Several weeks ago we were thrilled when our little gray lavender Ameraucana became the first broody of the season. Shortly after she went broody, she was joined by another hen.
About a week later, a third hen went broody. Day 1--We divided up two dozen fertile eggs between them...
Early this morning a dog wandered onto our property and killed our mama hen along with two of her day-old chicks. We have 5 remaining chicks. I was wondering if I could brood the chicks in the barn along with our four week-old chickens and turkeys if I separate them with hardware cloth? I...
One of our BRs went broody a few weeks ago so we bought her some fertile eggs. I really didn't think any would hatch (today is day 23 or 24) but one little chick started hatching today. We are so excited! We have never hatched eggs before, either in an incubator or with a broody. What should...
We recently bought a little farm which came with an established 8'x10' coop. We opted to buy the 21 chickens that were residing in the coop primarily because we wanted to give them better care. (We do have experience raising/spoiling small flocks of 6 or fewer hens). They had no roosts, nor...
We currently have 2 SLWs, one BO(maybe), one BR, one BA and one EE that are approximately 10-14 days old. We want to get 1 or 2 more chicks. Can we introduce younger chicks to the slightly older bunch of chicks? Thanks!
This little gal was sold to us as a BO, but as her wing feathers are starting to come in, they look lighter than I remember. Could she be a white leghorn, or possibly another breed? She is 10-14 days old. Thanks everyone!
**SCROLL down for the two newest pics of the finished coop!**
Our vet gave us his old 8'6"x6'6" open air coop a few weeks ago and have plans to frame the walls, add a floor, replace the roof, add windows, etc. This coop will replace our old 4'x8' A-frame coop where are 4 chickens currently...
Two of our four hens are EEs, one of which hasn't layed for months, the other for a few weeks. I just figured their laying days were over. Or so I thought. As my DH was clearing out the old garden, he found this stash of eggs under a piece of plywood that was laying against one of the old...
I have 3 laying hens (4 total, but one is a free-loader ) that share two nest boxes in their a-frame style coop. All of the hens are 14 months old and my three layers lay 5-6 eggs per week, each. For the past few days I have found a broken egg in one of my two next boxes. I immediately...
I have spring fever and want some new chickies! Rather than buying chicks, I would love to have the experience of having a hen hatch some for me! I found some delightful plaster eggs at a craft store and was wondering placing them together in a nest box might "trick" a hen into thinking there...
A major retail DIY store near our area has a 10'x10' wooden shed kit on sale for $650. Our original plan was to collect scraps and cull lumber this summer to build our own shed-style coop. Our problem is that we are having a hard time finding reliable sources of decent lumber. Is this a good...
We just butchered the last of our meat rabbits and have some food leftover. Can chickens eat rabbit food as a snack in moderation? It would NOT be their primary source of food.
Our two 40 week old EEs started laying recently. One lays a light green egg, the other a dark, olive colored egg. My 4 year old DD exclaimed, "Our chickens work!!
(The white egg is a large, conventional, store-bought egg for comparison. This is to send to the family, not necessarily for BYCers)
Of my four hens, one is clearly the loner at the end of the pecking order. The other three hang out together and she gets bossed around by my Flock Matron (barred rock) all of the time. She is in good health and her feathers are intact. I feel bad for her. Is this because I am a human and...
We will be building a new 6'x6' shed-style coop this spring. It will be going on the south side of the house in a space that is approx 15'x15'. If we put the coop closer to the house it will get full sun all year round, which may be nice in the winter. If we put it near the 6' fence, they...
I recently switched from Nutrena layer crumbles to Rogue organic layer pellets (organic wheat and organic soybean meal) and my hens(1 BO, 1 BPM, 2 EE) haven't eaten very much! I switched their feed about a week ago and they seemed to do okay, but in the past few days they haven't touched the...
We currently have a ark style coop and will be upgrading to a 6'x6' shed style coop in the spring for our 4 hens (1 BO, 1 BPR, 2 EE). What feature do you like most about your coop, and why? I have seen some neat ideas from a drain installed in the bottom of the coop to an adjustable floor vent...
We are recent converts to chickens and have four 9 mo. old hens (1 buff orp, 1 barred rock, 2 araucanas). The buff and the barred rock have been regular layers since late October. Within the last month, their eggs have begun to smell and taste like chicken manure. Their nest boxes are kept...