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    How do you know when "its time"?

    I'm so sorry about your hen. For me, it's that loss of appetite that is the final signal. Hens are so good at masking their pain, and it's always hard to think they could be in terrible discomfort but just putting on a brave face. I once, with my first dying chicken, kept her alive and then...
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    Chicks VS Rats VS Treadle Feeder

    Both sets of chicks are being raised by the hen who hatched them. So they spend the day with her in the "nursery" with their bowl of food and waterer, and then when I'm home from work to supervise them outside, they can free range. Actually, just about last weekend, Mama Brenda decided they...
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    Coop building isn't working out, running out of time and not sure how to proceed

    I think you'll be fine. Keep reading/watching videos. And keep building! I'm fully serious when I say that I bet if you started from scratch with the same materials, you'd get a better result from what you've learned. I think a lot of people who are "not handy" just haven't had enough practice!
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    Coop building isn't working out, running out of time and not sure how to proceed

    Do you have a Buy Nothing Facebook group where you are? It might be worth asking if anyone has an old pre-fab coop/run, shed, etc that you can use, at least until you can make something more permanent. You might have to splurge $25 on a U-Haul to move it. I feel for you. I've had many meltdowns...
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    My 2 almost 3 week old chick looks like this today.

    Some chicks/chickens just seem to have crops that stand out more. At the end of the day (like in the evening), you should feel their feed in there. By the morning, the feed has drained down and then it should just feel soft and squishy. Are you keeping them under a heat lamp? If they are too...
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    My 2 almost 3 week old chick looks like this today.

    Do you mean that you think its chest looks a bit distended? I'm also having trouble figuring out what "the spot" is.
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    I MESSED Up- Humidity Lock Down

    Exactly. Being too "hands on" is exactly the type of mistake I have made many times when doing something new that's chicken related. I've found that the more I back off, the better things tend to go. Poking holes in the eggs this soon could cause much more harm than good. (I don't know if...
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    Would you assist hatch and how soon?

    The chick I assisted went on to live a very healthy life. She was a great chicken with no health issues. Obviously there can be reasons a chick isn't robust enough to hatch, but sometimes I think it's just bad luck. And (like in my case), it could also be "user error" from the human doing the...
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    Would you assist hatch and how soon?

    I assisted in a hatch one time after the chick went past 24 hours with a pip but not much else. It was great that she had already pipped, because I was able to very gently use tweezers to take off the littlest pieces of shell at a time. I think the humidity in the incubator was too low...
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    Chicken broody for around 30 days

    Either you need to break her broodiness or buy a few chicks to put underneath her. Too long in the nest isn't good for their health with reduced movement, less dust bathing, not eating/drinking as much, etc.
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    What am I doing wrong!?

    I'm thinking the same thing. All three doing it would probably mean that it's a nutrition issue and not something like a cancer/reproductive system disease. Or possibly a parasite? Other than the soft eggs is their poop/behavior normal?
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    Help identifying vine

    Probably Virginia Creeper. It can be pretty aggressive, so be careful letting it spread too much.
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    Chicks VS Rats VS Treadle Feeder

    So I learned a hard lesson (and almost a VERY hard lesson) about chicks and treadle feeders. When their mom, Brenda, was out with them in the run she would get food from the feeder and put it down for them. So one day I let them stay out with her during the day while I went to work. When I came...
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    Broken wing....3 others died

    I'm so sorry! I do not have experience in supporting a rooster with a broken/injured wing, but hopefully someone else will have good advice for you. Hugs! I hope your boy is on the mend soon.
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    Vaseline on Feet: Roost, Barn, or House?

    Poppy is back in with his girls in the run, roosting with them as we speak. Hopefully he continues on his path to recovery. I can tell that he's still getting the hang of doing certain movements with one less toe on that right foot.
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    Reintegrating Rooster After Quarantine but Now There are Chicks!

    Thank you for such a detailed post! Absolutely. I know that even the same animals can have a very different response in a similar situation for who knows what reason. My goal is juts to give everyone the best shot at harmony/health. I really love my roosters, and on the whole I think they do...
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    Reintegrating Rooster After Quarantine but Now There are Chicks!

    They had some VERY supervised time free ranging together today with me standing in the field with them. Poppy chased Bernard a few times, but no actual fights, thank goodness. (Bernard has seemed a bit . . . overwhelmed by being in charge of all the hens. The vibe is like a dad unexpectedly...
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    Reintegrating Rooster After Quarantine but Now There are Chicks!

    They're still just small enough that they can get between the bars (as I discovered the afternoon trying to catch them to put back in their "nursery" where they spend the night). Maybe I'll put Poppy in there for like 30 or so minutes in the afternoon while I very directly supervise over the...
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    Reintegrating Rooster After Quarantine but Now There are Chicks!

    Hi Everyone, My rooster, Poppy, had to be in quarantine for the last two weeks as he was recovering from surgery. He has been in a kennel in my barn. Over the last week, I've been letting him socialize with his hens for about 15-30 minutes each day (as per vet's orders). I have two flocks that...
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    Vaseline on Feet: Roost, Barn, or House?

    Sorry for the delay in updates. I've had two broodies hatching, plus the school year is coming to an end. Poppy had his follow-up appointment last Thursday evening (this was quite an odyssey: 7.5 hours, most of it driving!). The vet thinks he is looking well. He finished his medications. He is...
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