I'm pretty sure this is the chick that got stepped on by the mama during hatching. One eye has a hard time opening, and mostly stays closed. It also doesn't walk very well, gimpy and crooked (but this could just be because it can only see out of one eye). It seems to have a hard time getting...
Should I help it or leave it?
I'm afraid she messed up the hatching process. I saw her step on the egg-- twice in 30 seconds!!-- with all her weight while she was trying to get out of her nest (for the first time in 5 days-- she was a bit unsteady) The egg is still jumping and wiggling, but...
My coop is an ark-style tractor (see below), so it doesn't give me easy access to a new nest area for my broody hen, and there's not enough space to make a broody box/area for my broody hen that's isolated from the rest of the flock. The hens are let out of the coop into a run during the day...
We'll be gone for 2 weeks over Christmas and our next-door neighbor is going to watch our 6 hens. Let them out in the morning, feed/water, close up the coop at night. Probably a total of 10 minutes of work a day, if you go slow. What's the ballpark of what to pay for something like this? I keep...
My chickens used to have free access to the whole backyard, but we got tired of having poop everywhere so we recently enclosed a run for them. It's plenty big for the number of chickens, with lots of shade, grass and dust bath places. Several times now one of them has gotten a running start and...
My 4.5mo cockerel has started jumping on the hens and grabbing the back of their necks with his beak and pushing their heads down. It's very disturbing to watch... is it normal? Is he trying to mate with them? Show dominance? Do I need to intervene? I don't want him to hurt them!
Having a hard time finding info on the best ways to attach wheels to a tractor. I don't even know what I'm looking for in buying them... go-cart wheels? Dolly wheels? Jogging stroller wheels? 10" wheels seem the most common on tractors, but they come in a lot of styles (pneumatic tires? Rubber...
Has anyone done this? Their FAQ says "Wheels are outside the scope of this plan. I have an idea for wheels, but it would require the services of a welder to create the frame." I'm wondering about extending the bottom long boards, cutting at an angle, and attaching wheels. Anyone see a reason...