We had a meat bird die last week and I found her in the same exact position as our first bird. She had been struggling for breath all day and slowly suffocating (comb turning purple), and it appears she had some variation on a heart attack, since Cornishes are famous for that. Based on that I...
I realize that every chicken/rooster has its own personality, but are there any breeds of rooster that are particularly well known for turning out decent personalities? We've had 6 roosters of varying breeds and mixes, and every last one was a mean old punk and got turned into dinner. Our hens...
I have call ducks, so pretty small, and I keep tripping over how small and awkward their beaks look in regards to food! (They're almost 6 weeks.) I have NO idea what those beaks are capable of, so I've been avoiding trying to figure out what treats they'll eat, because it seems like I'd almost...
I'm assuming there are any NUMBER of things this could be, but I'd like to hear at least a little bit of feedback that might give me an idea what might have happened...
We found a dead chicken today, in the coop. Just sprawled out on the ground, legs behind her, neck tucked around. No...
Okay, a couple questions about my growing ducks:
-they're 4 1/2 weeks old; when do most of you folks move them outside permanently? Ours are currently outside during the day, in a temporary structure.
-I've got the impression that ducks are harder to train as regards going to their coop at...
Answering this WAAAAY after the fact, but yes, spinach is guilty of this behavior for humans, too. Cooking it is the best way to eat it. Crazy, right? Since we feel so virtuous when we pack spinach in anywhere we can hide it...
Oh, I should mention-- mine completely ignored lettuce. Totally.
I obviously have prima donnas. So far their only interest is eggs, and only in small amounts.
Wow, reall
I'll look at the sticky, thanks. :-)
Really, sprouted wheat? I did exactly that the other day (I do it for the hens already) and they completely ignored it! I was kind of bummed, I thought that would be a hit. They're 4 weeks old, if that makes a difference, but I don't know why...
What kind of snacks do ducks have a weakness for? Preferably ones from the kitchen so I don't have to buy more products. I'm so used to chickens that I'm still kind of figuring this out, and we'd like to find a food they can't resist so that they'll be a little more human inclined. :-) Thanks!
Hm. Well, she's not as floofy as the rest of the hens (she's a speckled sussex, and the others are a brahma and orpingtons), so maybe that makes more her leghorn type? Her comb isn't big-- the other girls have bigger combs.
So far she still has all her feathers, probably because we run...
So as far as switching to a lower protein food after the ducks are a few weeks old...
What does everybody use for this? I know I could theoretically continue on chick starter and niacin, but I'm getting tired of wasted food because their wet beaks make it clump up. But if we can't feed them...
We have a neighbor rooster that comes over often and does fine interacting with our hens...except for one. He is just obsessed with her, and makes a beeline for her every time she's around. Honestly, I'd call it rape, because he is just vicious about mating her with all he has. The other girls...
Well, I finally gave up on the eggs...one never did cheep, so hopefully it died long ago. Feeling sad about the one that was alive so recently, but meanwhile the other chicks need to get out, and our broody quarters are pretty restricted. We also added some meat chicks under the mama for her to...
Well, the babies are eating right next to the mamas from their make-shift dishes (I included baby grit), so no worries about baby health. It is odd that the one mama is still hanging out on her nest even though all her eggs are hatched. :-)
IS there such a thing as an egg that's too hard for...