Recent content by zmaryellen

  1. zmaryellen

    The Middle Tennessee Thread

    We live in Murfreesboro, and we started keeping chickens last year. We love having them. However, I also love gardening. I have a question. What kinds of shade plants do chickens NOT love to eat? I started a lovely little garden last year with several kinds of hostas. I quickly found out...
  2. zmaryellen

    Broody Hen Thread!

    One of our buffs went broody while we were away, and the neighbor who was going to collect eggs and keep an eye on the birds was afraid to bother her. The hen was very content staying on the nest in the coop amidst the other chickens. About a day after the the eggs started hatching we moved...
  3. zmaryellen

    Broody Hen Thread!

    We have chicks!! There are 6 hatched so far... 7 to go, although one egg is questionable...
  4. zmaryellen

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Day 23 and no chicks (13 eggs slightly staggered)..... broody still sitting and getting annoyed when we look in on her. I'm concerned, especially since I just read that someone's eggs are hatching at 18 days!!!! Is there anything we can/should do?
  5. zmaryellen

    Broody Hen Thread!

    This is day 22 for the earliest eggs under our buff orp.... no peeps yet.... should we be worried, yet?
  6. zmaryellen

    Comment by 'zmaryellen' in article 'Guide to Letting Broody Hens Hatch and Raise Chicks'

    We came home from vacation and found a broody chicken with 11 eggs under her!! (We were only gone 3 days- friend was going to get the eggs, but hen went broody immediately and neighbor was afraid of her.... so she didn't take out any eggs!). All has been uneventful since then. We marked the...
  7. zmaryellen

    mites, mites, mites

    Well, it doesn't look like there are mites anywhere else..... I brushed some olive oil with a little bit of Neem oil added to it all around our broody's nest box. It killed the mites that it touched. I'll keep watching.
  8. zmaryellen

    mites, mites, mites

    Ugh... mites! We have some eggs about to hatch (tomorrow is day 21) and they are covered with mites, as is the nest they're in. I imagine the rest of the coop is full too. What's the best way to safely treat for this problem? I hate the thought that the chicks will enter the world covered with...
  9. zmaryellen

    Broody Hen Thread!

    Thanks so very much for the help! I'm excited, but nervous (like the mama hen??!!) I'll let you all know how things go...
  10. zmaryellen

    Broody Hen Thread!

    We came home from an unplanned 4 day vacation and discovered that we have a broody hen sitting on 11 eggs. Before we left we asked a neighbor to get the eggs each day and open and close the coop in the mornings and evenings (chickens free-range during day) The neighbor did not collect the eggs...
  11. zmaryellen

    CAN YOU FEED CHICKENS EGG SHELLS????

    I want to be clear about this... I can save and wash my chicken's egg shells, crush them, and then feed them back to the chickens?????? This will provide the calcium they need? Weird........
  12. zmaryellen

    Are 2 roosters too much for 13 hens?

    We have 4 hens (started with 6, but 2 have been killed :0( ) and 1 rooster- all buff orpingtons.... absolutely love them, but 2 hens are apparently the rooster's favorites. They are increasingly losing feathers, but don't seem stressed (what do I know?????) Should we have more hens per...
  13. zmaryellen

    Brahma Thread

    We have what we think is a brahma, but its feathers have developed v e r y slowly. It is now about 4 months old and still does not have real tail feathers. She's HUGE (compared to our buff orps.) but her tail is about one inch long (if that!) and doesn't stick out like other tails. Is there...
  14. zmaryellen

    What age do you you change their food?

    My husband bought some cracked corn for the chickens. I'm not sure it is good for them at all. We have buff orpingtons (and one unidentified white and black) and they spend 8 hours or so free-ranging. The buffs are 4 months old and the w & b is about a month younger. Also, I guess layer food is...
See more
Back
Top Bottom