Age doesn't matter, as long as you follow the "see don't touch" method, which you seem to have started with, so that's great. They need to be behind a divider where the flock can see them, but not get at them, for several weeks. Then start letting them mingle with the flock, for short supervised...
Chicken temperaments can vary a lot between breeds and between individuals within the same breed. And not all breeds get along well together. I picked my breeds to be easy-going, non-confrontational and generally submissive, so they’d be compatible with each other. They’ve been getting along...
Like with any other animal, there's a big wave of changes as they mature from youngsters to adolescents to adults. Point of lay is sort of the culmination of those changes for females. Some of them that were more skittish or feisty will even out their temperaments and chill out more as adults...
Some questions get asked over and over and over... I don't know if people aren't using the search feature, or if it isn't pulling up relevant results, or what, but this gets tedious and turns people off from wanting to reply, if they have to repeat the same advice over and over. For example...
Just like people, not all hens make good mothers. Some are more attentive than others. I've had one like that, and she sucked in other ways as well. Keep putting the hen and chick together one way or another (chick on roost or hen on floor) until they are able to put themselves to bed together...
Here are the two types of waterers I've used that have never had algae in all the years I've had them. The first one is a plastic planter actually, I just plugged the holes with food grade silicone (because I liked the rustic look). The commercial waterer, I have two sizes of - a 1 gallon and a...
What do you mean "throw out"? You throw the handfuls on the ground, scattered, and the chickens flock to it and eat it up? You might be confusing them. If this is the way you otherwise distribute treats, scratch, or other desirable foods - by tossing it on the ground for them to collect - then...
I'm curious, what kind of waterer are you using? Do you have a picture? I've never had algae in my waterers so I was wondering if there's something about the design, or what.
You don't have to use layer feed, ever. As Mary pointed out, most layer feeds aren't optimal, they just barely cover the minimum (they were meant to be cost-efficient for commercial hens that live about 2 years, not to support long and healthy backyard lives). Your chickens would be better off...
Never. The supplements industry is big for both humans and animals, and its goal is to make money. Healthy chickens don't need anything added to their complete formula poultry feed and clean water. And sick chickens need to be diagnosed first (by a more experienced keeper or a vet) before...
Here’s my entry #1, flower category - an explosion of peony:
This is my 3-year-old Alexander Fleming peony, putting on the lushest show and biggest blooms I’ve ever seen. They were as big as melons! Got completely destroyed by the first rain, but they were glorious while they lasted…
There is such a thing as incomplete broodiness, where a hen will display broody behaviors to a degree, but not be fully broody and committed. I have one like that, she's really confusing (and confused).
The thing is, chickens are SO far removed from what nature intended, that they've lost a...
It says it, but not clearly. Layer feeds are usually labelled as such on the front of the package. This one says absolutely nothing about layer/calcium on the front. The extra calcium information is only buried among the "details" on the back. That's misleading.
Oh interesting! That's a lot of calcium for a feed that's not labeled as layer... Potentially dangerous if fed to non-laying chickens long term. I guess one can't trust the labels and has to check everything...
Feed them medicated feed (with added Amprolium) - that's the preventative against coccidiosis. Amprolium teaches their bodies to fight cocci on their own. You haven't added your location though so I don't know if feed medicated with Amprolium is available in your area, but that's what you should...
This is not a layer feed though. They were asking about layer feeds. This is a feather fixer feed which has higher protein to rebuild feathers, it's not a layer feed with added extra calcium. I'd be curious to see an 18-20% layer feed, too, as they tend to be lower in protein. But an actual...