This is our second time allowing a broody hen to lay on a clutch of eggs to hatch. It's been almost a year since our last experience.
I'm concerned that she may not be getting off the nest at all to eat or drink. Thoughts?
She's in our main coop, but I'd like to move her and her nest to the...
Greetings!
I have 20 chicks that I moved outside into their own small coop and run 2 weeks ago. The chicks vary in age from 4 weeks to 8 weeks.
In the coop they have a heat lamp and a regular light. The regular light, is used to light up the dark coop during the day, and is turned off at...
I have a mother hen who hatched out some chicks about 8 weeks ago. They are in their own enclosure with a small coop that's made from an old shipping crate. My husband thinks they need to be reintroduced back into the main flock ( around 25 hens and a rooster ) because the main flock has a...
I have a beautiful Brahma rooster. He does his job and protects his flock. However, he has a few hens, who peck off his feathers. His legs, his back end, and his neck are pecked clean of feathers. I think I have figured out which hens are doing it. ( The flock is mostly Isa Browns and all look...
I have a beautiful Brahma rooster that we have had for 2 years. A very good rooster, watches over his flock, and isn't mean. However we have noticed a problem. We introduced a new flock last year of hens and noticed 3 of them looked more rooster like, but they are indeed hens, as they lay eggs...
With the recent storms we have had, dumping large amounts of rain in a short time, our ground is a soaked sponge, and our runs look like swine pens. Not only mucky, but stinky, and the flys and gnats are everywhere.
Thinking about layering with a thick layer of sawdust to absorb moisture and...
I have a hen who is known to go Broody. We tried to let her hatch eggs but must have started too late in her cycle.
Anyways, since she had spent so much time in the coop, in the nesting boxes, when she did come out, she was bullied. So bad she is pretty light on feathering, and petrified. We...
My chicks are about 7 weeks old now and just about fully feathered. They still make chick noises and dash about like little kids (SOOOO CUTE!). They are outside in a separate run from the main flock, where the main flock can see them. However, a time or two my full grown year old hens have...
A question came up on another thread, and got a little heated, due to my background with rescuing animals who were starved of food. So I am asking here, for clarity for all, and for others to chime in with their "expertise." Do you remove the food from your flocks at night? Why?
I have been...
I have 8 ducklings in a brooder, and boy are they a handful in regards to upkeep. They constantly play in the water and get their bedding all soaked. This is the water unit I have and they just make a complete mess. Tips and tricks?
This is my second year of raising chicks and I was just blown away this time around by an interesting phenomenon. In my large brooder I have 20 chicks and 8 ducklings. I have our heat lamp on a timer to better replicate a mother hen getting off her nest one in awhile and to regulate the heat...
We will be getting some new chicks today, and this will be my second go round raising them. :wee
Question: I want to try to mimic how they would be raised "naturally" except I do not have a "broody hen." I was hoping I could have them outside, in a "brooder pen" that is a large wooden crate...
We have a hen that acts broody, and sits on the nest most of the time, and is very defensive of the nest and eggs under her. We are thinking about using her to raise chicks we buy at our local farm store. How should we go about doing this?
(Posting again since my other thread dissappeared)
Hello,
We think we have a broody hen, not sure (she stays in the nesting box for quite some time and attacks any hand that reaches in and tries to check for eggs under her) Thinking about using her to raise new chicks?? :confused:
Also a question on feed.
Chicks "require" starter feed, but...
I have 18 week old Pekin ducks. They are quite large of course, but they are "pets," not for food consumption. One of them, isn't walking very well now, and uses her wings to stabilize herself. Could it be a "tick" issue? The feathers are soooooooo dense, trying to locate one is very...
I have been raising BYCs for a little over a year now, and even raised a new flock from baby chicks this year, thanks to all your help. I also have 4 ducks that we had purchased (on clearance) as babies, they are about 5 or 6 weeks old now and are HUGE , but just now starting to grow their...
I have been putting my 3-4 week old chicks outside in a mini-run, with a makeshift coop, for the last 3 days (since it's been beautiful out). They actually stayed in the coop overnight last night, since the temps were around mid 50's low 60's. They aren't fully feathered out yet, since they...
I just combined my older hens with the 9 week old hens. The question is, now that I have a mixed flock, what feed do I use for all? I have heard some people switch to grower feed, for all, until the young ones reach layer age. I have heard some people switch just right to layer feed from the...
Hello! My chicks have just been moved out into their new home.
(Looks a little different inside now than when this pic was taken. During sunny days, there is PLENTY of sunlight that gets in here. However, right now it is dreary and rainy, so no real light. Question is, should I have some...