Our two year old speckled Sussex has been seemingly shaking her head and opening her mouth to gasp for air. It almost looks like a yawn--but it's not a yawn. This isn't all the time but often enough to be noticeable.
She did this as a pullet and then it seemed to go away until this year. The...
Hi everyone! I wish I was coming with better news. My broad breasted white turkey, Evelyn, is not doing well at all. Earlier yesterday she was doing fine going after food. Last night she had one swollen eye. This morning both eyes nearly sealed shut and was really acting sick. Not eating or able...
Hi, wonderful Backyard Chickens Community.
I feel guilty because I feel like I only come here with problems and wish I contributed more.
Tonight was not great. I was draining my 8.5 year old hen’s (Alice) ascites and was having trouble doing the draw (not sure if I hit a vein or what, poor...
Our coturnix quail hen is having a tough time right now. Noticed something off two weeks ago—feathers puffed up and she seemed to be having trouble walking, so I thought she was eggbound. Fed her crushed tums, soaked her in a Nekton solution and she seemed to improve. Days later I noticed a foul...
My 2 and a half year old broad breasted white hen has three really nasty, deep looking wounds. At first I thought the one on her chest was an injury but then found two more on even spots under her wings. Could they be caused by mites or lice? I am skeeved because I have several other birds...
Last February I was given an Easter egger that was previously being kept with a conure by a former coworker. He gave her to me because he knew I have a four-chicken flock (RIR, Buff Orpington, Jersey Giant, and Silver-laced Wyandotte) as well as some other animals. Just for fun, I included a pic...
Would anybody be willing to tell me some of the great things about their cayuga ducks? Since I'm new to owning cayugas, I'd just like to get a better idea of what they're like! Please post pictures if you would like to!
Shortly after getting my two pullets (a bantam blue cochin and a Delaware) home, I saw a few poultry lice on them. Parasites freak me out a lot, so I got right on it, and gave them a very small dose of livestock pour-on dewormer (with Ivermectin). I also changed their bedding and dabbed the...
After we lost our female khaki campbell duck, we got three more ducks. So now we have two male mallards, one male khaki campbell, and the new ones: a male and a female cayuga, and a female buff duck. The mallards are top ducks, they are not happy about the new additions. The new three (cayugas...
Hi, I got three ducks today to keep my lonely khaki campbell duck company. Well long story short, they didn't hit it off. The new ducks (two females and a male) were very noisy and nervous. And we have a neighbor nearby who complains about almost every noise, so I don't know what to do. Should I...
For a while, everything was going very smoothly with my poultry keeping. Now I feel terrible, because one of my khaki campbell ducks is missing. I usually let them out of the pen in the evening, so that they get a chance to eat (the older two ducks bully them). I let them stay out a little later...
Yesterday, on my way to school, I noticed a new goose in the pond on the way there, and saw that it looked like a domesticated breed. Today I got a closer look, and from what I could tell, it is either a Chinese goose or an African goose. It was swimming with two pekin ducks that someone also...
This may sound like a silly thought, but is it possible to keep farm pigs (like a berkshire, hampshire, or yorkshire) as a semi-house pet? It's not uncommon for people to keep a pot belly pig as a housepet, and in movies with big breeds of pigs, the large farm pigs seem quite intelligent. Would...
I purchased two mallard ducks from tractor supply (they're captive hatched/raised) earlier this year. I understand they are not yet near adulthood, but would like to begin preparing for next year. How do you breed ducks? Basic information as well as some details would be great (enclosure...
So I'm thinking I need to find seamless metal leg bands for my mallard (possibly rouen) ducks. Online, I've found metal and I've found seamless. However, the metal bands were adjustable and the seamless were plastic. Where can I find seamless and metal? Maybe I should just go to a blacksmith...
I recently bought two mallard ducklings from a Tractor Supply Co. here in New Jersey. They did not come marked in any way (no back toes missing, no bands, no pinioning) but I saw these websites after getting the ducks:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/21.13...
Today I noticed my female button quail wasn't eating or drinking. At first I thought she was dehydrated. I gave her some fluid, and I waited about an hour but nothing improved. I did some research and looked at her vent, and saw that she was egg bound. Using olive oil, I was able to massage the...
Today I came back from a family vacation. I was so upset to get a call from my neighbor who takes care of all my pets saying that some of the quail had died. The next day she called and said that the rest of them in one cage were dead. I was devastated. I got home and discovered that the quail...
Hi everyone! In the somewhat near future, I am going to be getting some new birds. They'll be outside in a pen/hutch/coop. Does anyone have any recommendations for a cold-hardy, egg-producing quail? I'm thinking either bobwhite or coturnix. Or should I go with pheasants or something else? Not...
I'm new to BYC; this is my first thread! I don't have any chickens but I would like to have them one day. I do have button quail, so that's a start. Are posts about other types of "fowl" welcome? Thanks! :)