I feel like the new over reacting mom here. Even though I'm not new to chicks I've never had one be so slow to develop. She is super active and eats well (crop empties fine during the night). She is falling behind the group as they fly around and she can't go with them. The photo's below...
After 4 years with no problems our neighborhood seems to be over run with aggressive racoons and hawks. Groups of 3-5 racoons are killing chickens and attacking cats and dogs.
We free range our girls during the day and lock them up in what we call "Chicken Fort Knox" early evening. Our...
I've been anxiously awaiting spring to clean out the deep litter and add it to my compost pile....only to find my girls have mites. Unfortunately their favorite place to play behind the coop is covered in bark dust. I"m guessing that's where they got them. Or is that possible? We also added...
I have 6 week old chicks in a temporary run during the day so. Not only so they can get out of the brooder during the day, but so the hens can get used to seeing them in "their" yard. Yesterday I noticed the chicks flinging some of the medicated feed (while scratching) out of the run. The...
I found my favorite hen wheezing after laying her egg yesterday. A very loud whistling wheeze. No drainage. Today she is breathing with a very shallow soft wheezing sound. I have her isolated in a large dog kennel with a heat lamp. I couldn't get her to eat or drink her water, which had...
Anyone know where I can order a poster with all the different chicken breeds and their egg colors? I've seen a few at the feed stores but not for sale. No luck on eBay either. Thanks =)
I think I blew it big time!
I placed two chicks under my broody during the night. She took to being a mama beautifully but unfortunately one died the next day. So I bought the survivor a sister to grow up with. I placed her in with the mama in the middle of the day and she took to it...
I have a bantam hen who is broody for the second time in 3 months. She is determined to hatch those golf balls. She's 2 1/2 weeks into it this time. Last time it took me about two weeks to break her of it, but this time she seems even more determined. I've been wanting to add a couple more...
My 5 hens are barely making a dent in their food lately. I recently switched them to Layena (Omega 3) and thought they might not like it. But they free range all day so I thought maybe they were just finding a lot to eat. I had to cut them to half a day free ranging recently and they still...
A few weeks a go I added two hens to my flock. They broke out of my temporary run (I'm guessing it wasn't latched correctly) and I found them with my original 3 girls. So it was too late to separate them for two weeks like I planned. They never showed any signs of being sick but the woman I...
I thought I had at least 3 more weeks to start looking for my first egg. Oh the wonderful anticipation.....and then I look out my window at noon today and see all 5 of my ladies pecking away at something on the sidewalk. My heart sunk when I realized what it was. I ran back in for a garbage...
I brought two new girls home yesterday and put them in my temporary run. They were supposed to be in there for a few weeks but managed to break out while I was gone. (I've never had a hen get out of it before) I found all the hens mixed together, foraging and happy as could be. I know the...
I've resorted to using one of my baking pans to serve watermelon and other fruits and veggies in but I know there's got to be better ideas out there . I feel so bad when they grab a nice chunk of fruit only to have it covered in sand by the time they eat it. I tried using a piece of plywood...
The $75 Craigslist coop is coming along. If I had it to do over I would probably build from scratch as it takes up so much room in the run. I'd build longer and narrower against the shed wall. But all in all I'm happy with it, and the girls/boys love it.
After adding a window (and...
If so I would love to see pictures and any tips on building one...on the cheap. OK I know cheap isn't a possibility but as cheap as possible. Thanks
Oops, I should have said "people' door. Similar to a barn door only on a smaller scale.
My DH was the "spray" king before I got my chickens and put a stop to chemicals in the backyard. The grass looks awful and the weeds are horrific. He's missing his green lawn and clean beds. I'm allergic to bark dust so that's out as weed control. Am I wrong in telling him no weed and feed...
I have just enough 24" hardware cloth left over that if cut in half (12"s) I can make an apron all the way around my run. I wanted to dig down 12"s but even with soaking the ground the gravel and clay are not giving. (We borrowed an electric chisel thing to dig for our posts) If I lay the...
If I'm spanning 11 feet for a galvanized corrugated roof (12' panels) Can I get away with 2x4's? Or do I need 2x6's to go that far?
The more I google this the more confusing it gets. Some people use very little support and some look like pure over kill to me. This is for my run, not a...
I'm not sure If I should laugh or cry. I give up!
My DH and I can't remember how to figure this out. If I have two 4x4's that are 11 feet apart. One is 7.5' tall and on is 6.5' tall. What angle do I need to cut the tops so a beam can rest on top? And then what angle does the 2x4's (roof...