Recent content by smnytx

  1. smnytx

    New Royal Court Case to determine if chickens can be pets in HOAs

    Is there any update on this case? I would appreciate any legal precedent I can cite. A homeowner in my neighborhood (not close by) saw pictures of my hens that I foolishly posted on Facebook. Mind you, I have had them for SEVEN YEARS, raised from one day old, and they are our pets. She...
  2. smnytx

    how do I get my 2 new pullets to share the coop with my 2 old hens?

    Thanks - how long did it take them to all use the coop? I have no problem with them staying as two "couples" - but I really need the big ones to let the little ones come in out of the rain!
  3. smnytx

    how do I get my 2 new pullets to share the coop with my 2 old hens?

    Hi, everyone - I'd appreciate any advice: We have a pair of 3 year old hens (a RIR and a BR) that we've had since they were chicks, and they have a nice run on our side yard, about 12' x 18' with a nice A-frame coop that once held three (our EE died away a year ago) but easily has room for...
  4. smnytx

    extended moult, or is my hen being picked on?

    Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure they moulted - two of the three, anyway. The BR never did, but the RIR and the EE both lost lots of feathers around the same time, and both stopped laying, right up until just before the hurricane. Is it just that it's rare, or does it NEVER happen...
  5. smnytx

    extended moult, or is my hen being picked on?

    Hi, everyone - I'd love some guesses as to what is causing my 1 y.o. EE hen to stay in moulting mode. All three of my hens started moulting and stopped laying toward the end of August, just shy of their birthday, and two of them started laying JUST when Hurricane Ike hit, and I had to...
  6. smnytx

    Hurricane evacuation?

    Hi, I just wanted to follow up. We evacuated in two cars - one with me and the kids, and one with my husband and the chickens in the big dog kennel. The hens were a little weirded out by the whole thing, and they did NOT like the dog run (mostly b/c there were no next boxes). I did put a...
  7. smnytx

    Hurricane evacuation?

    The tub is a good idea! I'll remember that one. I was thinking cardboard boxes in the kitchen... Well, my husband and I agreed back when that we would only evacuate if it was MANDATORY... and it is, as of 8 AM tomorrow (Thursday). Good news - I called a church friend to ask about carriers...
  8. smnytx

    Hurricane evacuation?

    Hi, all - I have a small flock of three 1-year-old hens in our suburban backyard. We're about 10 miles south of Houston, TX. Right now, our county has just upgraded us from voluntary to mandatory evacuation from Hurricane Ike. Because we're 45 miles due north of the coast, and not even...
  9. smnytx

    HELP! alpha hen is suddenly bullying my best layer!

    UPDATE: We isolated them a bit today, and the picked-on bird also had some good time out while she was laying (it seems to take her about an hour in the nest). I've given them backyard access all morning, and put out more feeders/waterers for them. My husband noticed that the BR is part of...
  10. smnytx

    HELP! alpha hen is suddenly bullying my best layer!

    I have a small backyard flock - just three hens that got the day after they hatched. They've always had clear personalities and quickly established a hierarchy, but for the past (almost) nine months, they've generally lived peacefully. They have a section of the yard fenced off for them, and...
  11. smnytx

    is this earlobe injured or diseased?

    thank you - will do!
  12. smnytx

    is this earlobe injured or diseased?

    Thanks - CUDA - it's a hen, not a roo - and any idea where/how to get antibiotics for a chicken? I would prefer to tough it out, but if this could be life-threatening, I will of course treat it. P & P - how does one clean/drain a chicken earlobe? With this one, general anesthesia would...
  13. smnytx

    is this earlobe injured or diseased?

    Hi, all - I just happened to pick up my 7 month-old RIR hen and put her under my left arm, rather than under my right as I usually do. I then noticed that her right earlobe (which I guess I don't usually see) has something seriously wrong with it: Is that a disease, or is this what a...
  14. smnytx

    i need some help(not a disease)

    I don't know what we can say that might help you... it doesn't sound like a predator to me, as the bird wasn't eaten or dragged away. The fact that his body was left there, and that his neck and back were cleanly broken, sounds like the work of a human, and that it was a message for you. The...
  15. smnytx

    a minor concern with my alpha-hen...

    Thank you so much... that makes a lot of sense. I'll take a peek for some oyster shell for her.
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