After keeping chickens for my entire life, I have had my first encounter with Merek’s in my flock. Tears flowing. So naturally, I began looking into causes of the virus. (I discovered chickens that have been vaccinated can still get one of the 6 mutated strains of it, and my Bielefelder who...
I have a couple hens who have thin shells, but have had no luck whatsoever of getting them to eat oyster shells. I have somewhat better luck with feeding them their crushed egg shells, but I don’t always have an abundance of that calcium source and they tend to waste the majority...
With all...
We’ll be moving from Florida to more acreage in Tennessee and I’m sure there’ll be more predators. Has anyone ever buried barbed wire in a trench around the perimeter of a chicken coop? If so, how effective is it?
Three of my young (should be laying any day now) chickens have gone to roost perfectly fine in the evenings, then in the morning (each one a different day) they’d have an injured leg, which we believe our young Japanese Onagadori rooster is the culprit. One of the girls who was injured...
I'm looking into getting my flock (30-ish chickens) NPIP certified here in Florida. The laws seem to be a little strict here. I read that it may be more cost efficient if I become a NPIP certifier and do my own flocks. Has anyone had any experience with this? How difficult is it to go through...
Hi everyone! I'm newly hatched here at BYC, and I thank you for having me😁. I have roughly 30+ hens, a couple of roos, and a good mix of Swedish Isbars, Bielefelders, Rhodebars, Cream Legbars, and a breeding pair of Japanese Onagadori. It's great to be in a flock with other feather lovers🐣
I have been raising chickens for quite some time, but this is my first go at Isbars. Out of about 6 to 8 chicks, I've had one survive. The one that's failing now is about 12 weeks old. I've checked her skin and other symptoms and have ruled out Merek's. She's progressively grown weaker, and...