Reviews by Wyandottes7

I've tried this product several times, and still use it. It is very safe for use on chickens, compared to Sevin or poultry dust. But, I haven't found it to be all that effective at actually treating mite infestations. I would spray birds repeatedly and clean the environment, and the mites just wouldn't go away. It doesn't work nearly as well as Sevin dust or Frontline spray as a mite controller.

Though it hasn't actually treated the birds very well, I do use it as a preventative measure. I spray down roosts and other supplies like cages regularly with it. I can't really tell whether it is really helping or not with this, either.

Another problem I have with it is that it is rather expensive. You use a lot if it when spraying the birds or the coop.

In summary, if you have a mite infestation, this product may not work well for you. If you are just using it as a preventative, it might help, but not neccesarily.

All of my birds love these mealworm treats. Really, they love all mealworms in general. It's easy to just toss them a handful or sit down and feed them by hand. Since chickens usually love them so much, its a good food to use if a chicken is acting a little "off" and you think it might be sick. A sick chicken might not peck at them, but a healthy one will.

I use these electrolytes for all of my newly hatched baby chicks. They get this electrolyte water (sometimes mixed with Sav-a-Chick probiotics as well) for at least the first week. I use them to make sure taht the chicks don't get dehydrated and to give them an extra boost in case they are weak.

Whenever I have sick chickens, I give them some of this as well to help with stress. I'm not sure how much it helps, but it definitely doesn't harm them.

I've used this incubator once. I set seven eggs, four of which were fertile. Two eggs hatched, so out of fertile eggs, I had a 50% hatch rate. The temperature was hard to regulate, but I managed to keep it from boiling or freezing the eggs. It had a tendency to rise too high in temperature. It was relatively easy to keep the humidity correct, but there is so little room in the incubator that I couldn't keep a hygrometer in it all the time. Also, you have to turn the eggs manually.

Despite the problems, the chicks that did hatch hatched fine with no problems. Overall, its a cheap incubator that isn't really made for precision hatching, but can be workable with enough time spent checking it, turning eggs, etc.

I've used this waterer for all of my chicks. It has worked well every time, for the most part. Chicks have an easy time drinking out of it, and the base isn't too deep, so they don't drown easily (I've never had one drown). It works especially well if put up on a block of wood so that wood shavings can't be scratched in too easily. My waterers are durable, and have not broken or cracked. These waterers are really easy to clean; you simply unscrew the base, and you can easily clean it. Every once in a while, it can leak and drain all of the water out, creating wet bedding. However, this has not happened to me often, and overall, this is a good waterer for chicks.

I used to use this waterer. My chickens liked it, and it was easy to clean and refill. The base screws off easily, creating a wide opening to scrub away algae, etc. Chickens have an easy time drinking from the rather wide base.

However, sometimes the waterer would start "leaking".The base would fill up so much that it would overflow onto the ground. This sometimes happened when I didn't put it quite level on the bricks, but sometimes it just seemed to do this randomly. Also, my chickens scratched wood shavings and dirt into it often.
Overall, though, it is a good waterer for a backyard flock.

I've used VetRx for sick birds that I've had. I've given it to them in their water, orally, and in the nostrils. It does not appear to be a real treatment, in my experience. It might help alleviate some of the symptoms, but has never cured my birds. Still, I've heard that some people have had success with it.

As for a comb dressing at show, VetRx does make the comb and wattles shine. It is a little oily and hard to control sometimes, but makes them look pretty (just don't get it on the feathers or your clothes). However, within two days or so of the show, my bird's combs become extremely dry. I believe that the VetRx causes this, so keep that in mind while using it.

I have had a Rhode Island Red for 2 1/2 years. She is a good bird that is not mean, and forages well when I let her roam around. She is lead hen in my flock, but is not overly dominating to the more submissive birds. Out of my four chickens, she is probably the second best egg layer, following my Columbian Wyandotte. In her first year, she laid about 260 eggs, and hasn't slacked off very much in her second year of laying.

In terms of temperament to humans, my Rhode Island Red is not aggressive, but is not overly friendly. She prefers to wander around on her own, though she will come to you when you call her, and enjoys getting treats. One drawback is that she is quite noisy when she lays an egg, whereas my other birds are usually silent.

Overall, if you want a good layer of eggs, and a bird that is easy to find (most hatcheries sell them), choose a Rhode Island Red. But, if you want an extremely friendly, personable bird, you might want to look into another breed.

This was the first feeder I got for my chickens. It holds enough feed for my four hens that I only have to refill it once every 1-1 1/2 weeks. I hung mine on a chain, and it was very easy to raise as my chickens got older.

One problem with it is that the base can be screwed off when the chickens cause it to turn in circles. This happened to me about three times during the time I used it. This feeder broke (the braces inside snapped) after 1 1/2 years. This is a pretty good length of time, considering I kept it outside.

This brooder is overall very good. Though rather expensive, I believe that it has paid for itself by not using as much electricity as most other brooding devices. I have used it four times, with no problems. My chicks love spending time beneath it, and are very cute, darting out of it to eat and drink, and then racing back under. The height is easy to adjust as the chicks grow, and, when the chicks get older, they enjoy hopping on top of it. This can get a bit messy, but they have fun.

I have an Easter Egger, and she is very cute. I love her muffs and beard. She lays about six eggs a week in the summer and 4-5 eggs a week in the winter. She is docile and sweet, and is picked on by my other birds. If you have Easter Eggers, you may want to keep only Easter Eggers, or keep gentle breeds with them. My Easter Egger is a great flyer (for a large fowl, that is), and has beautiful coloring. Easter Eggers come in many colors, and no two Easter Eggers are exactly alike. Overall, I'd reccommend an Easter Egger in every flock.

Dutch Bantams are sweet little birds. I raise and breed them, and they are tied with my Wyandotte bantams for my favorite breed. These little birds, though good fliers, tame down easily. They are curious, intelligent, and funny to watch. My Dutch Bantams are always entertaining.

The cocks are extremely nice to their hens, and I have never seen any feathers ripped out by a male. However, they can sometimes be aggressive to humans. Most of my cocks and cockerels are gentle and sweet, but one, named Prince, is a biter.

Hens and pullets are wonderful layers of small white eggs. Most of my females lay every other day. This breed has high fertility, and if I set 10 eggs, at least 9 will hatch if nothing goes wrong with my incubator.

These birds handle heat very well, but the males need protection from cold during winter. Otherwise, they will get frostbite on their combs.

Dutch Bantams make great birds for those just beginning to show. This is because they are easy to handle, and cute little birds. They make nice chickens for those getting started in 4-H due to their tame nature.

This breed flys very well, and can be quite independant. However, they usually stay close to home, and their flying ability and alert nature would probably make them less likely to get eaten by a hawk.

Overall, Dutch Bantams are nice little birds, whether you keep them for pets or for show.

Wyandottes are wonderful birds to own. I have two large fowl Wyandottes and five bantams. The large fowl lay eggs at least every other day, often laying for two or three days in a row. My Columbian Wyandotte, in particular, is a great layer. She once laid ten days straight without stopping, which for a bird that isn't a leghorn or sex-link hybrid, is pretty good. In fact, she laid 299 eggs in 365 days, making her an even better layer than my Rhode Island Red. My bantam Wyandottes are not as good layers, as they are show birds, and did not come from a hatchery. Still, their light brown eggs are fairly large for a bantam.

My Wyandottes all have great temperaments, and are quite smart. My Columbian Wyandotte is more like a dog than a chicken, following me a round the yard. She knows some tricks, such as coming when called and jumping up to and off of a chair when you point at it. My Silver-Laced Wyandotte, though not as personable as my Columbian, is still a gentle bird. My bantam Wyandottes don't seem to have quite the brains of their larger counterparts, but still posses sweet temperaments. Even my two White Wyandotte Bantam roosters are gentle to people. They occaisionally fight with other males, but are nice to their hens, in general.

All of my Wyandottes withstand winter well. Temperatures here can dip below zero, and none of them, not even the males, have gotten any frostbite. My birds continue laying throughout the winter, except if they're molting.

Wyandottes exhibit a very beautiful appearance. Their lovely rounded, fluffy look makes them a favorite for those who like adorable birds.

All in all, the Wyandotte, both in large fowl and bantam, is a wonderful breed!