My son just lost his favorite hen, our only bantam cochin, to old age. We buried her beneath the blueberry bushes last month but I would like to find another cochin for him. I'm willing to travel some and pay a little (along the route between Huntsville, AL, and Cincinnati, OH) but I need one...
I hatched the first three successfully but the final egg (I have a Brinsea) just doesn't seem to want to come out. It's loud enough and pipped over 14 hours ago. Suggestions?
Breed: D'Uccle
Name: Guinness
Age: 8 months
Issue: I can't put my finger on it but something isn't right. I finally brought her inside today to observe and caught her doing some strange stuff on video. It is almost like she's trying to regurgitate something. Her crop is hard and tender to touch...
I have a young BCM (maybe 2) who have been laying for months but their eggs look really, really strange. I can't quite bring myself to eat them. They don't smell bad but, like the title says, they are like half set Jello when I crack them open. They shells are gorgeous and everything a BCM egg...
BREED: D'uccle (subject in picture is porcelain)
AGE: 2.5 weeks
PROBLEM: Cross Beak
Does anyone know what causes it? I could have sworn that all my chicks were relatively healthy until I went out two days ago and found one severely crossed beak and one mildly so. Is this just genetics...
To feed or not to feed, that is the question.....
I indulged in some pommes this morning and wondered if I could give the rinds and white stuff to my girls. Thoughts?
I culled my first chicken before I lost one but this morning I found my mille d'uccle rooster, Mr. Mister, dead under the coop without a mark on him. We brought him in and warmed him up, just in case but to no avail. He was a gentleman with the ladies and a sweetheart with the kids (my oldest...
Had to cull my first hen today. I should've known that any hen that earned the name "Tarkin" (as in the bad guy from Star Wars) would be bad news. I caught her eating eggs. Hopefully, no one else caught on. I stuck extra golf balls in the nest boxes to discourage 'tasting' for a while. Just in...
I realize I'm still new to chickens but I was amazed to find this listing on craigslist today. Those poor chickens.... http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/grd/2677868440.html
No room, no ventilation, no nothing.
Hey, guys. I was distraught to find worms in a small pile of runny poo until I realized that the worms themselves did not look at ALL healthy or mature. I dosed them with Wazine and then, 2 weeks later (I misread and missed the 10 day mark), I used pour on Ivermectin (a friend came over and...
Meet Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader (Vader and Tarkin for short, respectively). When I acquired these ladies, I was told they were Americaunas. Real ones and "not that hatchery stock, either". Mostly hoping for a confirmation on that.
Tarkin:
Vader:
Now meet Daphne and Velma. When I purchased...
How long does it usually take for newly acquired (1.5 yr old) hens to start laying again? I know they are very sensitive to change but it's been 2 weeks since full integration with the flock and they are nosing around the nest boxes and seem well-adjusted (no more chest bumping and pecking)...
We had our first major predator attack today. Because of the threads I've read on this forum I had the proper first aid kit ready to use and the knowledge to know what to do without wasting time. Because of you guys I didn't freak out when I found a huge hawk on top of my favorite D'Uccle hen...
How cold is too cold? I have an open air hutch that (for now) simply has a tarp draped over the north side and a wall on the west side. It's been enough protection but tonight's temps are going to be in the low 30's. I have two Americauna hens in there until my integration pen is finished...
I would like to know which pests plague chickens the most/worst and am a visual person. I was hoping there was a list (with pictures!) compiled somewhere (ala the poop chart). Anyone know of one?
I just went out to check on the girls (heat advisory here) and I found one of my young (5-6 week) Sebrights gurgling and rasping. Is it possible that it is just because of the heat? Or will I need to cull it/them? I really, really don't want to infect my flock. I kept these chicks isolated for...
Today I went out and spent some time with the girls, as usual, but this time I found a strange poo in the run. It looked like a normal, healthy poo mixed with a clear fluid which reminded me of pre-cooked egg whites and a small bloody mass. I'm hoping this was just a 'practice' or 'oops' run...