My coops all have sandy floors instead of pine shavings. I love the easy cleanup in the little coops using a cat litter scoop. In the big coop, not so much. It sure looks great when new.
I plan to make a sand screen to let me quickly shovel the sand into a filter screen to remove the big...
Junior joined my flock a couple months ago. He is young and a good-looking bird, but I have no clue what kind of chicken he might be since he joined from the great outdoors.
Can you identify him from this pic?
I went out of town for a few weeks and left my flock in the hands of people I trust. Unfortunately, they did some chicken whispering and started getting 100% delivery from the girls.
I came home to a mountain of eggs. Not too carefully organized. Plus my original backlog. Oh noes!
Float Test...
Ah chickeny romance!
Once upon a time, Psycho the feather-pecking pullet, was imprisoned in the newly constructed chicken run. There she lived in tragic isolation, waiting for her prince to arrive and sweep her off her feet....
Prince Junior and Fireman Gus dropped in and...
I recently heard about somebody using coffee chaff (from a roasting facility) for use as bedding and soil amendment. They have coffee grounds available too.
So, can chickens eat coffee grounds?
They can eat (apparently tannin-laced) acorns, so why not? Anybody try this?
EDIT: And would...
We peaked at 18 dozen on the counter before we gave away 10 dozen. Since we were getting tired of hard boiled eggs, Doc devised the Bacony Quiche of Awesomeness. Oh the eggstasy!
What are your egg-consuming recipes?
My nephews brought a friend to visit. Over the holiday break they built a new chicken run . It has deer netting over the top and has already foiled a hawk.
The pullets have been so busy that we have a backlog of eggs, even with guests, gifts, and bread machine madness. So we have been making hard boiled eggs. A lot. To the point that Doc can now make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs every time.
Bonus pic:
About two hours ago, my phone rang and a recording announced a wildfire in my area, giving location of both fire and shelter. Yikes!
Have been scrambling to get (accurate, up-to-date) news about the fire. No way to move horses, dogs, cats, and chickens. Never thought I would miss snow...
My flock has been bored with their chicken ration recently. Because of thin eggs, I have been insisting the adults eat the layer feed and the chicks get their grower feed. To liven things up, we let them have leftover pizza . I blinked and it was gone.
My chickens, having forgotten the bitter cold of winter, and not at all pleased with the current heat wave. I built my new coop with good ventilation and passive cooling. I added misters to the pens. But still, they are slow roasting in the Texas heat.
This week I painted the coop roof white...
My chickens get most of their heat protection from passive cooling (shade cloth, tarp, elevated coop). I am trying to keep them hydrated internally and externally.
They really hate the hose, even though I use the finest mist I can manage. I am interested in using a mister, but I have some...
After two months of fiddling about, my new coop is nearing completion . I am posting this to keep my feet to the fire, before the chicks cause the brooder cage to explode.
Update: Coop Complete!
Had to remove Mr. Big's spurs today.
While holding him upside down, Doctor Dolittle and I saw he had a bloody red butt. We never see anyone peck at him. Is there anything else that could cause this?
Mr. Big has spurs. I know they are sharp because his favorite hen is going bald.
Last night we tried snipping the tips off his spurs. Will this be enough or will we have to remove the spurs?
EDIT: Had to remove his spurs. I was too chicken when I trimmed.
OK, I am a failure at science. I did not check to see if my chickens have worms before I fed them pepper flakes. I will not check after either, since my vet is clueless.
I tried feeding red pepper flakes to the flock. I did not see any obvious evidence of worms in the bright red poo. I also fed...
I already know his gender, but I have no clue what kind of rooster he is. When I got Mr. Big, I was told he came from a good bloodline. He is a good rooster, but I have no clue beyond that.
Can anyone guess his breed?