I raise alpacas. They had been alerting at night for afew weeks, but we never saw anything. Then we lost a chicken--taken off in the woods. She had been freeranging in a wooded area on my neighbors property. We also heard bobcat noises in the woods. One night I go into the alpaca barn to feed...
You certainly don't need one. Keep in mind that when you introduce a new older one, they may fight, and a new young one may get beaten up. My roo was KIA a few weeks ago and I haven't slept this well in 3 years! I do have an up and coming roo that I wanted for breeding, I just hope he isn't as...
Good luck! If you go to the meeting, which you should, bring pictures with you of how nice and clean your coop is (if it is), your kids taking care of the birds (if you have any) or a tleast be prepared to stand up and say how important your flock and the eggs are to you. If you have a friendly...
You should read the sticky in this section on predator identification for more info, but this looked relevant:
Parts Missing
A dead bird found inside a fenced enclosure or pen with its head missing is likely the victim of a raccoon that reached in, grabbed the bird, and pulled its head through...
I haven't had this problem, knock wood, but have heard it is very hard to break. You could try providing her with more calcium and/or protien, perhaps her diet is lacking and she is trying to supplement. Getting to the eggs before her will obviously work, but is easier said than done. Hopefully...
I do as you do with ice in the water. I'll also sometimes add a little electrolytes or apple cider vinegar to one of the waterers to encourage more drinking. I have a fan in the coop to keep the air moving. If it is really hot, like you get, instead of keeping them in the coop and run, I let...
...poop in them and you end up with poop-covered eggs (and birds). Each evening after dark, take them out of the nest and put them on a perch. This *should* break them of the habit. I say *should*, b/c I have a half dozen hens who 2 years later STILL sleep in the nests despite being removed...
I agree not to use alcohol--if you don't have betadine or other wound wash (or saline), mild soap and water for now, well flushed, will do. Try to keep it out of the eyes.
Sounds like she either had an injury that didn't heal or maybe (grosser) she had poop or egg (craked while sitting or shelless) stuck in her feathers and with the humidity and all it rotted the skin. The maggot definately indicates necrotic tissue, and, gross though it is, they do a good job of...
I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you, but thought I'd give it a bump. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen. If you haven't already, I'd seperate it from the rest of the flock. Good luck!
That happens to some of mine sometimes. Seems to be the heavier and/or fuller feathered birds. I usualy just cut the poop out and give her a trim around the vent.
Hi, I have a 1 yo SF roo. His crow is very odd, more like caw-cawk--he's missing the doodle-do part. He is the low roo on the totem pole, my 2 yo mixed breed is the alpha. The girls beat him up, but the other roo leaves him alone. They both have a batch of hens they were raised with, but the...
If you ahve a dog crate or even a large cat carrier you can put her and the eggs in it (on bedding/nesting) with some food and water. I'd probably wait until a week before hatching for convenience since you'll have to clean out the poop and stuff. And, thoug I have no personal experience, I'd...
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Chickending--would you be willing to share? -- I have never figured out how to create Excell spreadsheets, but I can fill in #s! Thanks.
Currently I use a really simple method--each day on my wall calandar I note how many eggs they lay and how many I sold. we eat and give away alot so...
OK, I just today noticed that one of my 1+ yo aracauna hens has spurs (about 3/4"). I'm pretty sure she is a hen as I've gotten 11 eggs from her and 10 other hens several times and I've never heard her crow in 1+ year. I have a rooster, she doesn't look like him at all. She is hen size, slightly...
I'm no expert, but if the egg was broken and didn't come out, she could be seeping the white and yolk, which now, after a few days must be starting to rot. Alternatively (or in addition), the broken shell could have perferated something and she could be infected.
You really need to keep her...
Hi, yesterday I surprised my white leghorn on the nest. She had just laid an egg (it was still moist) and was quite ticked and jumped off (I was gathering up the 3 other eggs I knew were under her and didn't realize she had just laid). It looked like an inch or so of her was on the outside of...
First step is to take the metal cover off the rubber part--it should be in 2 parts, an inner circle and the outer rim. Peel/pry off the inner circle to expose the rubber. You insert the needle through the rubber each time. If you are doing many animals (chickens) at once, leave the first needle...