That is my poor hens name because her head has been picked clean. She is definitely at the bottome of the pecking order. She used to give it back sometimes but now she chooses to run instead. Lately she is never with the others. During the day she stays completely away from the flock. She is so...
I have a 2 yr old RIR that is definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. It's been that way since early on.She's very much a loner. Sometimes she gives it as good as she gets it. But has always gone in to roost. She usually sits away from the others alone. Or sometimes in a nesting box...
I saw a post about a hen with a hyperextended leg. I am pretty sure that is what has happened to mine. She must have fallen from the egg hatch. About 4 ft. The leg sort of hangs there.
Will she ever get use of it? or will she hop for the rest of her life? She is only 18 mos. old.
Right now I...
3 Days ago I found a Buff Orpington sitting on the ground below the egg hatch. It is about 4 ft high. The girls like to fly up there and then fly down. The Orpies have a bit of a harder time than the lighter birds. Some of them don't even try.
So my thinking is she tried and failed and fell in...
One of my hens started losing feathers. I assumed she was moulting. It is getting pretty extreme. But having never had one moult before, I wasn't alarmed. But now she appears to be having some other symptoms. Such as not walking straight. She also seems a bit slow when it comes to going after...
Why do my hens love egg shells so much? They go wild for them. Is it wrong for them to eat them? And is something lacking in their diet that they want them so badly?
My hen is walking oddly. She crouches a lot. What I mean to say is when she's walking she lowers her body closer to the ground. So it's as if her leg or legs won't support her or perhaps hurt. She is moving around as much as the others. But something is obviously wrong. I'd hate to think she is...
I have a RR that seems to be lowest in the pecking order. The other hens seem to pick on her a lot. But recently one in particular is getting her down on the ground and pecking at the back of her head. It is to the point now where she is loosing "hair" and is almost bald.
I have no idea what to...
Does anybody else give their hens beer? One night while we were out chllin with the peeps having a beer, we poured a little in an upturned lid. What lushes! They loved it. Hope it isn't harmful. They have been really putting out in the egg department. They just started laying about a week ago...
This is awesome. We closed up the old coop tonight and opened up the new one. Turned on the light and waited till dark. They were a bit aggitated, but all but 2 went in without a hitch. There's always these 2 hold outs that don't get on board. One Buff Orp just kept pacing in front of the old...
What predator can avoid the tripping mechanism and reach over and take the bait out of the trap? Twice now something has managed to get a free meal off of me. Last night it was pepperoni wrapped in a paper towel and once before a hunk of rotting beef. My husband had been tie wrapping a can of...
I'm not sure if she scratched her head on something sharp, or injured her newly growing comb. She was bleeding and I thought possibly she gouged it on a piece of wire sticking through into the run.(coop under construction)
I guess my question is: anything need to be done. Like I could...
We are just about finished building the girls a new house. They are 3 months old and have been using the old house since we moved them out of the brooder. So for about 6 wks. My question is how to acclimate them to the new place and get them to go into in instead of the old one. Both are right...
I had my first loss last night. What can get into a run and steal 2 chickens leaving almost no trace? It appears whatever came under the fence in a very small space and somehow managed to take 2. There are feathers in the coop, on the top of the fence in 2 different places. Did the thing make 2...
What about lighting? Do chickens need light in the coop? Now that it is warm a heat source isn't necessary. Are chickens afraid of the dark? Last night with no light on in the coop they wouldn't go in as it got dark. So they ended up lined up on a "deck area" that runs along the front of the...
Today is the first time the little darlings have experienced rain. It is a bit cool also. So after it started raining I went to check on them thinking they might be cold huddling under the coop. Nope. They are all out running around in the rain loving it. Any problem with them getting wet? Like...
So for the last couple nights after finally going into the coop on their own, they pile up in one corner literally on top of each other. And they don't sound happy. They have a nice big coop with windows and roosting bars, etc. What is wrong with the coop or them? We tried turning on light. That...