My hens hate me right now. Our "leader of the pack" started hiding her eggs and the other girls started following suit. To break the habit I kept them on lock down all day yesterday and by 6pm still only had 3 out of 5 eggs. This morning I made them stay in the run again and all I hear is...
My hens always laid in their nesting boxes until a few weeks ago. My white orpington decided to start hiding her eggs as well! Another hen took her lead and now we are only getting 3 eggs a day instead of 5. It's so frustrating. Last week we found 12 eggs all together under a morning glory...
We're in Northern California and winter here doesn't get much lower than 43 degrees. We had an inch of snow one day last year. Does that mean I shouldn't bother to put a heat lamp in the coop? What I am worried about is the month of rain we'll get in January. My chickens love to take dust baths...
My hens just started laying last week. I went to the feed store and asked them if it was time for me to change the feed to either a combo that has layer and oyster or just get some oyster shell. The girl looked at me and asked, "Do your eggs need the extra calcium?" And I said that no, my eggs...
Just read the whole thread and I hardly know what to say... I'm feeling very grateful at this moment for what I have. I suppose we should never take things for granted. Melissa, I hope things turn out with chickens. Hopefully, things will be resolved with them soon. It sounds like you are coming...
We FINALLY started getting eggs about a week and a half ago. 3 of my girls were 21 weeks, now around 22 or 23 weeks old. My BPR started first, then a week later my White Orpington. Yesterday, I decided it was time for my buff to lay, so I kept all the big girls in the run until they layed, low...
Beauty looks exactly my Miette, a sweet pullet. Our roo started crowing at 10 weeks, so I think you would have seen more signs by now if she were a he.
I went through the same thing the first time I had my chicks! I was like, what is this black runny stuff!!! I hate cecal, it's like cement on the patio.
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We 'do' ours at five months - maybe it depends a little on the breed.
Once plucked and 'cleaned' they look exactly like a shop bought chicken - you'll have no trouble cooking them.
Will your DH be able to do the deed is the question? There are loads of helpful tips on 'the deed' if...
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I would also like to know what age. My polish crested, Amelie started crowing and is now Gaston. We aren't allowed to have roosters in the "city". I would like to cook him, but he's only 12 weeks and looks a bit scrawny. I want to keep him until I can fatten him up a bit, but he crows...
I think our pole is 8 feet long and we have 11 chickens. They all squeeze up there even though there is another pole to roost on a little lower. Since the girls have been getting heavier and heavier, their jumping up there loosened the nail on either side and started to allow the pole to turn...
My grandfather recently sent me a book about his life, my grandmothers life, her father's, her mother's, and her great grandparent's. They are like gold to me! I love reading the stories of the people that brought me about. I especially like to read about my great grand parents. I love how they...
My girls free range in our fenced backyard and we still have problems with predators. I was devastated when we lost our first chicken. We were out for an early dinner when the babysitter called. She had gone out to the coop to look at the baby chicks and there was a cat sitting in there! All the...
Ours is La Maison du Cluck (The House of Cluck). All our ladies have French names. Fifi, Cosette, Gigi, Cici, Geneveve, Miette, Rosey, Charlotte, Chouette, and our little roo, Gaston! We are going to put siding on it and paint it a nice french country blue with white trim. I want to put a black...
We have a dirt floor and it's fine. I put cedar pine shavings over it to help absorb and filter down the poo. I would say I clean it out about once a month, or really whenever I feel that it's just that time. I rake it out well and put fresh shavings down. The only problem that we do have with...
I just went through this problem when I had some of my chickens killed and wanted to replace them... With my first batch of chicks I raised them in a brooder in the house, what a mess! I was so happy when they finally went out to the coop. When I got the new baby chicks I couldn't bring myself...