If you let your chickens free range, they won't need as much grit, and you simply won't see them eat it that much. It's still a good idea to provide it, however, as they'll use it when they need it. As for oyster shell, that depends on your feed - does it contain calcium supplements? If so...
That's good! You say he's jumping on top of them, and that's probably just mating behavior. Always watch and make sure he isn't actually abusing them, though. A rooster who fights a rooster is just doing what instinct tells him. One that fights his own hens, however, has formed a very bad habit...
Personally, I wouldn't keep an overly aggressive rooster in the flock. All roosters show a little aggression, because they are, well, roosters. They assert their dominance. But if you have a rooster that's actually bullying the hens (don't mistake this with mating behavior), I would definitely...
Oh Dear - Over here in SE Tennessee we haven't had rain for almost a month! The mountains around us deflect it.
Our garden is dying, and even daily watering isn't saving it. The grass in our yard is nonexistent!
The other day, the heat reached a peak of 110 in the shade. You get to a point...
Can you put a tarp over the top of the run? That might work.
If only it would rain here - where we are, we haven't had rain for weeks!
Good luck with your run!
A sex link is any chicken that can be sexed at hatching by color. For example, with your Red Sex Link, cockerels are white, and the pullets have a brownish-red color to them.
There's no real way to tell which combination would yield the best chicks. Mix and match, but as long as they come from...
#1 Red Sex Link/Golden Comet hen,
#2 A very pretty Easter Egger hen!
#3 Probably a RIR Rooster,
#4 Australorp or Black Sex Link Roo,
#5 Probably some kind of Australorp mix
#6 Could be White Leghorns, could be any kind of white feathered breed (but these ones look like they have the build of...
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Yes, I forgot to mention that - very important. That's why oyster shells, as well, should not be provided to young chicks. It causes over development in the bones, I believe, and can poison them as well. I like K8tieCat's Idea - perhaps something like a large Rubbermaid storage...
What I always like to think is -
1000, even 100 years ago, people didn't have specially made feed like starter, grower, layer, broiler, medicated, etc. ALL chickens would have gotten the same thing, some kind of a mixture of grain and corn (what we feed as scratch nowadays). So I wouldn't...
As others said, the main danger in Morning-Glories are their seeds, which contain hallucinogenic properties, and can be fatal in large quantities. Commercial seed companies also coat the seeds in a fungicide to discourage use as a drug. While seeds from your plants technically aren't poisonous...
They need some time to get adjusted - it's normal for chickens to not roost for the first few days (sometimes even weeks) in a new coop. They're nervous about their new surroundings and don't recognize it as home quite yet. They'll get the picture soon enough, however. Your chickens are a little...
Here's mine at 2 days (on right):
At about 4 weeks of age:
Recently, fully feathered out, behind the Buff Orpington's Head:
Again, behind the Buff Orpington's head:
Good Luck with your hens!
Like HappyMtn said, they are big dogs! However, females are rarely over 100 pounds (usually 80-90 lbs.), and males usually stay below 130. They aren't the biggest, however (some St. Bernards weigh in at 250). Pyrs are great dogs, though. Bernese are nice, also (and can be smaller with females...
I would agree with pascopol that the Great Pyrenees is the best. Even if you don't want a large dog, I believe the Pyrenees is different from other large breeds. Pyrs were breed to aid shepherds, not like a Border Collie, but like a guard dog for livestock (they're classified as LGDs - Livestock...
Diatomaceous Earth is a great way to control parasites, fleas, ticks, worms, etc, when used as a dust. When fed, it acts as a wormer, and it is true it will reduce odor, although it does not completely eliminate it. Flies will die on contact with the feces of animals fed Diatomaceous Earth. I...
Here is an article from the The Poultry Club of Great Britain:
http://www.poultryclub.org/SHprepjh.htm
I found it to be very informative. I've also heard coconut oil is helpful while scrubbing.
Hope it helps! Good luck at the show.
Thank you, everyone! I'm looking forward to my Light Brahma. I'm getting pretty sure he might be a rooster, as I went back to pick up some feed the other day and noticed the new shipment of day-old Light Brahma pullets (by then about a week old). Every one was twice as big as my almost three...