Also my chickens are more like house pets and are not livestock in my viewpoint. They go to the vet and are all extremely tame and some hens I've had for many years. I can't handle flock mortality because they froze or got sick. I have friends who have lost a lot of birds, including turkeys and...
My birds were suffering BAD. I TRIED to give them ONLY a heat lamp. But the hen house is way too big and none of them sat under it and temp in there would only raise a few degrees. Three birds in particular were going to die. I have some OLD hens, one of them is 8, and I have some 6 and 5 yr...
We have been hitting -20 below zero up here at night with 0 during the day for 2 months in a row and I know plenty of people that are losing chickens left and right. Lots of flock mortality :( My flock was getting frostbite on combs and feet so I gave them a space heater. Their house is now...
Another update: Birta is still doing great although she has some stiffness. I have an equine chiropractor adjust her every couple of months and this helps a lot!! She discovered some impaired movement in her left leg and was able to fix that :)
My Polish hen has been setting on eggs but today another hen climbed in her nest and they had a fight. One egg was lightly crushed with the chick inside. He was screaming his head off so I picked him out of the egg. His yolk sac was over 90% absorbed, and he did not look damaged or hurt in any...
Silkies don't roost??
As for heat, I have a large, fully insulated chicken house with 14 hens, and when we're down below 0 in the heart of winter, I will definitely heat them at night. I have always done that and they come through the winter SO much better! I have had frostbitten combs that...
Buy bags of dried meal worms from your local farm store. You can find them in the wild bird food section. I tamed all 14 of my chickens to the point they come running and jump in my lap every time they see me. Even the two old ladies who were set in their ways and wanted NOTHING to do with me...
I went through all this drama too with the post office and that night at 9 p.m. I got a call from the distribution center 1 1/2 hours away from my home, to come get them!! We jumped in the car and took off right away. But they were supposed to come to my local post office and did not. They...
My Dark Brahma went broody so I bought her fertile eggs to set on. She was not the greatest setter, getting off and letting eggs get cool. 3 hatched and she ended up killing 2 of them. Stepped all over them,pecked them, etc. So #3 (named Uno) I brought in the house. I have raised baby chicks...
I have 14 hens and when one lays an egg, about 5 of them start singing. They are very loud from about 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. After all the eggs are laid, then they get fairly quiet. The only ones that don't make any noise hardly at all are the 7 year old and the 3 year old. I guess they're just too...
Um, guys....this is the INTERNET. People "might" dare to have a differing viewpoint than yours once in awhile. Yes, everyone does what THEY feel is appropriate to protect their chickens. I happen to believ that removing their food sources and habitat from my property is the first line of...
My comment about 1% was dealing with concealed hand guns placed by beds or elsewhere within a home to "defend one's property" against tresspassers. I was not referring to someone owning a shotgun with which to shoot a coon with. The two thoughts were actually disconnected, and I apologize if I...
Species are placed on the endangered, protected, or threatened list because their numbers are low, their reproduction is inadequate, and the threat they face from predation and loss of habitat is too high to overcome. They are not assigned endangered, protected, or threatened status by backyard...
Actually the "Beware of Dogs" sign on your porch may get you into MORE trouble! Many years ago my coon hound appointed himself as the neighborhood watch dog. He would fiercely protect his house, his porch, his yard. Very disturbing because I had to watch him CONSTANTLY. He was outside on his...
Wow first eggs after 1 year old! I wonder if Anconas are just prone to be bad to non-layers? I have read in a couple places on the net about Anconas just not laying many eggs at all. Also, I have an Ancona who is 6 months, 2 weeks old, and has laid 4 eggs so far. She lays about 1 egg per...
Be sure to save all your kitchen scraps to give to the chickens. Peelings, trimmings, fruit and vegetables that got a little mushy (not moldy or rotten, but just a little soft.) When I was growing up, my grandparents got old produce from the grocery store for free and fed that to all their...
I use the blue heated dog water bowls. They hold about 1 gallon of water, you plug them into the wall, and that's it. No worries. I have used these for many years for chickens and cats.
Yes, exactly! Just take him off the roost pole at night when it's dark. He won't struggle or fight at all. Give him to someone who free ranges and has a LOT of hens to keep him busy. Maybe in a different environment he will be better. Or if he is truly dangerous and beyond reform, have the...
Murray McMurray Hatchery sells clear plastic egg cartons with large blank white labels that you can print yourself and stick on. They even give you a template to download to your computer so you can design your verbiage and graphics in that template and then print. They are very affordable.