I have three hens, including a Buff Orpington I am counting on to go broody. I thought I could just stop collecting eggs until there were enough to trigger her desire to sit on them, but I now doubt whether this is the right way. How long can the eggs remain viable without being sat on? I'm in...
I have three hens who are now all laying, but there has never been more than one egg a day. What is the explanation for this other than that they are taking turns? They are a Rhode Island Red, Rhode Island White, and Buff Orpington, with a hapless Polish rooster.
I have two roosts in my small coop. Both are close enough to the roof that my three hens and one rooster have to crouch. They are also at the same height as the open vents on either side. So far they seem happy, and huddle next to one of the window vents. But I am concerned that 1) they should...
I am not feeding my four hens in their raised coop. I let them out at 8 am and they go in at sunset, which is around 8:30 now. Thatmeans they spend about 12 hours in the rn and 12 in the coop. So far it doesn't seem to be a problem, although I wonder why they never go into the coop until...
I have four young hens in a coop with two roosts, one slightly lower. My polish hen roots alone on the lower rung while the other three (Rhode Island Reds and an Orpington) cuddle together on the upper. I am worried that she won't be able to stay warm in this unheated coop come winter. Should i...
I keep my four young hens in a coop and small run, which is on dirt. I have been hurling food, pellets and greens and what have you, onto the dirt of the run. All is well so far. I do plan to let them out under close supervision very soon. I have not yet made any provision for the bathing. I am...
The weak link in my coop design is that the hardware cloth around the run was not buried more than a few inches underground. It is on a slight slope so that the lower corner seems especially vulnerable. We have all the predators here - foxes, coyotes, raccoons, so I must fortify this. I dread...
Hi. My coop is done but I am worried about one flaw. The sharp tips of the nails and screws protrude into the coop! I was unable to file them off with the attachment I bought for my power drill. I am thinking of putting corks on the ones that are big enough, but some are too small. It's a...