horsewishr's place
I'm Michelle, from Holland, Michigan. I live about 3 miles from the
beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.
We got our first four chicks in April '07, and then turned an old playhouse
into a coop. My husband and I also have two sons ('93 and '95 models!),
two dogs, a cat, a "big"...
OK, my husband is afraid to reach under the broodies and retrieve the eggs. So sometimes they sit under the hens until I have time to retreive them (overnight or longer). I've been feeding the "preheated" eggs to the dogs. But do I really need to worry about them? How long is "too long"...
...to compare because the type of comb is different than the others. Her body shape and feather color are completely hen-like. BUT she's a bossy b*tch, and she'll challenge/peck at me if I touch one of the other hens. NONE of my other hens have ever shown this kind of aggression.
But then...
My neighbor just called me to let me know that 3 of her 5 hens have died in the last two days. She's concerned that they may have something contagious. She says she noticed very dark diarrhea in their coop. Any idea what could be going on, and/or how careful I should be? My chickens...
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OK, I'm the one who LOVES her tramp/tractor. But mine is not a coop. My understanding of tractor is that it's a TEMPORARY holding device. I put my girls in the tractor in it to allow them to graze on grass. At night they're in their "real" coop. And if it's raining, I don't put...
My little girls (and boy) are 9 weeks old now. How much longer should I wait before I start letting them mix with the mature hens? They've "seen" each other through chicken wire, and the big girls peck at the little ones through the wire. When should I take down the barrier????? If I keep it...
MissPrissy, is there really any such thing as "mating season?" I thought roosters service the hens year-round? I have an 8-week-old that may be a roo. I'd like to know what I'm in for. Thanks.
My guess is that most people think chickens are dirty. And in a lot of cases they are. We have to admit that there are plenty of people who keep chickens in nasty conditions.
The powers-that-be need to be educated on how to keep chickens properly, and they need to be shown that chickens can...
That's what I read. That long-term it could cause thiamine deficiency. So I guess I won't worry. What other kinds of nasty stuff do they put in chick feed?
Cat's Critters :
I live in western PA and I was told March as soon as the soil is work able, and mine are just poping up now and the where planted 3/15. So I would just what and see if they don't come up in two weeks I would say replant.
P.S. snow hit here after they where planted too.
Thanks...
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The soil is gorgeous. It's a mixture of sand and well-composted horse manure. It's light and fluffy, and we've had amazing luck with it so far. We've just never tried peas before.
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You know, I used to think horses pooped a lot. Until I got chickens.
Edited to add:
He did get medicated chick food. I called the vet, and he said he couldn't find any info on amprolium and horses. He said to call the feed company. The feed company said I'd have to feed Jay 5#/day...
and asked this morning, "Mom, what color is horse food?"
When I told him it was green, he said, "Oh, I then I fed Jay chicken food last night."
Jay seems fine this morning. And there wasn't so much as a crumble left in his feed bin.