I've noticed the exact same thing with my 10 month olds. They're very healthy (so it seems) and they're starting to lose feathers on the backs right by their tails. Egg production is about 1/2 what it was (I have 11 hens and 1 roo). I can't see any mites, and no sign of blood. Just them...
2 dozen at $3 a dozen. Sold a couple dozen earlier this week. So far keeping up with food, shavings and hay costs. Ours free range quite a bit so keeps food costs down a bit.
Only worry about it if they get sick I'd say. Mine ate poison ivy one day, they're fine. Deer eat tomato plants all the time and it doesn't bother them. I think they'll be fine but for your tomatos I'd put some cage around them otherwise you won't have any.
If you don't have one already (I'm lucky I do!) find a nearby 10 year old girl. She'll catch 'em like it's nobody's business! My daughter is the champion here in catching chickens.
We got our roo by mistake, and we're really glad we've kept him. He's an early crower, but we're getting used to it as our flock is only 3.5 months old. He is pretty, a lot of fun to watch and is also a good with the girls. His name is Bruce and I'm glad we have him!
Go with the food grade DE. I don't have bug issues either. I also sprinkle it in their bedding, etc. My cat had a ton of ticks one weekend, I think she walked into a nest of them. I put her in a wash bin, put some gloves on and literally rubbed her down with DE. The next day, where she got...
Sorry about your loss. Up here in Mass, we have these things called fisher cats. They are vicious, especially when it comes to chickens. A small one could fit through a whole that size and cause major damage to your chickens.
Our run isn't built yet, but we know we have to try and make...
Ours free range most of the day from about 11 a.m. - when they go back into the coop. I do see them from time to time go back to the coop for feed and water, even though I keep water outside as well. Then when they go back in at night, they all eat a bit of feed before they perch. So I'd say...
Yes! Lots of egg folks in Marshfield. Mine haven't started laying yet, but there are a whole lot of folks with eggs around here. Maybe we can find your mom a supplier.
How fine do you crush the quahog shells? I'd like to do that, but not sure how fine to get it, and if it's chunks, do they...
LOL!! That's exactly how they looked at me! I'm wondering if the smell was also a bit much for them. A few of them tried it, and it was so funny. They'd wipe their beaks back and forth in the grass as if to wipe it off saying "Good God woman, what are you trying to do, poison us!?"
I'm lucky too, mine eat just about anything, except the lobster bodies we tried last night. They didn't like that at all.
They do love all types of veggies, fruits, their grain, etc..
I'd read that some folks feed fish or fish racks (skeletons with meat/heads/etc.) to their chickens, kind of like the oyster shell thing. So last night we tried the remains of the lobster bodies. They didn't seem to like it too much but it was just their first try. We'll offer it again the...
I keep water in the coop all the time because I don't let them free range until around 11 a.m. They aren't laying yet, but I want them to get used to being in there for the morning to lay when they do start. The run isn't built yet, so having the water in the coop keeps the hydrated no matter...
Mine are free range, 12 chickens on an acre of land with only stone walls and a woodline border. We just haven't had time to build a run for them yet, so they get let out of the coop at 11 a.m. and they go back in on thier own around 7 - 8 p.m. We are going to build a run.
They have done a...