Recent content by Sarahnl

  1. Sarahnl

    Thought I'd ordered a dead duck...

    Thanks! Yeah, I'm familiar to the "new kid on the block" pecking order being established from adding new chickens to the mix so I'll watch for that for sure. Definitely looking forward to duck eggs. Do you think I need 2 ducks? I've heard they are very social and do better with a companion...
  2. Sarahnl

    Thought I'd ordered a dead duck...

    I'm just feeding them basic layer feed from Tractor Supply and supplementing it with scraps and the occasional pot of oatmeal or beans (:
  3. Sarahnl

    Thought I'd ordered a dead duck...

    So, I order meat and produce through a state co-op online. Long(ish) story short, I thought I was ordering a dead, processed duck...turns out I ordered a live juvenile Chocolate Muscovy. Laugh it up, I know. I have a backyard flock of 7 chicken hens. I'm to recieve this duck (female) in a...
  4. Sarahnl

    Stubborn hen lays eggs in the shed.

    My flock of 5 free-range in my backyard just about every day. Most of them have already done their laying by the time I let them out of their coop...except for one. In our backyard we have a shed that doesn't latch completely and usually ends up being ajar even when you think you've gotten it...
  5. Sarahnl

    feeding Chickens Black pepper

    Okay, to further expand on my case study: I have a flock of 5. 2 are Plymouth Rock's about 18 months old, as well as an Amerucana who is about the same age. Our other 2 are New Hampshire Red's who are about 8 months old. All of our oldest hens started going through their...
  6. Sarahnl

    feeding Chickens Black pepper

    IT WORKS! we've been lucky if we've gotten even one egg a day from our flock of five. Our Amerucana hasn't laid since probably July or August! I fed them oatmeal with cayanne yesterday and two eggs already and ONE IS FROM OUR AMERUCANA! I'm shouting this tip from a mountain top!
  7. Sarahnl

    Silkies and Standards?

    I currently have a mixed flock of 5 standard laying hens. We want to get silkies in the springtime as well as a couple other standard breeds of chicks. My question is, will my current standard hens "play nice" with the silkies when they do get introduced to the rest of the flock? I've thought...
  8. Sarahnl

    Acting broody but not...?

    I have one hen in my flock that went broody a few months ago and after much effort we finally got her to shake it. Now I've noticed she's pulling out her feathers (much like she did when she was broody) around her thighs and chest. Except she's not nesting like she did when she was broody...
  9. Sarahnl

    Preparing a Testimonial for City Council.

    Hello everyone! My city currently has very loose regulations on pets of any kind within city limits, and any ordinance about "farm animals" is kind of a free-for-all ( as long as they aren't a "nuisance" and aren't for commercial use it's okay ). Recently, likely with the surge in popularity...
  10. Sarahnl

    Strange behaviour

    haha, a couple of my hens do the same thing sometimes when we approach them. I always interpreted it almost like a child or dog allowing you to pick them up. I guess it makes more sense that it's a submissive-rooster-type reaction. hahaha. i thought it was a sign they love us!
  11. Sarahnl

    Ideas for run?

    thanks! all of those are very good ideas.
  12. Sarahnl

    Ideas for run?

    We recently expanded the run for our 3 girls with the idea of keeping them in there more often than not. (we love having them roam around our yard, but poop all over our patio...not so much). So now their run is roughly 6 x 8 (using an estimated guess here). It's all dirt. I'm wondering if...
  13. Sarahnl

    Introducing new hen - different breed/age?

    thank you for the advice/assurance. I figured it was just a matter of letting them adjust to each others presence but...egads! Can't we all just get along??? haha. There has been no bloodshed and it seems as though the little Barred Rock has chilled out on harassing the new hen. Though, my...
  14. Sarahnl

    Introducing new hen - different breed/age?

    Hey everyone, I'm new on here, but I've used this wonderful forum as a go-to source for many questions in the past so hopefully someone on here can answer my question and/or put my mind at ease about the situation in my backyard right now... We have a small backyard flock which, until...
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