Recent content by rugerham

We got our first on 12/15/2011. Here it is.

I appreciate all the helpful comments and quick replies. Y'all have really helped put my mind at ease. I've lived here in the deep south my entire life and you would think I'd know a thing or two about chickens, but I don't. This is such a nice place to come and to learn from others. Thank...

Quote: Thank you. I will do that and I bet they will love it, though I don't relish the idea of another thing to take care of in their coop. I just wonder why they all of the sudden started doing this when they've had this waterer for 10 months now. I don't know if it is just a coincidence...

Quote: I probably didn't make myself clear. They are drinking the dirty water that I just dumped out of the tray.

I'm a newbie and this is my first time raising chickens. I have two hens which were very young when I got them. That was about 10 months ago and they have FINALLY started laying eggs!! They have had the same 2 gallon plastic waterer since the day I brought them home. It is a standard type...

Here is an exterior view of the nesting box. (click picture for larger image) As you can see, it is attached to the exterior of the coop and so they seem to like to hide in it. Here is a picture of them running in to the nesting box when they are disturbed: (click picture for larger...

Quote: Mine seem to do that a lot too. I figure I could go down there right now and push them out of the box and they'd just jump back in there when I walk back to the house.

I'm very new to this and so am reading as much as I can about how to get my chickens to be happy, healthy, and laying efficiently. I've had them 6 full days now. I read a thread that said that I should have a perch above the nesting box and that the chickens would sit on the perch and lay an...

I'm new to this too and my pullets hardly ever venture out. They did the first day, but since then they seem to like it inside. I'm glad to hear that they will eventually start coming out. I like the watermelon idea. That sounds like a win-win situation for everyone! I'll try that this weekend.

Very nice pictures. One day I want a place out in the country where I can let my chickens have that much roaming space. (And horse, pigs, and goats too.) Do they have nests inside the barn/coop or do they lay out in the grass??

Thanks to everyone who responded. I had to search what "EE" meant and learned that that stands for Easter Egg. The site I found defined it as a mutt chicken. I hope she will still lay a decent amount of eggs. Next time I will be more specific when I go hunting for new pullets.

I went to a Farmer's market last Saturday with my daughters and we picked out these two pullets on looks alone. Even though I grew up in the rural south we never had chickens. I really really hope they are female. (I asked the seller specifically for pullets) Would someone mind taking a...

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome. I look forward to learning and talking with y'all about all things chicken.

HEY YALL! (that's redneck humor there...) My wife thinks I'm crazy because I decided to grow a garden, establish a couple of bee hives, and buy some chickens all in the same week. Well, I missed out on the bees this season, but the garden is coming along great and my kids and I brought...

Just bought mine off of ebay from cconly. The music he played in his how-to video is what sold me.