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  1. thecatumbrella

    Can you refrigerate fermented feed to stop the process?

    I've been making some fermented feed. It's become very fermented at the 3 day mark. I forgot to feed it to the chickens. Can I drain it and put it in the fridge to stop the fermentation process? Would that just kill all the good bacteria I've been cultivating? I'm scared to feed it on day 4. It...
  2. thecatumbrella

    Anime Thread?

    This is such a niche topic. And look, I get it. I'm a middle-aged white woman watching media meant for 13-24 year-old Japanese boys/men. But there must be someone else out there that watches anime! Right now, my husband and I are rewatching Naruto. I followed the manga as it was being released...
  3. thecatumbrella

    Can someone please help me ID what's making this noise?

    Whatever it was just kept making this scream right behind the chicken pen. My guess is fox?
  4. thecatumbrella

    How long do you wait before intervening with a slow layer? (UPDATED)

    Sorry, I have no idea how to phrase this question. I have a new layer. She's been really consistent, but has only been laying for about a week and a half. She had a bit of trouble with her first egg (puffed up, lethargic). Calcium citrate fixed her right up. Today, she's been in the nest box...
  5. thecatumbrella

    So, do new layers ever chill out over resource guarding?

    Because we are now guarding pellets, the most reviled of foods. And I get it, egg laying is hard work and your body's going through changes and all that mumbo jumbo. But my sweet little pullet has basically turned into Chris Farley on SNL. Of course, she's going after the one with a slight...
  6. thecatumbrella

    Live Black Soldier Fly Larvae?

    I'd like to give the birds some live bugs, for fun (we don't free range). I've seen people in the UK can get live BSFL. Having a hard time sourcing it in the US. Anyone have a suggestion? I know I can always get some crickets at Petco (or from under our trash cans 🥴), but would prefer something...
  7. thecatumbrella

    How large are Kalmbach Flock Maker Pellets?

    Can bantams or young pullets manage them? More specifically, I'm curious how they compare to the Nutrena All Flock pellets, which are considered "mini". Thank you!
  8. thecatumbrella

    Do you provide multiple grit or oyster shell stations?

    I'm thinking this question is more for people that keep their birds penned. My enclosure is 9x18. The grit and oyster shell are at the far end, in the most shaded area. They spend lots of time over there on hot days, but not so much on cooler days like today (all the fun stuff's on the sunnier...
  9. thecatumbrella

    Four bantams in winter, are they enough to keep warm?

    My bantam flock recently dropped from 7 to 4. This is my first year with them, and I want to make sure they'll be able to endure the winter as a small group in my setup. If not, I'll start making other arrangements. -The Flock- 3 are Cochin (Pekin) Bantams. They'll weigh about 2 lbs, are almost...
  10. thecatumbrella

    First egg from bantam flock <3

    Dandelion, my Calico Cochin Bantam, laid her first egg at 17 weeks and 5 days. It's about the size of a quail egg, and we can't eat it because everyone's on ivermectin for SLM. Still exciting! 😁
  11. thecatumbrella

    First layer in new flock will not eat calcium supplement.

    I'm a big fan of the all-flock (or chick) feed with oyster shell on the side. It worked pretty well in my last flock, with the exception of my final layer. She would not touch it and became egg bound, so we just switched to layer feed. With the new flock, my FIRST layer will not touch it. She's...
  12. thecatumbrella

    Cull, Rehome, or Rehabilitate/Reintegrate?

    We're at a very difficult crux in our chicken journey. My 17 week-old pullet, Willow, has suffered from some bizarre neurological habit since birth. She'll tuck her head into her body and back up until she bumps into something. As a chick, it was triggered by eating, drinking, or exiting the...
  13. thecatumbrella

    Has anyone kept a small flock of sickly chickens?

    Not looking for health advice. BYC already has me covered in that regard. :hugs I'm about to be down to 5 bantam pullets. 3 are what I'd describe as sickly. Wren and Willow have a neurological issue that looks to be permanent. Clover has just been dealt a bad hand (swollen eye, limp, scaly leg...
  14. thecatumbrella

    Soon to be layer, suddenly lethargic.

    I've only gone from chick to egglayer 3 times, so please help me out. Dandelion is about to start laying any day. She's is a very spirited chicken. Was her normal self (including going in and out of the nesting box) up until maybe the last hour. Now she's withdrawn, very still, and almost...
  15. thecatumbrella

    Chicken Limping

    I posted about Clover a couple days ago, with her swollen eye (if anyone wants to weigh in on that). That evening, I noticed an on again off again limp in one leg. She's being treated for scaly leg mites, but her case is very mild. I could not see anything wrong with the foot pad, toes, or...
  16. thecatumbrella

    Forget squatting. What about the sumo shuffle?

    You know what I'm talking about, right? It's a blend of sumo stomping and Elaine from Seinfeld. Pullets will sometimes do it in the nest box when they're getting ready to lay. I only have a sample size of two, and both gave eggs within 48 hours. Now my cochin bantam's on deck. How soon do...
  17. thecatumbrella

    Mystery Facial Swelling

    Clover is my 17 week-old Cochin (Pekin) Bantam. She's had swelling around the right eye starting at 9 weeks. No other systems, aside from shutting the affected eye when she is bedded down and relaxed. The local chicken vet saw her two weeks ago and was a bit perplexed. Did not suspect a sinus...
  18. thecatumbrella

    How intense is your pecking order?

    Our first flock did not have any noticeable pecking order until everyone had started laying around 6-7 months old. Then it went from 0 to 60. Butt feathers were being eaten. Chickens were rehomed. My new bantam flock is the polar opposite. 17 weeks old. Non-stop drama, and no one's even laying...
  19. thecatumbrella

    Songs that make your skin crawl.

    I know, this is so negative. And if you like a song that someone else hates, more power to you! I recently heard "Sexy Eyes" by Dr. Hook. There aren't enough barf emojis to convey how much I viscerally disliked this song.
  20. thecatumbrella

    Farewell to Flora, the Crazed Chicken

    Flora has departed for her new home (not in the sky; she's an actual rehome). I'd like to take a moment to remember the good (and bad) times. Flora was a cutie patootie chick that took forever to grow out her feathers. She was always one of my favorites, not only because of her adorable Cindy...
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