I've made a mistake and wonder if what I read in one of the posts will help. I got three bantam hens on Sunday and put them in the shed that night. Not thinking, I let everyone out the next morning. They haven't gone back in since. It's my custom to leave new chickens in for a few days, but I...
I got 6 chicks at Tractor Supply earlier this year. We lost one along the way. However, there were supposed to be 2 marans (black), two buffs (brownish red), and two americaunas (white and black, one of which is the one we lost). The speckled black chick LOOKS like a marans, but the other one is...
Good morning all,
I got four young birds about 2 months ago that were supposed to all be female. However, I more than suspect at least one to be a roo. There are 2 Jersey Giant mixed birds, and 2 Barred Rock mixed birds. One of the Jersey's looks to be getting saddle feathers and crows...
Hi all,
Has anyone noticed behavioral changes in their chickens as the days warm and grow longer? I give mine Scratch and Peck, which they loved all winter, but now seem to only want it as a last resort. As a result, they've gotten a bit skinny and are missing feathers. (At least I think that's...
Hi all,
I got my chickens last April, 4 barred rocks and 4 wyandottes (plus 1 wyandotte roo). It seems like one of each never sexually matured. One barred rock and one wyandotte have immature looking combs and seemingly never laid an egg. I say seemingly because I've never seen them in the nest...
Has anyone had red star (red sex link) hens? I bought a couple as adults from a local farm last April. In November, I lost the oldest (an assumption on my part because she was larger and had a bigger comb) suddenly. She was lethargic and sleeping on the floor of the coop (in the deep straw) a...
Hi all,
My first winter with chickens and I switched them from layer crumbles to Scratch and Peck all natural and organic feed. Well, now they're chasing me around looking for something and have been digging in the place where I used to keep my compost pile and eating the dirt there. They...
I have mixed feelings. I was really looking forward to a lot more eggs, a lot sooner, but I'm assuming that being dual purpose birds, maybe they take longer to lay? And it's not all of them yet, only 2 or 3 are consistently laying at the moment. Does anyone else have experience with these...
So I've heard chickens will eat just about anything, but my hens that I bought as adults refuse to even look at a stinkbug. When I presented them with the first few that appeared this spring, they looked and quickly retreated from this foul offering. Has anyone else found any predator that will...