I have a pullet that looks just like this guy, and one that is bearded as an Americauna should be. Any guesses as to his breed? He's not mean at all, but a bit flighty and timid. Purchased in March from Southern States Farm Co-op.
or should I say a pair of broodies! I've had at least two Cochins broody since sometime in April, so last week I succumbed to their poor-me-why-are-you-taking-these-eggs looks and am allowing them to set 6 eggs.
Do I need to have a separate pen for mamas and babies once they hatch? Will the...
I've got a real pecking order problem in my flock of 2 Red Star and 4 LF Cochin pullets. One of the Cochins has abused another one until she has a nasty wound on top of her head. I let them all out today to free range in the yard; the two offending pullets got into a fight in the yard and I...
We're moving soon, and of course the chickens are moving too. My fiance told me he heard you're not supposed to put a chicken coop/run in a place where there's been a dog run (as in, doggie doodoo), so I thought I'd come here and ask y'all. Is it OK to put a coop and/or run where the dog was...
I would like to buy 6-12 hatching eggs, bantam or LF. Specific breed not terribly important but would prefer breed(s) that are dual purpose or egglayers. I thought a friend was going to sell me some local eggs to hatch but she is afraid to put her roos in with the pullets (?????), and the only...
Do I need to cook eggplant before I offer it to my girls? I missed one in the garden and it is waaaaay too big for my taste (like almost the size of my head). We like ours a bit younger and less bitter, so this one will go to the chickens but I just need to know if it is ok for them to eat it...
Our 4 Cochins are food snobs. If it's not in the feeder they won't touch it! They have an issue with feather picking and I am trying to get more protein into them but how to do this if they won't eat anything but their layer crumbles? So far we've tried cooked chicken, some leftover ribs (with...
Trying to raise the humidity in our homemade bator; I have had a cup of water in there all day and temp is now steady at one needle-width below 100 and humidity is up to 29% from 13%. What number am I aiming for? I just added a second cupof water.
Currently in the temperature-regulating phase of testing our knitting cabinet-turned-incubator. Pics to follow!
Materials: old knitting/craft caddy on legs; scraps of hardware cloth; styrofoam panels; water heater thermostat; light socket; computer fan; cell phone charger; electrical tape...
One of our older RSL hens, Drumstick, has begun behaving in ways that I think are very roo-ish. She bawks almost constantly while patrolling the yard, becoming even louder when she hears a crow, raven or hawk (or sees a cat). She has even developed spur bumps! Is this normal? How can I get her...
All from scrounged lumber, plywood and a pallet. The floor is leftover sheet vinyl from my upstairs bathroom. We only spent $35, for drip edge, hardware cloth and door hinges. The door will be repurposed from a large window screen. My friend's husband thinks he has roofing lying around that we...
So we got an uncertain gender chick at a swap, and it turns out he is a boy so the kids were ok with him either going to a new home or to Camp Frigidaire. BUT he has had a runny nose since we got him and a couple of times I have noticed his eyes look watery. Rehoming is now not an option since...
We just got four Cochin pullets and I was just wondering when I could reasonably expect eggs. They are about 4 months old I think, but when I bent down to pet one of them this afternoon she squatted. They are in new-chicken-quarantine and I wonder if I should provide a nest box in the pen.
Or is it too early to tell? We purchased this bird as a singleton, its sister had already been sold as a sure pullet. The breeder was not sure whether this one is a boy or a girl. It is less than 8 weeks old but I forgot to ask its hatch date. It is not fully feathered yet, lots of quills under...
We just got four Cochin pullets, three of which have bald rumps from a feather pulling dominant pullet. We cleaned them up and applied Blu-Kote, and are giving yogurt as a supplement since I read that this may be caused by a need for more protein. How long until we can expect to see feathers...
I read about a BYCer who used an electric skillet to make an incubator, and I wondered if it would be worth a try to make an incubator from a slow cooker. I have never incubated eggs before so feel free to point and laugh at my craziness! I thought I'd put the idea out here to see what...
Crockpot laid an egg a few minutes ago, and Barbecue stood in the yard 'announcing' it until I went out and collected it (she and Oregano had already laid theirs this morning). What a bunch of goofballs!
Our coop is a repurposed wooden shipping crate, which I originally planned to paint, BUT I discovered that we have shingle-looking vinyl siding left over from the gable ends of my house in a sufficient amount to put siding on the coop. So this is my thread where I hope to post regular project...
One of our older RSL hens, Drumstick, is limping! DD and I examined her foot and leg, and there is no evidence of injury. The leg is not noticeably hotter or colder than her 'good' leg, and her foot pads are not discolored or swollen. We also felt the feathered part of her leg and she didn't...
Would it be possible to convert the area under my front porch to a chicken coop? There is plenty of air circulation, although I would have to run lights in there. It's not high enough to stand up in, but it is way bigger than the shipping crate my girls live in now.