmunk burrow, so hoping it’s still excavating and...
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    Senior hen ~ very messy bottom

    We live in a rural area with a lot of locally grown food products and small working farms. I get the feeling lots/most people prefer to change the water less often, so water purifiers might be more popular. And when we had 13 hens, their big jug of water was a PITA to change/sanitize, so the...
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    Senior hen ~ very messy bottom

    Crazy, right?? I was using Backyard Chickens OXY E-100, from spring to fall. I thought it was standard practice honestly. When I first started noticing digestive issues, the first thing the helpful folks at our local grain stores would ask was if I was using water sanitizer and healthy...
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    Senior hen ~ very messy bottom

    I wanted to post an interesting update about Lola’s perpetually messy bottom. I turns out, it was being caused by the water sanitizing drops I was using!!! I went away for 3 nights at the end of August, so hubby was taking care of the girls. When I came home I noticed Lola’s bum was...
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    Hello from NH

    Wow, what a nice welcoming! :love Thanks everyone. I appreciate the kind comments more than you know ~ the learning years were tough, but so worth their health and happiness. Currently enjoying my new chicken TV… 🥰 SO much fun!
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    Hello from NH

    :love Thanks, I’m trying!
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    Hello from NH

    T There’s not a lot of information about geriatric chickens either, so learning as I go. 💕
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    Long Pin Feathers?

    Thanks for the advice! They’re not used to being handled, so hubby will have to hold her while I work on them ~ but isn’t it uncomfortable for them to be handled while molting? It’s hard to see in the pics, but she still has little pin feathers everywhere.
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    Long Pin Feathers?

    Ditto!
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    Hello from NH

    They seemed so cold before the mini coop! I figured they were old and therefore not making or maintaining heat as efficiently ~ just like old people. Cervical and Thoracic pain started 3 1/2 years ago, still no specific diagnosis. Will check out book anyway ~ thanks!
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    Long Pin Feathers?

    I was tempted to try, but I read the feathers could fall out if I pulled even a little. So I’m not sure.
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    Long Pin Feathers?

    I have 3 senior hens, all molting. One has these really long pin feathers that won’t seem to fall off. The 1st picture is from 11/8, the rest are from today. I was hoping she would preen them off in time, but could they be stuck? And do they look unusually long? Thanks in advance!
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