In the peeps photo that I posted, that's one of the speckled sussex looking into the camera. She's the littlest size-wise, but she's the snarkiest so far. She'll sit quietly in my hands for about a minute and then I have to put her down because she goes all flapper-bird on me. As soon as...
Flossy was back with the peeps when I got home last night. She has her own ups and downs and this morning she was crouched by the door. It appears that every time it's a cold night she doesn't look so good in the morning. She's just getting to be an old lady (kinda like me). By the time I...
Our first set of 12 chickens is a little over 5 years old and over the years we've lost 4 to sudden death and things that necessitated our helping them along to chicken heaven. One of our the survivors is Flossy, who has never been quite "normal." She has an odd feather pattern - never really...
We're in New Hampshire and I think it's gotten down around -20F since we've had our chickens. They have a snug coop with deep wood shavings. We keep the southern peak open for ventilation, but there are no drafts. I open their pop door every day except when there is a blizzard - they get to...
Wow!! I was trying to eat breakfast while I read about Timmy's adventure. It got so exciting I had to put my fork down (a big step toward diet for me). Thanks for another great story Mrs. Chickendad!!
It got down to around -20F here last winter and all the chickens were just fine. As long as they have a place to roost out of the wind and precipitation they will be fine. The one worry is to make sure you provide some ventilation. Lack of ventilation in the cold leads to condensation of any...
Thanks for the hatchery clarification. If someone wants chickens with stronger feathers and all, where does one get these chickens? Sorry to sound dumb, but I'm just wondering.
Thanks for the responses - my girls do have aprons on (dirty little aprons - time for a wash). I've always wondered what hatchery sourced meant. Mine came from My Pet Chicken, so I imagine from a hatchery, but their feathers seem nice (other than the ones that are missing), and they've been...
My rooster, Cyril, wore the feathers off the backs of all my eleven hens this past summer (they all turned one year old in June). I was trying to find a new home for him, but then I noticed last week that most of my girls are going through a slow moult and are growing feathers back on their...
My rooster Cyril needs a new home. Does anyone have advice about how to find him one? He is a gorgeous SLW, 16 months old. He needs to be in a much larger flock and would benefit from being with at least one other rooster. He has worn the feathers off the backs of my hens and I just can't...