Hi! I have 12 boys, most are 2-3 years old. Is NH the granite state? Forgive me if I am incorrect. I am in Washington. You're quite right about the wire mesh. Half inch is adequate for larger rats.
At one week old they still need a lot of heat. I would not remove the cardboard, maybe not even the lamp. Do they have adequate protection against rodents and/or snakes?
Funny, I was thinking along the exact same lines of a bleach rinse, then clean water rinses, then put in the sun. But I was hoping you knew of some kind of shortcut, lol. Because I also thought maybe it was too much work. But the problem is it is a very large can of it that the cover was left...
I'm sorry, but that's not only unwise and bound to cause problems, it's actually sick. I don't know where anyone would get the idea to do a thing like that, but it's really really wrong and disturbing. If you thought that was somehow going to give you points with the flock, big mistake.
As I said, they must be taught.
But yes, I agree, the idea that the rooster and the children should both be roaming everywhere with no restrictions is not a good idea. Either or both should have boundaries.
Honestly, it's probably their age. Most roosters go through a nasty phase when they first get their hormones and are in that difficult teenage stage. It passes pretty quickly.
Have to disagree, I have multiple roosters, most are never aggressive to adults or children. If one is aggressive, it's usually an isolated incident here or there, not ongoing.
Children should be taught how to coexist with animals.
Well, in that case, I think this is your decision to make.
To be brutally honest, it was not the soundest of judgment to hatch chicks from a rooster with a temperament that you did not like. However, sweet gentlemanly roosters are sometimes not the greatest flock protectors and aggressive...
Chickens like oatmeal, but the problem with oatmeal is that it binds calcium. If the chickens can't uptake calcium, they will have a host of problems including problems with their bones, problems laying eggs which can lead to a deadly prolapse or internal laying, etc.
Fruit and vegetables alone are not going to do it. Chickens need protein and calcium. Laying hands most of all need these. Eggshells are made of calcium and eggs are made of protein. They can't make what they don't have. Without supplemental calcium, laying eggs will ruin their bones and they...
I concur. Very dangerous to withhold calcium if she's already struggling.
Try switching to a layer feed that has a higher protein content, like 18 or 20%. Kalmbach makes some feeds like this and you can get them from Chewy.
Also, mealworms have calcium.