I will not let my girls free range when I am not home anymore. I live in a very rural location and free ranging has been fine until today. I know there is always a risk. Some new neighbors let their dogs roam... Which we will have to talk to them about. We keep our dog in the yard with a buried...
They learn the rules, "forget", and require discipline. My seven ladies have been doing great laying in the nesting boxes even though they free range. I go out of town for the weekend. My daughter tends them. She only gets three eggs on Saturday and three on Sunday, when normally it is 6 or 7...
I was sittiing out with my ladies this afternoon and looked at the dancing Sun reflections scooting around the grass. The source of the show was the spinning reflector disks we have in our fig tree near the coop. The disks are supposed to keep birds scared off from eating the figs. Doesn't...
I don't think it is Mericks. I had a hen who I believe had that a good while back, and she was lame in both legs, along with other symptoms like dropped wings, loss of appetite.
What I do have is a young layer who started favoring one foot, and now she is not using that leg at all. She hops on...
Does dried poop in fluffy butt feathers indicate worms? My layer seems healthy. I just noticed the poop residue for the last couple of days. I had one poopy egg, which is probably hers. I don't see this on any of the others
I guess I have picky girls. They don't seem to care for corn and some other things in scratch feed. A lot gets left behind. Of course, I am feeding more wild birds. Does anyone mix their own? I can't make it too protein heavy because I have some hybrid birds. What do you mix, and where do you...
Are pure Leghorns solid white? My three have gray feathers here and there and A few dark speckles. Their overall look is white, but I was wondering if they might be a mix. It doesn't really matter to me. Their eggs are not bright white. That also does not bother me. I love my girls. I was just...
We have chickens, not quail...well...we have quail but they are wild. I love hearing them calling on our 60 acre farm. My husband saw a mama and babies crossing a fire break today. I might need to go out one evening with camera in hand.
I am sure big flock owners probably don't. My original 5, I named. When I got 5 Bovan Brown hens, there is only one colored differently, which makes it easy to identify her. The other four look so much alike. Do any of you do something like a tag or whatever to determine who is who?
I had a pullet go lame twice a couple months ago. She got so bad the second time, we put her down. I did not see any issues with her feet.
I now have a 19 week old Australorp who is having walking problems. She has struggled with worms but has been treated with Corid and goat wormer. She has...
I have 5 pullets that are approximately 19 weeks. I have three Leghorns. Each are at different levels of comb development. My Light Brahma and Australorp don't have much of a comb at all. I figure this egg must be from the Leghorn with the most developed, red comb. Even though it is not pure...
I have five 18 week olds that have been free ranging for two or three weeks. They have been with me 3 months. When it is time to roost, they come back all on their own.
Two days ago, I bought five year old Bovan Browns. I am keeping them separate right now. How long do I need to wait until I let...
I am letting my 17 week old young ladies free range. They can go to the run, the tractor, or wherever. They cool it under the coop often. They have been staying pretty close to "home" so far. They even lounge about in the tractor...or forage under the fig tree near by. I guess they feel safe...
I love being around my chickens. They each have different personalities. I have five 17 week old pullets. I am a first time chicken owner.
A really funny thing I see often is two chickens running at each other, coming to a screeching halt, raising their heads and flaring out their neck...