Recent content by sjmjrgkmg

  1. sjmjrgkmg

    Please take a moment to help an urban chicken group change the rules!

    Hi folks, I live in a medium-sized city in NYS, and we are having trouble with our city government raising our fees to what we consider an unreasonable amount. It used to be $37 annually, and two years ago they bumped it up to $75 per year - which makes it very difficult to keep a small...
  2. sjmjrgkmg

    Treadle Feeder advice, please!

    Hi folks, After 10+ years of chicken keeping, we're finally going to break down and invest in a treadle or pressure plate feeding system - our hens are wasting so much food from the hanging feeder we're currently using! Does anyone have a brand they absolutely love and feel is worth the...
  3. sjmjrgkmg

    Catch 22 Composting

    I have been composting my chickens' bedding and waste for over a decade, and it is amazing for the garden! I use wood shavings in my coop, so when I add the used bedding it is a nice blend of carbon and nitrogen. If your compost isn't coming out quite right, and if you don't have any...
  4. sjmjrgkmg

    Best rat-proof feeder?

    Hi all - I don't know if this should go under "feeding & watering" or "predators & pests", so I'm posting under both. We have a BAD rat problem all of a sudden, and they are starting to gnaw through the heavy wooden feeder (with a pressure-plate opening) that my friend built, so we're looking...
  5. sjmjrgkmg

    Stridor breathing - advice?

    Thanks for the advice and reassurance, folks - she was fine this morning, so I'll know not to panic so much next time it happens! This was the first time in almost 10 years of keeping chickens that I encountered this problem.
  6. sjmjrgkmg

    Stridor breathing - advice?

    Hi, one of my hens is making an odd noise with every breath - like a harmonica on the exhale - but seems otherwise fine. She's eating, walking around, no messy butt or obvious signs of distress apart from the stridor. It has been VERY cold here - mostly in the teens (Fahrenheit) this past...
  7. sjmjrgkmg

    Messy, dripping bottom - possible causes?

    About two weeks ago I had an egg-bound hen. That was successfully dealt with by soaking her tush in warm water/epsom salts and adding more calcium/magnesium to her diet, but she had a prolapsed vent for about a week after that. With another soak or two, it went back in, but she still has a...
  8. sjmjrgkmg

    Broad-spectrum wormer?

    Hi all, Cleaning out the run, I found a worm in some loose poop, and I can't really tell if it is a tapeworm or roundworm or something else. It was about 8" long, slightly bulbous on one end, a bit pink in color - not really round like spaghetti, but not totally flat and white like the pictures...
  9. sjmjrgkmg

    Permit requirements/ cost question

    Wow - is that $300 a one-time cost, or is it annual? Either way, it's ridiculous! Thanks for responding!
  10. sjmjrgkmg

    Looking for permit cost feedback

    Re-posting my question with a poll attached. I'm trying to gather some data regarding license fees in different towns and cities, as the poultry permit fee in our city just doubled. Your feedback is deeply appreciated. Thanks!
  11. sjmjrgkmg

    Permit requirements/ cost question

    For those of you who live in cities or towns, do you need a permit or license to keep you flock and, if so, what is the cost? I'm doing some informal research so that I can go before our city council in Rochester, NY armed with some data. This year the license fee for keeping hens in the city...
  12. sjmjrgkmg

    What to look for w/sick chicken?

    I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions. Since we are still having snow up here (she says bitterly), the girls have not been out of their run for a few days, though they were out of the run for a few hours early in the week. I'm a city chicken keeper, so some of the hazards mentioned by...
  13. sjmjrgkmg

    What to look for w/sick chicken?

    Hi folks, If you have a hen down with no obvious cause (i.e. no previous sign of illness, no observable injury, fine in the morning and near death by afternoon...) what do you look for first? This is not the first time I've had a chicken just flop over in the run. This particular hen is not...
  14. sjmjrgkmg

    Chicken acting strange in Extreme cold

    I just logged on to get advice for the same problem! I'm also in NY (Rochester, similar temps to what you stated) and my buff Brahma is listless, tail tucked, eyes closed. I tried her with some kefir, and some warm oatmeal. I just e-mailed my best "chicken guy" for advice - I'll pass it on if...
  15. sjmjrgkmg

    short-term homemade feed question

    Hi all, Oops - ran out of feed, and my "chicken guy" has limited hours during the winter. Since I might not get out there for a couple of days, I thought I'd throw together some feed out of my pantry. I have rolled and steel cut oats, millet, sesame seeds, mung dal (a small legume akin to red...
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