There's a wide range of estimates for how long you can keep unrefrigerated eggs: "7-10 days" (India Times), "at least a month" (thehappychickencoop.com), "weeks" (me). That would be unwashed, of course.
We introduced a young rooster into an established flock and it worked very poorly.
We had a happy flock of about 12 hens and one protective rooster. We had given some fertilized eggs to the local 4H because they wanted to hatch them. One of the resulting roosters became too hard for them to...
Ours are plastic. Found them on Amazon and got a few dozen in about 5 colors for cheap. A few fell off but I think that was because we weren't careful about being sure they were really clicked shut. I have no complaints about them.
I can't imagine useful wording on leg bands. It's hard enough...
Because my wife wanted chickens. When we looked for a place to buy we agreed on 3 basic criteria: 1) House with everything on one level 2) On a paved road 3) She wanted chickens.
Of those 3, we got the chickens. I'm still not sure exactly why, but it's OK.
That's important. They know how to go back to their roosts at night. Get them (and you) used to finding their way home or you'll go nuts trying to pen them up before they think it's bedtime.
We haven't had mice in a while, not since the snakes moved in. I think I'd rather have the mice. I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said but IMO, if you're going to trap them, it's not fun for the mouse (nor for you, I hope) no matter how you do it. Just do it and get it done...
In general that's true. It can also move an animal from a location where it's established and comfortable into a situation where it is prey for everything that's already there. In this case I would be moving snakes from one side of my rural and wooded 2 acres to the other side, where they would...
I'm older than that so I guess it was time. It was in the nesting box facing me. I was grabbing it from the front. I got it about 3 inches behind the head but it was able to turn enough to grab me. It was not a serious bite but those little teeth are very sharp and angled back, so they do not...
We'd seen snakes around our chickens so rarely it was an event until recently. Then within a few days there were 3 of them. I walked one about 100 yards away, one bit me and did not survive and the other got away. I don't mind sharing an egg once in a while but I suspect there are more where...
When hens have gotten broody in the past we've waited it out and they got over it but this is too much. It started with the Speckled Sussex several weeks ago followed by the Leghorn and now there's 4 of them. Sticking your hand in there takes guts with all those sharp beaks defending...
I'm not a lawyer (and I really hope you never have to get one involved over this) but where it says "...permitting chickens to run at large within the residential section of the city" is a nuisance, I would argue that if they are not running at large then they are not a nuisance.
As a practical...
I agree with the last 2 posts. Did you notice that the Garden Betty recipe says "overall, yes — this is a complete diet" because she assumes you will let your birds "forage for bugs and weeds, or give [them] mealworm treats and kitchen scraps." IMO it has too much preaching and not enough...
Long time ago, which was the last time I had a cat, one night I woke up hearing a crunching noise. On the kitchen floor there was the head of a mouse from the ears forward, the tail of a mouse, and my cat sitting in the middle with a stupid grin on his face.
Not all of them. Our first few roosters were extremely aggressive but now we have some Speckled Sussex and Cuckoo Marans and the only way we know we have any roosters is that we get fertilized eggs. And after 6 months I actually saw one mate. Once.
We once had a coop that was about 4 x 6 inside and I think we had 12-14 birds in it. It was before we knew that's too small and it was tight but none of the birds complained. There was one 6-foot roost near a wall and one right down the middle, which meant it blocked the door. It was removeable...
Look for plastic "Safety fencing" or "Temporary fencing". 4 feet high x 100 feet long for $40 or so. Depending on how long your corridor is you could string it along a few T-posts stuck not-too-deep into the ground, or maybe hang it from 2 parallel runs of clothesline and stake the bottom down...
Chain link or not, I'd dig down a few inches and then out about 18 inches. You want to be far enough out that a critter trying to dig is already standing over the buried wire and you want to be sure the outside edge is well covered. Attach it to the fence (or in your case the bottom rails) with...
Why complicate things? Unless you already have a suitable timer, just get a light and leave it on. It won't matter during the day and it's not forever.