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  1. minou33

    Cedar in bedding?

    I've been keeping chickens for the last 4 years on pine shavings that I purchase from the local feed store. There's a local source of finely ground wood that I can purchase in bulk instead, however, the wood is mixed and contains cedar. How worried should I be about this? All my chickens are...
  2. minou33

    Preparing for my first broody...what do I need to know?

    I spend a lot of time with my girls and feel as if my wyandotte is showing signs of going broody. I've had chickens for 3 years and this will be my first. She's spending more time in the box hissing but not sitting all day yet...she is making more strange sounds, puffing up, and bald on her...
  3. minou33

    Integrating new birds into existing flock

    I have a flock of 3 older hens (2 years) and six 11 week old pullets. The pullets currently spend the day in an enclosure next to the main chicken run where both flocks are able to see each other. This has been for about a week now and although I'm not sure what signs to looks for--I'm not...
  4. minou33

    Suspected Marek's and young pullets

    Does anyone have advice/experience with Marek's in their flock? I now suspect my 2 year-old hens may have Marek's (they were purchased unvaccinated as chicks from a homestead supply store). I lost two recently from my original flock of 5, however, my vet didn't push having a necroscopy. I...
  5. minou33

    Giardia in my flock

    I recently lost 2 birds from first flock of five (all 2 years old) and had another showing symptoms so I drove to Colorado State University veterinary to have a full work-up on my sick bird. The vet was not very avian experienced, but a fecal test showed giardia. The vet was fired after our...
  6. minou33

    Introducing new chicks to a small flock?

    I have 2 birds left from my original flock of 5 and decided to add 6 chicks this season. I haven't added new birds before so am a little nervous about how this will go. I understand it will a separation process for several weeks until the birds are mature enough to join the flock. However...
  7. minou33

    22% protein until 18 weeks?

    The lady at the homestead supply store somehow convinced me that I needed a 50lb. bag of chick starter for 6 chicks! :confused:The starter is Modesto Milling Chick Starter and Broiler Grower at 22% protein. My chicks are layers (not broilers,) so I'm wondering if I can continue using this feed...
  8. minou33

    Lash egg treatment

    I have a hen with suspected lash egg. I had on die previously of this a few weeks ago. Her symptoms come and go (which is similar to my other hen that passed) so I don't know how much of an emergency, but I would like to be proactive. I haven't been able to get a call back from the vet for the...
  9. minou33

    Alfalfa Powder for darker yolks?

    Does anyone use alfalfa powder? My girls can't free range and even wih fodder, greens and weeds... I have a hard time getting those orange yolks. Anyone have any experiences? I'm hoping the powder form is safe and just as good as any.
  10. minou33

    Is breed and size important when adding new birds to an existing flock?

    When adding new birds to an existing flock, do you need consider breed and size? Do the new birds generally accept the new additions (as long as they were introduced properly) as members of the flock or will they always be lower on the hierarchy? I have a flock of five hens from last spring (2...
  11. minou33

    Normal for a young hen to stop laying?

    My black copper maran hen (born last March) started laying in December and has consistently been laying every other day since. She hasn't laid in almost a week now and otherwise seems to be behaving normal. All my other hens have been laying consistently (even the ones who started laying at 20...
  12. minou33

    Hens not laying at 31 weeks

    We got our first chicks last spring. The will be 31 weeks tomorrow and only 2/5 have started laying. The two that are laying started at around 20 weeks. Now with the cold weather (we have had several snows and negative temps) I'm wondering if they won't even lay till next spring at all. Is...
  13. minou33

    Squishy Egg Mystery

    My 5 hens are 20 weeks and only one has just started to lay. I almost always catch her laying too since I'm home all day and she spends a lot of time in the box. Her eggs have all been perfect, small, but with a nice hard shell. She is a New Hampshire Red. But twice now, I have found these...
  14. minou33

    Sick Chicken at Vet. Need some input please!

    My favorite girl (20 weeks) was perfectly fine yesterday. This morning I noticed she wasn't eating, drinking or pecking. She was isolating herself and acting very lethargic and had watery whitish clear diarrhea. I isolated her and was able to drop her off at vet this morning. I suspected sour...
  15. minou33

    Feeding hens grower/all flock feed instead of layer?

    I have a flock of all hens. They are 19 weeks and none are laying. I'm weighing the pros and cons of keeping them on grower feed with oyster shells instead of switching them over entirely to layer feed once they start to lay. Is there a reason why I shouldn't do this? I know this is common for...
  16. minou33

    Has anyone experimented with different methods of feed in their flock?

    I'm interested in hearing from experienced chicken keepers who have tried commercial pellets/crumbles, fermenting/sprouting, mixing your own feed, etc. and which you found to be healthiest for your birds.
  17. minou33

    What is your coop maintenance routine?

    What is everyone's daily/weekly/monthly/yearly routines for coop maintenance? I am a new chicken mom (my girls are 17 weeks) and was told that chickens are "easy keepers". I am actually finding that not to be the case so much compared to our goats who are definitely easy keepers. I hear that...
  18. minou33

    Help! How to Introduce Fermented Feed to the Pickiest Flock Ever

    I am convinced our flock (5 hens) isn't normal. They are 16 weeks and still very picky with their food and don't really like treats (no fruits, veggies or herbs...which is sad because we have a FARM!) They like grass, weeds, and sunflower seeds (along with their feed) and that's pretty much it...
  19. minou33

    Switching to Pelleted Feed

    I just switched my girls from Scratch and Peck grower feed to pelleted layer feed. I had read that pelleted feed is better for them because it avoids them only picking out the seeds they like from the feed. They won't touch the new feed. I know they had a hard time switching from chick crumbles...
  20. minou33

    Egg Laying Questions from a Newbie

    I am new to chickens and haven't had any experience with laying yet (my girls are 14 weeks old). In preparation for their laying, I have a few questions: 1. We already had a coop that had been built into our barn from the previous owners. The coop is basically a closet within the barn. It has...
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