Old English Game chickens are feisty for being top of pecking order. I would separate that one right away . For the chickens who are hurt, use Blu Kote with a dabber . It treats the wound , helps healing, and hides the red blood color which attracts more pecking.
I have done this as a base layer, and then used deer fence mesh over that. If you string the heavy yarn, twine or whatever very tight, it keeps the deer fence from sagging. I used an orange heavy yarn. You are thinking it will rot but it's been there a year and no problems. I wonder maybe it's...
Yes, I agree with many others, foxes do NOT just hunt nocturnally. I lost 3 hens last year in the middle of the day.Went down to check for eggs and found a pile of feather, nothing else. Fence is nearly 5 ft high but they can jump and they can climb. He must have dragged them over the fence with...
Glad to hear that about the Barnevelder, I got shipped extra birds and they slipped in two roos, besides the two I ordered! So I have two Barnevelder cockerels and two Welsummer cockerels. I am hoping since they are being raised together they will settle out their pecking order as chicks
I keep mine closed in the coop for at least a week when I first put them out. They must learn that that is 'home'. So they go back in there at night to roost when they are allowed out in the run in the daytime.. Raising them in the house does create a 'dust storm' but I can keep an eye on them...
You can find food grade Diatomaceous Earth in 50 lb bags for 50 dollars. It can treat worms in mammals, including people! Will kill any insect with a carapace, as it dries out their body and they die. Great to use in your garden! Do not breath in this product, as it is tiny tiny shells of sea...
I have two speckled sussex, one turned out to be a roo. I have to say they are the greediest birds in my flock. When it's treat time , or even a big pile of greens if they have to stay in the run, those two will beat out everyone else for speed of stuffing their beaks and shoving their way in to...
I got my chicks this spring from Cackle Hatchery, they had all the breeds I wanted. They do charge shipping cost, which McMurray does not but I found what I wanted so I ordered from them. I ordered 15 pullets and 2 roos. I got 19 birds, FOUR extra and two of the extra were Roos! Counting the...
Mine are four weeks old and still in the house in the brooder. Still too cold at night ( PA here)-and... I don't plan on putting them in the coop with the 2 and 3 yr old hens anyway. I'm building another coop and run for them. They will 'see but not touch' the hens as their runs will be next to...
I have only ever had Khaki Campbells, but they were wonderful. A mated pair and they were very adventurous. We lived in the woods at the time, and they would follow our path to the creek and enjoy the water, then come trooping back. I spoiled them in winter with warm 'soup' and before long, they...
The way you integrate young chicks with full grown birds partly depends on how many older birds you have. If it's a small flock of adults, and a small flock of youngsters, you can use the dog crate inside the coop method ( if chicks are fully feathered and it's not cold weather) Observe the...
One of the best breeds I have ever owned. Smarter than other breeds, they are Houdini escape artists . Never bother the other hens, never aggressive. Goes to show there are always different personalities within a breed.
Your question is from June 2017 but you asked if anyone ordered from Cackle Hatchery. I have just got in 19 chicks from that hatchery on April 2, 2019. All arrived safely and in good health. I got some Dominiques, Easter Eggers, NH Red, Welsummer, and a Barnevelder rooster. I actually ordered...
When building your coop, don't forget to deter critters than can dig UNDER your foundation. I always recommend hardware cloth 12" up the sides of the outside walls and 12" buried in the ground around the perimeter of the outside of the coop. You can do this by digging a trench and bending 24" of...
These are very pretty birds, their face feathers look very much like an Easter Egger. They were late to start laying but now are consistent. They were introduced into a one year old flock and they are still a year later , the very bottom of the pecking order. I would not house them with...
I have both raised and purchased budgie babies and I have found they are each their own type of personality. One budgie alone , given lots of attention, will most certainly bond to you. More than one, caged together, will bond to each other more than you, but again, they are all different, you...
You may have to deal with cockerels no matter which route you go. Even sexed birds don't have a 100% guarantee they are pullets unless it's a sex ink and they can tell by color. I have a speckled sussex rooster that was supposed to be a pullet! Tomorrow is pick up day for my 15 chicks from...