Having had chickens for the past 8 years I have gotten my girls from a local gent who raises chickens. This year I bought 5 more as I lost some to old age. They were supposed to be mixed bantam chicks. 4 of the five are growing to be red sex links. This one in the picture is the only bantam...
Well we have had chickens for years...a nice coop and run but let them roam the yard by day for years without any trouble. Despite the calm winter this year in a matter of two days hawks zeroed in and took out five chickens leaving only one huddled under the deck. I crawled in and finally got...
I have had 5 chickens for the past several years. I let them out of the coop and run everyday to run around the yard and as they should each night they come home to roost and I close them up.
We just adopted 5 chickens from my sister. She gave us her coop and A frame run. One chicken is...
I have one of my older girls, one who was mature when we got the chickens (2+ years ago) and the last of the mature ones..., who has been acting wierd for almost a week. At first she was not moving, her eyes were half closed and was squatting all the time. Now, a few days later, she is...
I havent posted in a long while, since Milton had to be put down. We have had the girls for over two years now and have always kept them in the run. This past weekend I was helping a friend who also has chickens and has let them run since day one. I decided to let them out when I got home...
Ive had two sets of red chili lights for years which my wife forbid me to put up saying they were tacky. Today I was working around the girls house and thought they would be perfect, that is add the perfect tacky touch to the coop. They are hung and lit and look awsome.
Anyone else decorate...
I have several chickens which I got on fathers day this year. From the beginning there was one girl, we named her "Milton" because we were told she was moulting. Well she wasnt. She was the bottom of the pecking order. To boot she's blind in at least one eye and cant really see much out of...
When I gathered the eggs yesterday one was smaller than the rest. I kind of thought it might be from some of the young girls we have but I wasnt sure since one of the chickens always lays on the small side.
Today I went out and there is no doubt about it that the young'ns are starting. In...
I cant believe Im actually waisting brain power thinking about this but what would be my best use for the poop taken from the coop. I only have 9 chickens and a small 3x4 coop. While Im out visiting every morning to water and give scratch I take a shovel and pick up all the droppings in the...
Ive been keeping track of how many eggs we get per day since we got the chickens. We have 5 hens of laying age and the norm was 3 to 4 eggs a day. Over the past week we have only gotten 1 to 2 per day with yesterday being the exception of getting 3.
Do they slow down in the hot weather...
I made breakfast this morning...two fried eggs with toasted russian rye bread. This was really the first time since getting the chickens that I tasted the greatness of these eggs. I fried them plain but they tasted as if they were perfectly seasoned with herbs and had the richest most...
Over the past weeks since we got the chickens I have noticed that one bird, I dont know for certain which one, has been pooping loose watery stool with signs of blood. I have been waiting to see if it would clear up and it hasnt. This morning as I was cleaning the coop I picked up a piece of...
I got oyster shells this week and have been putting about 2 cups into a pile next to the feeder each day. Every afternoon its gone and its not looking like its being scratched into the ground.
My father who grew up working at a chicken farm says Im gonna need an ax to break open my eggs.
How...
Ive searched this but need to make sure. I am feeding the chickens Nutrena laying pellets along with daily treats of grains and fruits/veggies. Do I still need to provide them grit? Is oyster shell the same as grit? The run is now officially all dirt. They have been here 3 weeks with no ill...
One of the hens started acting strange today. She came out of the house walked around a bit and then sat on the ground in the corner. Now she is sitting on the ground in the other corner. It poured last night with strong thunder and lighting. Also, the people who gave her to us said she is...
Being totally new to this we were given 9 chickens, 5 grown and 4 young. I have some idea as to a few but could someone help id'ing all for sure. I put the pics on webshots with numbers in the comment area.
http://community.webshots.com/album/563810892pfEPfX?vhost=community
Any help would be...
Well we got the girls yesterday. An awsome Father's Day on many levels. We wanted 4-5 chickens and ended up being given 9. 5 full grown and 4 small ones that wont start laying for another 2 months. Everyone here was so excited, including the wife...who thought I was nuts at first. Many...
Well after I dont know how many weekends and some vacation time in between I finally finished the run today. All the wire is up and cemented into the ground. The door to the run, which I thought Id have a heck of a time with, turned out to be pretty easy. I placed the door there so it can be...
So the run is complete and I am almost done securing the hardware cloth. I dug a trench around the perimeter of the run but it varies from 4 inches to 8 inches in depth due to roots, rocks etc. I plan on mixing some quickcrete and pouring it into the trench and onto the cloth. Should this be...
Well Im almost done with the coop. Its definately taken longer than I expected but Im pretty happy with the results. Im not crazy with the 2x4's on the face of the house but they are needed to attach the hardware cloth. I will be using washers and 1" screws to attach the 1/2 inch cloth. I...