In my 10 years of chicken keeping I’ve been able to avoid mites. I became complacent and lazy this winter with coop maintenance. Now I have a hen with sour crop on top of mites. I took her to the vet yesterday. Eeeek! I’m feeling sooooo guilty.
It was $170 for her crop to be drained, and I...
Hi there! We’ve brought home pullets that are 5 weeks. My coop/shed has sat empty for about a year and it’s dusty and full of old dried poop. What’s the best way to clean it, and how worried do I need to be about getting it clean for the new babies? There is poop that is like cement above the...
Hi everyone!
I have 2 separate flocks and coops. One flock is pushing 10 years old and we’ve lost a few of our “old ladies” in the last year. Winter is rapidly approaching here in Maine. I’m very worried that my large coop with only 6 hens will not be warm enough throughout the winter and I’d...
After years of avoiding a rat problem in my shed/ coop, I now have an infestation! Ugh! I went out late last night and played an ultrasonic rat repellent sound that I found on YouTube, and omg, it worked! I had two rats run straight by my feet and out of the coop! This never happens. They find...
I purchased Aquila chicks a few months ago. They were supposed to be sexed pullets, but I'm not so sure. This chick was attacked by older hens and has a nasty wound on the back of its head. I have "her" separate to heal. I could have sworn I just heard the beginning of a little crow. I've never...
We introduced 4 babies to our flock this summer to add to the two that were hatched by our broody hen. Everything has been going fine! The babies are now 3 months old. We have a large coop/ run and they free range during the day.
This afternoon one of the pullets was viciously attacked by the...
I have a Mama hen and two babies. They're almost a week old and right now they are in an area separate from the other hens, but still in the coop. I'm not sure what to do as they start getting bigger. They have plenty of room but I would like them to integrate into the flock, and I know they...
My broody hen has been sitting on eggs and I can hear little peeps. The egg is starting to hatch. What should I do once it hatches? The box is large enough for food and water. My concern is about the other hens. Will they hurt the babies? Is it okay to leave them all together? I can't decide...
I have a 6 year old Speckled Sussex named Buttercup who is very healthy and happy but over the last couple months I have noticed a small growth over her right eye. It doesn't cause her any issues. Her eye isn't irritated or inflamed.
Just curious if anyone else has had something similar...
We have a broody Brahma hen and selected eggs for her to hatch. We marked them with sharpie to keep track. She is definitely committed. What do I need to know to keep Mama hen healthy? Tips, tricks and words of wisdom would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance!
We lost two hens to a raccoon the night before last. We have since taken measures to make our coops more secure. It actually opened the hatch door, so we got a better lock.
Anyway, please don't judge but my husband killed a large male that we caught in a Have A Heart trap. We were both so...
Hi everyone,
I have a one year old EE that we noticed making an odd squawking sound this morning. When I picked her up, I noticed she had raspy lung sounds and a clear discharge from her nose. She also seems skinny. Upon researching symptoms, I think she has CRD.
Have any of you lovely chicken...
I think I know what the response to this post will be but I’d like some feedback!
I have a hand raised Sultan rooster who is almost a year old. Let me say, he has been spoiled from the time he was a chick! He’s been held and hand fed daily! He is in a coop with three Sultan/ Polish hens...
I have mixed flock of 14 EE, Brahmas, Polish and Sultans. I have one Sultan Rooster. They are 16 weeks old.
Yesterday, I heard a commotion and my first thought was there was a predator in their run. It turned out to be the EE hens attacking my sweet Sultan hen. I thought she was dead! No blood...
Hi everyone,
I have a 5 year old EE hen that has been acting off for the last few days. I thought maybe she was just broody because she’s been staying right in the nesting boxes. I took her out of the nesting box tonight and she acted hesitant to move but then I threw some meal worms out and...
I have 19 pullets that go in and out of a small, temporary run. They’re outgrowing that space, FAST! We need to set up their big area. How much space should I plan on? I can’t free range here unless I’m outside because of predators. I have 150ft of fencing right now ready to go. I’m trying to...
Funny question for your Sunday morning, my BYC friends. What kind of poop is this? I’ve been finding it around the yard. It’s really tiny. Maybe an inch long.
I am officially nuts. I was at TSC this morning and they had Mystic Marans chicks. I had been searching for Black Copper Marans all spring to no avail, so when I saw they had these little pullets I couldn’t pass them up. I will be adding them to my flock of 12 week old pullets when they’re old...
I have a 10 week old Sultan Rooster names Beaker because we think he looks like a muppet. He is beautiful and so sweet! I really want to keep him but technically I am not allowed to keep roosters in my town, but people do it anyway. I hear roosters down the street.
Anyway, he has just started...