Recent content by Prairiewillow

I am new to the duck world myself, but if yours are free range and have access to free feeding.... I dont see how you could be not feeding them enough... I did not realize that ducks eat more than chickens, so I was really glad to find that out in a post higher up.

Well unfortunately I lost another one of my girls this morning... It wasnt the one I had inside, but I did notice this one acting kind of droopy last night. I was going to check on her this morning and found her dead under the far side of the roost. No signs of trauma, but her beak was wet...

I have a question along the line of this thread... I would like to use an electric dog bowl in my coop as it gets colder, but I have hardwood sawdust on the floor and I dont want to risk a fire. I would just clear an area, but my girls are notorious for kicking the bedding all over and for...

Thankyou for your reply. That is kind of what I was leaning toward, although I totally forgot about the pecking order problem... She really seemed to do well today, and has been on the oxytetracycline for over a week, so I think she will go back out tomorrow. I will still keep an eye on her...

I have been looking at all of the threads I can about upper respiratory infections and how to treat them, but I have a question about how long I need to keep her separated and on meds. A little over a week ago, I separated (aka brought inside, aka spoiled chicken) one of my hens from the flock...

Well, not that I am happy that we all have this in common, but like several posts I have read, I glad to know that it is not unheard of... We had one of our Ethels disappear without a trace a couple months ago and then yesterday when locking up the coop for the night my husband found another...

Just thought I would report that Wilma and the Bettys are doing well. They have started laying again and seem to like having some freedom to move. They arent quite ready to come near the people yet, but they will learn that "Lady with Food" isnt so bad. I am wondering though, if I should...

So I thought I would weigh in on my original post and let people know how it was going... I realized that there was no way that I was going to be able to afford to make my own balanced feed, so we are buying a higher quality crumble feed and giving veg scraps and locally grown scratch grain, as...

Last night we picked up 3 hens from a lady who didnt have time to take care of them properly anymore.... I was kind, but.... um Major understatement! Their coop was Way too small and 6 inches deep in poop (not litter, just Poop), their food was rancid and had been for who knows how long and...

I tend to be a bit of an "odd duck" and like to do things the old fashioned way. I know that back when my great grandparents were around they didnt have all the processed animal feed that we do now, including all the hormones and antibiotics, and their animals thrived, so I know processed feed...

Thanks! I Totally forgot about using DE, and Ive got a Big ole bag of it down in my basement! I had thought of using the shopvac, but only because I was tired of shoveling...

We finally decided to reuse the old coop that was on our "new to us" farm. It needs a lot of work, but it has a good structure and roof. My question is can my girls could contract diseases from the old structure? It does have a concrete floor, but it is quite broken up. I do have access to a...

After the "wonderful" day I am having, I am hoping this is going to be just one of those dorky "newbie" questions... If its not, I dont want to ignore it and lose one of my girls if she could be helped. Ok, a little back story, just in case it is contributing. Last night I extended my plastic...

Im not sure who asked, we are in the middle of Kansas, about an hour north of Wichita. So far the girls are doing really well and I have enjoyed cruising around on here so much! Learned about the ACV "trick" and started doing that earlier this week. They dont seem to mind it at all and havent...

Wow, yeah... that would be a bit big for a portable setup...We have acreage, but that would be a major undertaking to move, especially every couple of days like we had planned. We could split them up I suppose and have two tractors, but I will have to run it by the hubby... thank you!