I just don't know what else to do. My girls have really slacked off on their egg laying. I've done everything I can think of.
I found one hen infested with mites. A week ago I dusted her, the rest of the flock, the coop, changed all the nest boxes to fresh bedding, cleaned the run and coop and...
So, I have these dark colored bugs-very very small ones-climbing on me. I just came in from tucking my birds in. Mites? They look almost like seed ticks, but smaller and they appear to be black. Should I dust myself with sevin?
I can dust the birds and the coop without much fuss, but will they...
My husband and I have been canning apples and we've been giving the girls the peels but not the cores because of the seeds. I know that one apple's worth of seeds won't be a problem, but how about a bushel's worth? I have 21 birds right now.
I have a big coop that has 15 hens and one roo. Then I have the pre-freezer-camp-holding-area which currently houses seven 15-20wk old roos. These two fenced in areas are about one yard apart. This morning while feeding & watering, I heard one of the young boys "crow". Then a second one went...
My 19 week old black Australorp Black Betty laid her first egg today! You go girl!
It was not in the nest box, but she got close! Sorry-no pic. I'm too lazy, but dang! I'm proud of my girl!
I was told my the cool lady at TSC that our locally owned farm supply place sells DE. Before I go in there & make a complete fool of myself, I wanted to make sure I know everything I need to know about DE.
First of all, I have been calling it DE because I can't seem to pronounce it. Can some...
A week or two ago, we killed two snakes in our coop, snakes that were eating all of the eggs. For a few days after that we got no eggs because my husband's Mossburg scared the fooey out of the girls. Then for a few days, we got a good amount of eggs. Now, not so much again.
They aren't...
Lat year when we butchered our birds, we just chucked them in ziplock bags and tossed them in the freezer. They were okay, but I have a feeling we could have done better.
I have learned from reading here that I should let the birds "rest". Should we let them rest before the freezer? How long...
I usually can't tell what's what until some one crows. I'm a ding bat.
So first off, we have Cooper. Cooper is my daughter's chicken. s/he is 12 weeks old, and s/he was supposed to be an Orpington. Is it? and will it lay or crow?
Next, we have "Mullet". Mullet is a cross between a RIR and...
I've got 9 hens currently who could lay. I am getting three eggs a day most days. I thought maybe it was the heat, but it has been incredibly comfortable for Southern Virginia this summer. Then I thought maybe it was the two snakes we killed in the coop.
Now, a week after the Great Snake...
I currently have at least five roosters in my coop right now. One is my leading man, Floppy. The others were accidental roos-cockerels about 17 weeks old who were sold to me as confirmed pullets...but let's not go there. Anyway, only Floppy crows. Is this normal? In a week or two, I will be...
I am so clueless. I am not too sure what breed these are, and I have a sneaking suspicion they are all cockerels. Can y'all confirm for me? All of these birds are 16 weeks. I know...even a ding bat should be able to tell by now, but I am completely clueless.
1. I had been told that this was...
I have never had peafowl before, but I would like to have some-so elegant, so beautiful, and I love their call, too. I have found a lady with chicks that she wants to sell, and she has pretty much told me to name my price. Well, I have no clue what a fair price is! Can some one clue me in? I was...
Last night one of my mother's dogs started with diarrhea. Today, her other one has it, also, and both are puking. These two dogs had bones and drippings from a pork roast that she was cooking. My mother's third dog is not ill, and she did not partake in the goodies being passed out last night...
I discovered today that I have *gulp* a teeny tiny snake problem. (Ick. To all you snake lovers out there, my apologies, but I'm so grossed out!) I have one cat, but I can get more-I don't mind cats near as much as snake! Will cats help keep snakes away?
I admit that I am not a very good cook. Still, I have noticed that my green eggs do not boil well. When I try to peel them, usually to make deviled eggs, they split in half the wrong way or else the white just breaks apart. My brown ones do fine. Is there a trick to it?
We have silkies who are broody almost all the time, so I was letting them hatch out a few eggs at a time. I have several different breeds of hen-SLW, 3 EEs, two BR, and an Austrolorp. I was using their eggs, which were all fertilized by a RIR. I got some cool looking birds, too!
Well, a local...
Since my flock is free ranging more now that it's summer, I had sort of decided I'd lay off the corn. So now they free range (two hours a day, close to sunset) and they get the regular layer feed. Well, since I quit the corn, the eggs have dropped off. Would my girls be laying less due to the...
Is it possible? It doesn't seem like it should be, but in my coup this afternoon, I have found a small, fragile white egg. I only have one leghorn, so it had to come from her. The rest of my birds lay either green or brown.
The egg is a bit smaller than the ones my silkies lay and the shell is...
I'm thinking of getting some peafowl and I want to be able to make an informed decision about doing it. I am looking for some answers to the following questions:
1. Can they be raised with or near chickens? I have a flock of chickens and they free range about twice a week.
2. Can they free...