We have an apple tree in our backyard and our hens LOVE apples, but they won't eat them when they are whole. I don't know if they have trouble pecking through the skin or just don't like it, but they won't try to eat an apple until it has been broken open and they can get at the soft inside...
We have white leghorns and red sex links. There is no wind tonight so I don't think there will be any drafts, but do you know what to look for if they are too cold? Do you know if they huddle together on their roosts as adults?
We have not had a chance to insulate our coop yet or to close off the extra ventilation from summer and I am a bit worried the coop is too cold/ drafty for the cold weather tonight. I am just wondering if there are signs that adult hens are too cold? They are all on their roosts with their...
We don't own a gun, but I really wished I had one, I was so freaked out and didn't know what to do. I think our area is too residential for us to shoot it though, even if we had a gun. Should I have called animal control or something instead of scaring it away? Is there a good way to kill a...
Our neighbors have an apple tree in their back yard which hangs over the fence into our yard. Today I heard the chickens sounding an alarm so I ran out to see a raccoon in the neighbors yard, right next to our fence, eating the fallen apples. I ran up to it to try to scare it away, even though...
This will be our first winter with chickens, but here's what I have found so far. Our coop is insulated and many people say that even in Alaska they do not provide supplemental heat. If they are reliant on a heat lamp they will be in big trouble if the electricity goes out. Chickens put off a...
Watch Craigslist for free or cheap materials that could be adapted for building your coop. We used a lot of repurposed materials and saved a ton of money. I know some people use old pallets which you can often find for free. Good luck!
Hispoptart, do you cook your peas before feeding them to your chickens? We grow peas and beans and while researching safe chicken foods I can across this:
"IMPORTANT WHEN FEEDING PEAS OR BEANS!
Grain legumes such as peas and beans contain Trypsin inhibitors that not only reduce the...
gmendoza- It is probably not a problem with them not getting enough calcium as she said her first eggs had great, hard shells. When they all of the sudden start laying a shell-less egg it usually means they laid the egg prematurely. The shell is put onto the egg last. Stress can cause them to...
One of ours laid great eggs for about a week, then we got shell-less eggs for a few days and we were a bit worried. She has been laying nice, hard-shelled eggs for the past 2.5 weeks after that though. It is common when they are young and she should grow out of it.
When we first moved our girls outside they would pile on top of each other in their nest boxes to sleep at night. We let them do this because we figured they were not used to being outside yet and were trying to keep warmer. When they got older we closed off their nest boxes and they started...
When we first moved ours outside from the brooder to the coop it took them about a week and a half to figure out the ramp. We would go out and put them up it at night and bring them down in the morning, but they would not use it on their own at first. Once they got used to it they were fine...
We have 2 white leghorns and 3 red sex links. One white leghorn is not laying yet, but all the others are, they started about 2 weeks ago. The white leghorn laid our first egg and all 3 red sex links started within a few days of that. We get 2-3 brown eggs every day and some have gotten quite...
We occasionally give ours scraps of chicken leftover from dinner, as long as it is not heavily seasoned. It felt a little creepy feeding our chickens chicken at first, but they love it and it is a good source of protein for them.
I have been giving my hens a few tomatoes from the garden when I pick them and they love them. Does anyone know if unripe tomatoes are safe for them to eat? Irene knocked a bunch of tomatoes off the vines and I have left them sitting in the window to see if they will ripen. A few are still...
We let ours free range during the day. They all file back into the coop at night and we close up their run which is totally enclosed. In the winter we will probably close their coop door at night to keep them a bit warmer, but for now they don't need it shut. This way if they wake up before...
Our chickens have only been laying for a couple of weeks and their eggs are still kind of small. I have only made hard boiled eggs with large, store bought eggs before. Does anyone know how long small eggs should be cooked for? I usually do the cold water method where you place the eggs in...
When they started roosting in the trees we would go and get them and put them in the coop. They stopped going in the trees after a few days. They would use their roosts then, but a couple of weeks ago we opened the nest boxes back up since they were getting close to laying and they started...