I have a hen that is pulling out all her feathers. I thought some predator had got into the pen because there were feathers everywhere. I have been watching to see if she is getting picked on, but it doesn't appear that way. She also lifts one foot, always the same one, often. It doesn't...
So, I have 8 chickens, but only get 3-5 eggs a day. I thought maybe eggs wee getting eaten, but have seen no evidence of that. Here's the only change, and it may be a big one....I have two ducks in with them. They tend to mess up the water, but it gets cleaned everyday. Could drinking "not...
Ok, so I am new to this. I may not have been very wise, but I wanted to try to hatch some duck eggs. The eggs I have are of mixed breeds, possibly have some muscovy/ ruoen in them. Of course, I do not know which eggs are which so it is a real gamble. Muscovy eggs take longer so I am not...
Anyone know if there is a problem keeping goats, guardian puppy and chickens together? They all seem fine, although the chickens think all food is theirs. Are there any health issues? They are in a huge area, about 1/2 acre, that is fenced and all free range daily. The puppy has kept all the...
I finally got my hens all set up to free range. I (with a little help) built a coop and a run (with wire flooring to prevent any critters from digging in) and only close them in at night. They have free run of my walnut orchard along with my nigerian dwarf goats and my livestock guardian...
If I had a domestic turkey free ranging, would/could it breed with the wild turkeys that roam my property? Do turkeys lay eggs like chickens or just when they breed? Any info would be fabulous!
I just hatched 14 chicks in my incubator, but one can't really walk. At first it would try to stand and then fall over backward. It can get around the brooder, but I think it will die. It can get water and eat, but not really walk. Anyone have this happen?
I have 16 hens and no roosters. They are free range, although have a coop where their food and water is. Several of the hens are almost bare, with no feathers on their back and wings. One has a naked belly, but looks good otherwise. All are laying eggs and haven't slowed down. I haven't...
Surely someone else has had this problem.....
About 7 of my 16 chickens is laying daily, but at least 5 eggs are always cracked at the pointy tip. I don't know if one of the chickens is pecking it or if they are coming out that way. Anyone have any ideas? Oh yeah, the shells are very hard and...
I have several roosters and 15 hens. One of my hens is being pecked and bullied by two of the roosters. Why are they doing this? They are hurting her and drew blood this morning. Needless to say, I have her separtated from the group now, but what should I do?
I thought maybe my buff was going broody on me until I checked her more closely today (much to her disagreement!). She has feathers missing from her head/neck which might be from the rooster or her fellow hens. She had this weird stuff on her comb, kind of like something strange is growing on...
When I let me chicks out in the morning, I let the big girls out in the run. There are always some laying pellets left on the ground and iIthink the little girls might be eating it too. Will this hurt them? They have the chick crumbles available, but I know they are getting some of the big...
One of my chicks has a crooked beak. It doesn't look too bad yet, but I'm thinking it may get worse. Does this chick have a chance? Won't this make it tough to eat?
I'm so confused! We candled the 10 or so eggs left under our momma. (She began with 20+ eggs from all our hens. She continues to sit even though she has 2 week old chicks running around her) One egg we were sure was dead as it looked like about the seven day mark. At the latest, it should...
So my momma hen has been on her nest for an extra week from the time the first chick hatched. 6 more have hatched, mostly one each day for the last week. There are still 12 eggs in the nest. ( Our other hens laid new eggs in the nest for at least a week after she first began to sit). She...
Here's an update.....
My momma hen has been sitting on many eggs from all the other chickens. Unfortunately, we did not mark them early on and a few more were laid during the first few weeks of incubation. 4 chicks have hatched, but one died within a few hours. The momma continues to sit on...
I heard a lady in the feed store talking about buying a few chicks to sneak under her hen that was sitting on a nest of eggs. Can this really be done? If so, how? I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds. Any help would be great! Surely someone else has heard of this, right?
Debbie