hi everyone,
i currently have 3 chickens who free-range throughout the backyard for 1-2 hours per day. i'm thinking of adding a beehive to my backyard, and was wondering if i need to keep the chickens from checking out the hive.
i'm hoping not to have to put the hive too high (hard to reach...
Hi everyone,
My RIR Harriet has a hugely swollen, squishy crop. Based on what I've read here, this is what I've done so far.
Saturday: Gave her yogurt with mineral oil, waited a few hours, then held her upside down, and massaged her crop to try to make her vomit. Nothing happened. She was...
Can I give my chickens some cooked mackerel fish heads? I'm pretty sure they'll like them, but am not sure if it's okay to give chickens fish with bones. I wouldn't give fish heads to my dog for that reason, but am not sure if bones are okay for chickens.
I built the chicken tractor shown here: http://www.catawbacoops.com/the-catawba-converticoop-chicken-coop-image-gallery.html
(My coop is shown in the pix under Jill's Coop)
The run measures approx. 4x8 and the coop floor plate approx. 2x8. But because the tractor is an A-frame, there is really...
No, I don't have any heating.
However, this is my first winter with chickens, so we'll see how they do. From this thread, it sounds like they'll be fine.
Has anyone been successful in getting their chickens to use a cat door?
I'm tired of wild birds going into my tractor run when the chickens are free-ranging, and was thinking that putting a cat door in the door to the run could work well, if the chickens could be taught to use the door.
Here...
I love that page with those drawings! I occasionally dust the run with DE, but have been meaning to put in a dust bath box as well. I do think I could build a hen gate for my tractor. Thanks, LynneP, for the suggestions!
Whenever I let my chickens free-range, I leave the door of my tractor coop open so that they can go in to eat, drink, lay an egg, etc. whenever they like.
However, my neighborhood birds have recently gained enough courage to go in my tractor coop to eat the chickens' food whenever the door is...
Hmmm ... mine range a similar amount (more on weekends), and their yolks are very yellow. I also sometimes give them fruit, greens, yogurt; but really with no consistency.
Harriet, my 27 w.o. RIR, achieved the miracle of laying an egg! I forgot to check one day, and when I finally looked there were two! She even laid them in the nest boxes, just like she was supposed to. Amazing!
Last week I posted, complaining about not getting any eggs, but yesterday Harriet (my RIR) achieved the miracle of laying an egg! (She actually laid one the day before as well, but I forgot to check.) And, she even laid them in the nesting box, just like she was supposed to! The golf balls...
I have 2 EEs, 1 RIR; all are 26 weeks old, but none are laying yet! The RIR has a very red comb and wattles, but the EEs still don't have much in that area.
At about 22 weeks, I moved them to a new coop. They've adjusted well and seem fine. Could the move have delayed their laying? They only...
I just finished building one of those A-frame chicken tractors. I don't have pics to post yet, but I built it using plans from Catawba Coops: http://www.catawbacoops.com/
The ramp is raised in that photo, so you can't really see it. But it's about 8" wide, 30" long, and it goes from the run to...
i actually bought the catawba plans and just finished my coop! i was pretty happy with the plans and how the thing turned out. it took me forever to build, as i'm not much of a builder and there are lots and lots of steps. i'll post pictures in the next few days.
my dog eats the chicken poop off my deck. while this is so gross that i can't bear to watch, at least it saves me the trouble of cleaning it.
you could always get a dog to help with the poop ... though this is not exactly a cost-saving measure.
wow, that's too bad it's again regulations ... though i do see why in extreme cases it would make sense.
fwiw, at my farmers' market, all food garbage is composted.
i've been going to the farmers' market and asking for greens they're throwing away. they take me to a whole boxful, and i take enough for a whole week - mostly carrot tops, but some other greens as well. it's great!