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  1. jeepgrrl

    Distended abdomen, floppy comb, vent gleet

    Egg yolk peritonitis. Unfortunately it is not survivable. I lost a hen to it a few years ago.
  2. jeepgrrl

    Best bedding for coop floor

    The coop has a wood floor with hardware cloth on top of the wood, and then linoleum flooring on top of that. I used fine pine shavings and the deep litter method. The fine shavings compost twice as fast as the regular pine shavings, but either one will work. Coop gets cleaned out 2x a year, nice...
  3. jeepgrrl

    Prolapsed vent won’t stay in

    Hi all, I found my almost 4 yo Cuckoo Marans, Gemma, with a prolapsed vent yesterday evening. It’s pretty large. She had some feces stuck so I gently removed that. I soaked her for 15 min in warm water and cleaned her up. I used Vaseline and was able to push the prolapse back in, but she...
  4. jeepgrrl

    Small Chick ate a balloon

    You can’t force the chick to eat, you can end up injuring it. Try scrambling some egg and offer that, or try wetting her chick feed and see if it will eat that. Keep the dirt in a small dish and leave it available. Unfortunately if the chick won’t eat on its own, it’s not thriving and probably...
  5. jeepgrrl

    It finally happened.... 😭

    In total I have had five hawk attacks, one fox. The ones that were hit were a light Brahma (died), a blue americauna (died), a blue Cochin (fox, died), a dark Brahma (survived), and an Ancona (attacked twice by hawk, survived both). I also have two white hens, a leghorn and an Orpington, both...
  6. jeepgrrl

    It finally happened.... 😭

    I’m very sorry for the loss of your leghorn. The first loss is always hard. I lost my first pullet to a hawk; she was only 6 months old and from my first flock. The unfortunate downside to free ranging is that there will be some occassional losses, it’s a risk we take but I still wouldn’t do it...
  7. jeepgrrl

    Girls awake way before dawn?

    I guess around here the Roos don’t wake up until well after we have left for work, lol! It’s just odd to see her up so early, ready to start her day. And she’s one of the last in the coop at night. I think the other hens and guinea aren’t too thrilled with the “early riser”, but at least she’s...
  8. jeepgrrl

    Girls awake way before dawn?

    Hi everyone! I have a 7-month old pullet (NH Red) that was a lone survivor of her previous flock; my neighbor gave her to me when she was about 6 weeks old. Anyway, last week when I went out at 4:45am to open up the coop before going to work, Red and her flockmate, Chops, were awake and in the...
  9. jeepgrrl

    Bing search no - whistling

    I have one guinea cock that lives with nine chickens. He just showed up one day last summer and never left. Anyway, he whistles most of the time, unless his alarm is going off. I can even get him to whistle back to me. I think Guinea is content and relaxed when he is whistling. We are having our...
  10. jeepgrrl

    Hen with head missing!

    I’m so sorry for your loss. When this has happened to my girls, it was a migrating hawk that was responsible each time, mid-September, 3 years in a row, but last year it didn’t get the head and my hen survived; my guinea cock protected them this last migration. If it was a hawk, it will probably...
  11. jeepgrrl

    using plastic fencing instead of chicken wire for coup rebuild

    It’s a lot of work to bury the hardware cloth, but I sleep like a baby knowing my girls are safe. That is the one thing that is stopping me from getting a larger coop - burying the hardware cloth again, lol! I guess I could always rent one of those mini-trenchers...🤔
  12. jeepgrrl

    using plastic fencing instead of chicken wire for coup rebuild

    We used that type of fencing to protect an area we reseeded from our three dogs. As the new grass grew in, something (rabbits?) chewed holes along the bottom of the fence. Towards the end of summer the fence became brittle and little pieces were breaking off. Then, one of the huskies decided to...
  13. jeepgrrl

    Our hen attacked my two young kids

    Dog crate with some bedding.
  14. jeepgrrl

    Turkey vultures... should I be concerned?

    We have Turkey Vultures out the wazoo around here. The only time they have seemed threatening is when I bring the brooder chicks outside for some fresh air. I keep them secured in a wire dog crate wrapped in chicken wire (so the chicks can’t escape) but that doesn’t stop the vultures from doing...
  15. jeepgrrl

    How do I get rid of a hawk ?

    Migrating hawks are on the move right now, so there will be increased predatory behavior over the next few weeks. If possible, only permit supervised free ranging during the latter part of the day. Keep in mind that even with strict supervision, there have been posts of hawks attacking chickens...
  16. jeepgrrl

    Cooper’s Hawk, will it come back?

    Ditto to what Sourland posted. Additionall, even if your juvie hawk learned its lesson, because of the migration that’s currently in progress, it is highly probable that another migratory hawk will come along and make a move on your flock. Strict supervision is sage advice that should be adhered...
  17. jeepgrrl

    Hawk behavior

    This time of year the hawks are migrating, so there is greater hawk movement/atypical behavior than usual. The migratory hawks can be more bold and motivated to kill whatever is available than the year-round hawk residents. Here in North Central Ohio I have seen hawks this time of year as late...
  18. jeepgrrl

    My visitor this morning

    I have a couple of decoy owls that I move around. I’m not sure if they work or not, but at least I feel better having some sort of deterrent out there. Having guinea fowl...yeah, I’m pretty sure I would never have acquired any on my own, but this boy showed up on July 5th and never left. I tried...
  19. jeepgrrl

    My visitor this morning

    I’m glad you were there to thwart any attempt on your flock! Hawks are very bold creatures, indeed. I had one a couple of years ago that beheaded my Blue Amerucana, then came back a few hours later to brazenly roost on the roof of the chicken run where I had locked up the remaining hens, sending...
  20. jeepgrrl

    Hawk losses linked to season?

    Great insight into hawk migration and chicken losses! That truly describes my situation and explains the few non-lethal attacks by the juveniles that we have had in the past. The annual fall migration is always a threat to my small flock of free-ranging hens. I recently adopted a guinea cock...
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