Recent content by wf1992

Assuming no aggressive hens, and enough space to run and hide, I'd put the pullets in at the same time as the rooster. They're probably too small to completely integrate just yet, but since they outnumber the big girls, they'll probably just be their own flock within a flock for a while. The...

Can you get that much stuff to go down at once? I was worried my girl's stomach wouldn't hold it all, so let it happen over a day or so. Also curious what indicates "full" to a chicken, crop or stomach? When this happened, I assumed she kept eating because nothing made it to the stomach, so...

Hubby calls her sports-bra-chicken :p She started out with a tension bandage (I didn't have vet wrap at that point) to support her crop until it emptied, then it took a few versions of the bra to get the shape to work for her and the elastic the correct length. I've used a stretch-denim...

I have a hen who's been equipped with a crop bra for a bit over a year, and is doing fine. I've tried taking it off a couple times, but it stretches right out again. The difference is, my girl's crop is so saggy it won't empty overnight without support. I guess if you're sure your chicken's crop...

Yesterday morning I found one of my week-old chicks sprawled in the run looking dead, but turned out to be only almost-dead. Once warmed, it perked up considerably. I gave it water/electrolyte, but couldn't convince it to eat, and thought it might be more likely to eat if returned to mama &...

Last summer she hatched 6/7 eggs, in 19 days, and they were all pullets. That our & her first hatch. This time is not going so well 😢

I thought there was pipping this morning (day 22), but this is what the egg looks like this evening. I don't see the membrane punctured anywhere and it appears to be drying out now. I'm not noticing movement and assume it's too late, but have left it under mama. Thoughts? Something I should have...

Arrrgh. My broody is suddenly ready to produce mother's day chicks, and the girl who's eggs I want to hatch isn't laying regularly! I didn't realize early enough to start squirreling hatching eggs, and hubby ate the last 2 marans eggs in the basket 😠 Now to decide whether to try a couple older...

I never even considered it a possibility that a young, healthy chicken couldn't produce a shell! The hybrid layers after a couple years, sure, but right from the beginning? Always a new chicken mystery to I guess. I can't tell these twins apart, so it's definitely not affecting her behaviour...

This is one of 6 my broody hatched last summer, and I'm going to have to separate her from her identical twin to find out which one it is. Ugh. I wish I'd figured this out before I sold her other 2 sisters in my attempt to be good and not let chicken math take over 🤦‍♀️

Wouldn't this kind of "friend", who guarantees a broken egg every couple days, increase the chances of egg-eating? I'm actually having the same problem - a new layer (also an ameraucana!) who produces nothing but softies. Often from the roost; occasionally in a nest, which then messes up all...

Well, this is one of my 'working girls', so while I realize 2 isn't old for other birds, she's a hybrid. I have no real expectation of productivity beyond the next few months. How many days of tablets would I expect it to take to resupply the shell gland? And then how long do you think that...

Sorry to burst your bubble, but unfortunately this isn't true. Yes, it's dominant, but that only guarantees the hen carries at least one blue egg gene - which she may or may not pass on to the chick. I have a tinted layer from a blue egg. And my rooster clearly has only one blue gene, because he...

No Easter hatch for me 😔 My "incubator" is still having too much fun running around now that the snow is finally melting. Maybe by Mothers Day... Honestly, I'm not sure what I would have put under her anyway - I've got mostly pullet eggs still.

Is that actually a crack? Hard for me to tell from the picture, but it looks a little like a bit of the brown has just rubbed off.