Recent content by robynandbatman

The run is not roofed, but we did put criss cross yarn all over the top so she shouldn't be getting out. Anyway I think we figured it out. She's getting picked on so she's trying to get away from the other mean hens. The feather loss that I thought was molting is actually from getting picked...

So I have one chicken that keeps escaping. Well, kinda. She gets out no matter how we reinforce (yes she's even gotten between the criss cross yarn over the top of the open area. Once she gets out she squawks REALLY Loudly to get back in. What's up with that? How do I train her to stay in...

I give them everything that we don't eat as long as it hasn't gone bad. I dump it onto the compost heap that's in the corner of the run. They pick and scratch through it, turning my compost for me and they only eat what they want/can. They don't touch citrus, onions, coffee grounds or carrots...

Nope, heated water dish that we check daily and refill every 3-4 days. We add cider vinegar to it as well.

Not sure what happened, but all of a sudden no eggs! I have 7 ladies between 1-3 years of age. In the fall they molted and we were down to 1-2 eggs per day, then in January when we got unseasonably warmer weather they went back to 5-6 eggs per day. 3 days ago they stopped. 4 days ago we...

The new girls I brought in a few weeks ago are burying their eggs. When I open the nesting box areas (checked twice daily) one box has eggs on the top in a nicely shaped nest as they always have been. The other box is a mess and eggs are buried under the straw, occasionally there is poop in...

Yep all three given to me, all three lay brown eggs, though the buff one has very light brown small eggs. They are molting right now along with my other girls.

I'm still very new to chickens. These girls were given to me and they didn't know what breed they were. I have no idea either! The one with the head down is the same as the one on the right, just a good side view of the feather coloring. They are still settling in so a bit shy. Thanks for...

One of the girls ventured out this morning and is happily pecking in the raspberry patch. The other two are still inside the coop.

So I introduced three new girls to my flock of 4. Put them nearby with fencing in between for a few days with no obvious concerns, then slipped them in the coop when the girls were asleep. I've seen nor heard any fighting, but the new girls aren't leaving the coop. To be fair that is where...

Thanks for the info! Yes, we have an enclosed coop with good ventilation. It's raised with an area underneath that is wire enclosed. We plan to cover the two prevailing wind sides with plastic and leave the other two sides open. We also have a large run some of which is covered. I did not...

Hi all, I know you don't want to add too much heat to the coop, but I am concerned about light. My girls are noticing that we are getting less light everyday (I'm in Alaska) and a few are now only giving eggs every other day. It was recommended to put a light bulb in the coop on a timer and...

Well we did it, totally redid the inside of the coop. Changed it all up and made them MAD I guess since we are now only getting 3 eggs per day. It's only been 3 days so we'll see if they come around.

uh oh, shouldn't have told me that! I can have MORE chickens??!!!!

I'm still new to chickens and have learned a lot so far, but I'm unclear about how much room they need. I have 5 girls (different breeds) about 2 years of age. The coop is 5 x 7 feet enclosed with 1 nesting box (though I'm going to change it to 2 for easier access) and the space underneath...