It could just be dirt/poo, but I would catch them and scrub their feet (a bucket of water, a scrubby brush, and a helper would be ideal) to see what you're dealing with. I've never heard of a guinea with bumblefoot though! It'd be daunting for sure to work on them
...maybe their hormones kinda get going and they jostle for higher ranking? Not sure, and I don't really see other people mention their hens doing it. *scratches head*
My hens pick on my 13lb Maltese, too. And my neighbors 35lb Cockerpoo. I'm pretty sure they would try and beat up my sisters...
If another one dies, you could send the body off for a necropsy, maybe they can figure out what's up. I know there's some threads floating around with how-tos. I think they usually run around $125 ish.
One of my hens, a Golden Laced Wyandotte, has had a limp for months. I'm not even sure I'd call it a limp, it's like her legs don't bend properly? Sometimes I can hardly tell, but if she's been running around a lot (usually after I try to catch her for something) then it's more pronounced. She...
My chicken hens will peck my Maltese (they like to target his little black nose), and fluff their feathers at him if he annoys them. He usually tries to avoid them, but there is one hen he plays with. If he's running around playing, she'll chase him around the yard flapping her wings at him. If...
I went halfsies. Living in Florida, my main concern was a buildup of heat and humidity. So for my 8x8 coop the back wall is solid, and 4 foot of the walls on the side are solid. The other 4 foot is hardwire mesh (absolutely necessary to use). The front wall is solid, but has very large 'windows'...
One ate a small snake (and I've caught them hunting down a full grown black racer but it was too fast for the girls) and the other day they got some crab rangoons and went crazy for 'em ;p
When we clean out the fridge every few weeks they get all the left overs (nothing that's gone bad) and...
Thank you!!! I will give them a call in the morning and see what they have in stock. Will the farm swap be on the 29th? I know it's right after holidays so I'm not sure...
x2 kitty if you can! Our cat has demolished the rat population, and the snake population. She's awesome at her job, and has 0 interest in the chickens. Just get one that is spayed/neutered to keep from contributing to the extreme over population :) You could also make some of those diy bucket...
Pumpkins, cucumbers, rose bushes, beans, juniper, mulberry, berry bushes...as long as you protect the base, most things should do well. I would make sure to offer them lost of other nice leafy things, and maybe put in a grazing frame where you grow some yummies for them, to keep them distracted...
My first egg was layed on the floor, i think she was just uncertain and confused by it, haha. After that all her eggs were in the box (I use shavings, but thinking of adding hay to give it more volume. The shavings seem to just go flat.), and I think she's 'showing' the others where to lay, as...
Sounds like a coon. They reach their arms/hands through gaps in the wire to grab the chickens and kill them. What kind of wire is on your coop? Can you post a pic of it? We can then give suggestions on how to modify it to make it coon proof.
A fertile egg is almost no different than an unfertilized egg. There isn't a fully developed chick in it...it just has the potential to be a chick. Many people eat fertilized eggs, it's really no different. As long as you collect daily, there wouldn't be an issue. Give her a month or so and...
x2 on squatting.That was my biggest hint, the first one to squat has started laying before the one with the reddest comb/waddles. And they really start to find their voices when they're getting close!