I have a Black Australorp that is pretty docile right now. I have had him for about a year. He is even good with the kids. We had a Barred Rock roo that was fin with my wife and me but would chase and attempt to flog the kids when we were not around.
Something like this just happened to me last week. I had a Blue Australorp chick that was partialy upside down in the egg and zipped most of the way but could not finish. After about 24 hours I started helping by removing small portions of the shell. She/he eventually broke free but could not...
I am not sure about oyster shells, but having used Mana Pro and the TSC Dumor oyster shells, they both appeared to be the same. And no complaint from the chickens.
As for grit, I think the size of the grit is important. That is smaller for chicks, medium for younger birds, and larger size for...
I have a few birds that do the same. They hide their eggs every now in then in the run. I agree with sourland, I think she is geting tired of me taking them.
We have:
3 Rhode Island Reds,
3 Barred Plymouth Rocks, and
2 Buff Orpingtons.
I plan on adding 4 or so Australorps this spring. Thing of some Sussex too of some sort, but maybe later. It is chicken math after all.
And of course about 50 Cornish/Rock broilers through the spring and summer.
threadcrafters,
Some questions for you:
Where were the nipples leaking?
What size hole did you drill?
What type of container are you using?
Did the horizontal nipples screw in easily?
If your container is sealed, you will need to have a hole in the top so air can replace the water that is...
Will something like this work?
http://smile.amazon.com/Kaytee-Hay-N-Food-Feeder-Quick-Colors/dp/B005FU4Z8I/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_77?ie=UTF8&refRID=17QHDZ3FS9ANR8KXV1MQ
A friend convinced my to try raising Cornish Cross meat birds. While I was raising them I would enjoy just watching their chicken antics. I realized that those birds were only going to be around for four more weeks, I decided to get 9 layers, and one died at about two weeks old. I have since...
Crickett, have you checked in the Chicken Breeders & Hatcheries section? There is a lot of information there.
Some people have problems ordering from a hatchery, but essentially that is where the vast majority of the birds we (as in all of us) buy come from. It looks like cackle is a...