I have two coops in yards next to each other. In both coops the two year olds (Australorps and Buff Orpingtons) have basically totally stopped laying. One of the coops has year-old Rhode Island Reds, and they are laying just fine. I know from a long history with these breeds that they lay...
This has probably been asked a thousand times - sorry. We tried using lights in the coops this winter for the first time to keep up egg production, which it did. Then as the days naturally got longer we stopped using the lights. Now we're getting a rare egg. What should we do? Will turning the...
We have an Aracaunus who lays brown eggs. All the others lay the traditional bluish eggs. How common is it to get brown eggs from this breed? Just wondering.
I tried Silver Wyandottes just one time. I've always ordered chicks from Mt Healthy Hatcheriesl. One was a roo we gave away. One was lame from day one. It looked like the hip was dislocated and the foot wagged in back like a tail. We tried to straighten and hold it in place until she was 6 mo...
I have a three year old hen who has been acting reclusive and a bit lethargic for over a week. The area around her vent was back with scabbing underneath, which looks like mites to us. We've treated everyone with permethrins as well as coop and yard. Since she refuses to come out of the corner...
A 2 year old hen has a 3-4 inch diameter pouch hanging from her back end, which is a hernia of the GI tract. Because it's red and boggy it seems like it might need antibiotics or something. Otherwise hen is fine. Anyone know about hernias??????
One of our Buff Orpingtons has a 3 in diameter red warm swelling about 1-2 inches toward the front on her underside. There doesn't seem to be anything inside the swelling. It's very soft. The vent looks open, clean and normal in color. Otherwise she's going after scratch and appears to mix well...
This is a two year old flock of Black Austrolorps and Buff Orpingtons. This morning one of the Black Austrolorps has no feathers on her neck. No blood is obvious. She seems to move in and out among the others when I put down scratch this morning. All the others in the flock (7 chickens total)...
I've read here that after a few days of safe introductions, one can put chicks 6 weeks old out into the coop. We have three year old hens in one coop and will eventually at some age want the pullets to join the others in the same coop. What age is optimal for this switch? Also, the hens are on a...
My chicks are now 4 days old. One of the Rhode Island Reds is clearly smaller than all the others now, but she never opens her eyes. She will eat and drink when presented with the food and water, but it seems like she can never find "the group" or the food and water. Watching for a long time...
This is our third year with chickens. In a new coop this year we raised Silver Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, and Austrolorps (all hens). All are doing fine except two of the Wyandottes have just dropped dead in the last two weeks. There was no evidence of sour crop (had that in our other coop and...