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  1. shodack

    Hen self-mutilation??

    The head hen in my flock seems to be pulling her own feathers. Last year, when she was 8 or 9 months old, I noticed that she had pulled the feathers out on her belly, where I couldn't see them unless I picked her up. Some people said she may be going broody, but never did. But in the last two...
  2. shodack

    Chicks with hens at night?

    I have month old chicks I'd like to put in the coop at night with four year-old hens. Today was their first day in an enclosed area with the hens seeing them. Planning to keep them in sight but caged for a couple more weeks. But can they go in with them at night?
  3. shodack

    No feathers on belly

    So I just picked up my head chicken for the first time in a couple weeks and discovered that her belly (not her neck or chest at all) is completely bare of feathers. It doesn't look irritated and I see no signs of regrowth. I checked quickly for mites (though will do a more thorough check after...
  4. shodack

    New sound from head chicken

    On occasion I will let my four chickens out to "free range" under my watchful gaze. Head chicken has a sound I have only heard her make on these occasions- she will do it several times when they first come into the yard, sort of looking around, but doesn't waste any time diving in to the grass...
  5. shodack

    Hoping for a broody

    I have two barred rock and two black australorp hens, a bit over six months old. All are laying, three quite consistently. All hatchery stock. Is it unlikely that any of them will ever go broody? I'd love to have one of them hatch some eggs some day...
  6. shodack

    staying on nest after egg laying

    Is it normal for a hen to hang out on the nest for a while after egg laying? I am at work when they lay most days, so I have actually only been around for the laying a time or two (that I know of). My head hen went in to lay an egg close to two hours ago, and is still chilling on the nest.
  7. shodack

    tail down

    So my four pullets are about 21 weeks old. One has been laying daily for about 10 days, one laid her first two days ago and then a soft shelled egg yesterday (I know it's normal, especially in the beginning). A third, my largest girl, sang her egg laying song yesterday, I thought for sure she...
  8. shodack

    Is there a way to tell

    Who is laying? First eggs have occurred over the last few days. I have four hens, 19-20 weeks old. Yesterday we witnessed one go into the coop and lay, but I'm wondering if, without standing around watching, there's a way to know who is laying... seems like too much to ask.
  9. shodack

    Noisy adolescents!

    I have two Barred Rock and two Black Austrolorps I got in mid-April, so roughly 17 weeks ago. They are a nice group of girls, and have made very little noise over the past 4.5 months. Until the last week or so. It's not all the time, but in bursts they seem (at least one, who I haven't been able...
  10. shodack

    coir fiber in run?

    I should start by saying I am using the deep litter method. As it's my first year with chickens and my first year in a new house, the litter isn't all that deep yet, but it's doing nicely. No smell, no cleaning required, and my chickens are loving scratching through it all day. So far I have...
  11. shodack

    Greens, greens, greens!!

    My chickens LOVE kale! I have been working on removing my first planting of kale from the garden a few plants at a time, and what I am not using I throw in to the ladies. They run so fast to get to it, and completely gobble it up. Amazing! I think it's their absolute favorite treat so far. They...
  12. shodack

    Deep litter wins!

    My 7ish week old chicks have been out for a couple weeks now. I started right out with deep litter (although it will grow as I go, because I don't have enough composted material for their entire enclosure), including in the coop. I sort of had doubts about it working well inside the coop, just...
  13. shodack

    Insulating for the winter?

    I live in upstate New York, aka freezing temps for 4 months plus. Should I be planning to add a layer of insulation to the coop for the winter? Will foam boards work, since that would be the simplest solution? I'm using deep litter in the coop, which will help somewhat, I would assume...
  14. shodack

    Feeder for fermented crumbles

    I'm going to start fermented feed. Currently I am mid-way through a bag of starter crumbles. Anyway, I have the typical feeder. Round with a bunch of holes around the base. It doesn't seem like glop will work really well in there (although I have yet to try it, just started the fermenting...
  15. shodack

    Do they need grit

    Once they're outside? My 6 week olds are in a 20x15' enclosure. There's some deep litter, weeds, gravel (pea sized, too big for them to swallow, I'd think), and I'm wondering if I should still be providing grit, or if they will find what they need on their own. They forage but also have food and...
  16. shodack

    determining which chicks to give away

    In NY you have to buy 6 chicks (I know some people get around it by paying for 6 and taking less, but I didn't do that), but being a small family, in a small yard, I think 4 hens will be a good number for us, so i have a friend I'm giving the other two to when they are a couple months old (a...
  17. shodack

    moved them out, will they settle down?

    So, my chicks have been outside for 3 days now, and are loving it. Buuuuutttt, since moving them out, they want nothing to do with me, and I have a really hard time even getting close to them. A few of them used to be so glad to see me in the brooder. Will they mellow back out after they've...
  18. shodack

    food and water

    Okay, so the 5 week old chicks are currently sequestered in the coop for the 5 day "get to know your new home" dealio. When they are able to go in and out as they wish in a few more days, will i need to have food and water both inside and outside the coop? I have been planning to have it only...
  19. shodack

    The ramp

    Are there recommendations for how wide and steep the ramp into the coop should be? Right now my husband has a single piece of 2x4, which I feel is too narrow.
  20. shodack

    not eating treats

    So, my 4 week old chicks don't eat any treats I give them, aside from grit. They love the grit. but any fruit/veggies I have given them have been completely ignored. Will they be more interested as they get older? We're moving them outside today, so they'll have much more variety available to...
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