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  1. PatinOxford

    Acquiring rooster, what about quarantine?

    I am about to acquire a rooster (full grown) as a guardian for my flock. I plan on introducing him (per the advice I got here) to the grownup hens, and in about ... maybe two weeks mixing the four pullets (acquired as chicks in early February) into the flock. The acquisition is free, of the "I...
  2. PatinOxford

    Integrating a cockerel or rooster into existing flock plus young pullets

    I read over the older messages regarding introducing a rooster or cockerel to an existing flock, but still have a couple of questions. I have five mature hens who Rule The World (at least as far as they are concerned). I also have four guaranteed female chicks still in the brooder. I have a good...
  3. PatinOxford

    Small rough eggs

    I have two adult hens, one 2 years old (Americauna, "Thelma"), one 3 years old (Black Australorp, "Bessie"). Bessie has stopped laying altogether after a quite good start in early March. Thelma stopped for a while, and has restarted, but her eggs are small -- like a pullet's first eggs -- and...
  4. PatinOxford

    Broody (?) hen mystery

    I have a Buff Orpington hen, about 15-16 months old, who has (I think) gone all broody. She sits in the straw in the coop, fluffs herself up, gives out the evil eye when we look at her or touch her, and in general refuses to join the party. We have no rooster. We collect all eggs daily. She is...
  5. PatinOxford

    Hen attacked by fox, injured

    One year old hen was attacked by a fox. She lost a lot of feathers -- I was astounded to see her alive, in fact. She is safe in the coop but has a bite. It is a slice from a canine, not a puncture. What can I do for her? No vet in our area will do much for a chicken. Should I bring her in where...
  6. PatinOxford

    The Magical Re-Appearing Hen

    I have a small flock of hens who free-range in my well-fenced yard during the day, with occasional excursions into the barn and paddocks for bugs. I've got three RIRs and one Black Australorp. I had a Buff Orpington, about one year old, disappear about a month ago. Just didn't show up at the...
  7. PatinOxford

    Shouldn't they be roosting by now?

    Four pullets, 13 weeks old, well-grown, very normal in all respects ... except they don't roost. They sleep in a heap in one corner of their coop, piled on top of each other. And it's NOT cold. 75 degrees at night. I don't recall this being an issue before. I raised four pullets last year in the...
  8. PatinOxford

    Two completely different health issues

    My flock consists of four hens and four chicks. The chicks are isolated and are doing fine. My problems are with two of the hens that I raised last year. 1) Barred Rock, about 13 months old, has a stick sticking out of her back. No, really. At first it looked like a few ruffled feathers, then...
  9. PatinOxford

    Buff Orpington comb looks funky

    I have a Buff Orpington hen whose comb looks very odd the last three to four days. She is one of a group of chicks I purchased the first week of March, and has just started to lay. Her comb -- bright red and uniform in color until this started -- has white and black areas, especially around the...
  10. PatinOxford

    And then there was one.

    When we moved to our little farm we inherited six chickens from the previous owner, a rooster and five laying hens. That was 18 months ago. We had no way of knowing how old any of them were, or what their histories were. The rooster died almost immediately; although he looked good, we think he...
  11. PatinOxford

    When do their voices change?

    I have four pullets I've raised from a few days old, four different breeds. They are all doing very well, exploring their new secure pen from their nice separate coop, learning to eat different things, practicing flying, and so on. I got them the first week of March and they were all probably 4...
  12. PatinOxford

    Peaceful co-existence: hens and cat

    I have to say I didn't know quite where to put this. It's less than a question, more than an observation. But here goes. I have two hens, ages unknown, a RIR and a silver-laced Wyandotte. Both have just started laying after a two month hiatus while they moulted and got over the winter sulks. I...
  13. PatinOxford

    Down to two hens, looking for timeline advice for getting chicks

    We are in Chester County, PA, where it is being a cold winter. We moved to our farm in December 2013 and inherited five hens an a rooster. We knew they were not in the first bloom of youth :/, and in the 13 months since then all but two hens have died of natural causes. We have a RIR and a...
  14. PatinOxford

    Hawks and smart chickens

    I am fairly new to chicken keeping, and am still trying to figure out the threats in our area. No dogs roaming (the ones that roamed are all dead), foxes don't come up close to the house, no coyote (yet). My chickens range in our tightly fenced 2 acre yard during the day, and are cooped tightly...
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