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  1. Daisy8s

    The Complete Life Cycle of a (Mostly) Happy Rooster

    I'll start with a warning...the rooster dies. But, this isn't the typical story of the aggressive rooster that has to be culled. I'm posting this because so very many people post questions about the rooster that hits adolescence and becomes a problem. Most of the advice on here falls into...
  2. Daisy8s

    Beak/Head Coloration to Sex Pekin Ducklings?

    I have four Pekin ducklings, about 2 weeks old. Two of them have longer, more yellow beaks plus a smidge of black on the top of their heads. The other two ducklings have shorter, more pink beaks and no black on the top of their heads. The two with the longer, more yellow beaks also are taller...
  3. Daisy8s

    Studies Showing Known Causes of Frostbite?

    I am wondering if anyone knows of research studies on the possible causes of frostbite. We are doing nothing to prevent it and yet our birds have never shown any signs. During the big cold spell here temps were down to -15 with a windchill of -30 to -40. Our coop has a permanent 3-4 inch gap...
  4. Daisy8s

    rooster's spurs broken off...why?

    My 2 yr old Barred Rock rooster had almost 2 inch long spurs at the start of winter. Every few weeks now I see they look a bit shorter. Sometimes they are black on the end like dried blood, other times they are the same color as his legs. His comb and wattles are fine, as are his toes, so I...
  5. Daisy8s

    Broody Breaking Rules about Hatching Chicks

    I've always heard that you shouldn't help an egg hatch. The thinking is that if the chick isn't strong enough to hatch then it isn't strong enough to live. I have two broody hens, both great mothers, who actively peck at the egg after it begins to hatch (the first hole is made). They do...
  6. Daisy8s

    Loving my Whitewash

    I built my coop two years ago and am pretty happy with it, but during the clean-out this spring I noticed some places had really accumulated a lot of manure and dust. It took a lot of scrubbing to get the wood surfaces of the nesting boxes and the perches back to their original state and I...
  7. Daisy8s

    Black Pigmentation Missing on Feathers

    I have a Barred Rock rooster (my avatar) and a Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen. Both are just turning a year old. This winter both began displaying feathers missing the black markings. In my rooster he has just one tail feather that has a 3 inch white section while all the rest of the feather is...
  8. Daisy8s

    Missing pigmentation on some feathers

    My silver-laced wyandotte hen came through molt and turned up with all-white flight feathers on one wing--just 6-8 of the longest feathers are solid white instead of edged in black. About the same time my barred rock rooster developed one white feather in his tail--just the one feather at the...
  9. Daisy8s

    Why new dust bathing spots...sign of mites or fleas?

    Every week or so my birds move to a new dust bathing spot. This means they have to dig up some ground to create a new dust bath. Why do they do this? Is it perfectly normal or is this a sign that there are mites or fleas in the old spot and they are seeking to bathe them away in a new spot?
  10. Daisy8s

    Coronation Sussex Pair of Chicks

    Eight week old pair of chicks--one rooster and one pullet. The rooster's father was Coronation Sussex and mother was New Hampshire Red. The pullet's father was the same Coronation Sussex rooster and her mother was Light Brahma. Both chicks are mainly white with the markings typical of the...
  11. Daisy8s

    Questions on Fascinating Vocalization Sequence of Flock

    My flock consists of one rooster, two chicks, and seven laying hens of various breeds. This morning I was sitting in the run feeding them an old melon. After about 5 minutes a wild bird made one sharp call from the woods about 100 yards away. The rooster immediately oriented toward that sound...
  12. Daisy8s

    Use for overgrown cucumbers

    I just harvested a dozen HUGE cucumbers that got too big for pickles. Wasn't sure what to do since no one in my family enjoys eating them raw. Then, today I came across a recipe for zucchini bread and was inspired to substitute in shredded cucumber instead. I'm eating my first slice warm from...
  13. Daisy8s

    Seeking Greenhouse Suggestions

    Here's the situation: Right next to my coop is a large area that might be perfect for a greenhouse. If built in this space the greenhouse's east wall would be the wall of my garage, the north wall would be the wall of my coop, and it'd get full southern and partial western sun exposure. The...
  14. Daisy8s

    Murphy's Law of Gardening

    If there has been a long summer of sunny days your children will refuse to go out and play and instead log way more hours of screen time than anyone, even a professional gamer, would think should be allowed. If all your cajoling has failed and you finally blow your top and unplug the computers...
  15. Daisy8s

    Cures for Japanese Beetles

    For the first year I'm being plagued by Japanese Beetles. I have seen that they'll drown in water buckets and I've read that beer is a good lure for drowning. In my first experiment I didn't have any beer on hand so I used some hard lemonade. It seemed to work alright...maybe slightly better...
  16. Daisy8s

    First time broody won't get off the nest with new chicks...what to do?

    I have a first-time broody hen. She was sitting on three eggs. One hatched yesterday (Saturday). One hatched this morning. At 6:00pm today I reached under and found a dead chick that I removed, along with any egg shells. So, she's sitting on nothing and has two chicks peeping at her. The...
  17. Daisy8s

    Broody won't get off the nest with new chicks...what to do?

    I have a first-time broody hen. She was sitting on three eggs. One hatched yesterday (Saturday). One hatched this morning. At 6:00pm today I reached under and found a dead chick that I removed, along with any egg shells. So, she's sitting on nothing and has two chicks peeping at her. The...
  18. Daisy8s

    Can I transplant asparagus?

    This spring I started asparagus in two separate areas. The first area got too weedy and not much came up. The second area did well but I have realized that it's too close to the rhubarb and needs to be moved. So, now that I've weeded and redone the first bed so that it'll be better...can I dig...
  19. Daisy8s

    Coronation Sussex Rooster

    People-friendly Coronation Sussex rooster, hatched Oct, 2011. I'm only selling him because he's too big (at least 9 lbs) for my small ISA Brown hens. He is out of Greenfire Farms. I really, really don't want to sell him but I am trying to move to a smaller-sized flock. He'd be great for Buff...
  20. Daisy8s

    Problem with Wet Eggs Stored in Carton?

    After I rinse off any dirty eggs (warm water, no soap unless really soiled). I put them in the egg carton and then in the fridge. I've noticed that when I come back later there might be a slight puddle, or at least the bottom of the eggshell is damp because I am not drying off the eggs after I...
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