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My three R.I.R.s are almost 3 years old. A friend and fellow hen owner says they are near the end of their regular egg laying life. He says rather than sink any more care and money in to them, I should have them offed/killed, plucked and ready them for eating. Experienced hen keepers...

I have raised my R.I.R.s from day 3, they will soon turn two years. Up until a month or so ago the 3 of them have always been fine with me, no aggressive behavior. Now, top chicken has begun trying to peck me and block me from going in to their coop or in the run. She struts her stuff, fluffs up...

I recently read that oregano and cinnamon will act as natural antibiotics for chickens. Has any one tried either with their birds and, if so, do they work? I would assume you would mix the spices in with their feed? Thanks for feedback on this topic.

So, have read most threads regarding cold weather strategies for hens. I agree the RIR's are very hardy birds and seem to do well in the Maine winters. However, I only have 3 hens and collectively they are not producing much body heat. Last winter, when they were still pretty young, not fully...

My RIR's have just started molting. They are approximately 8 months old. I feed them organic layer pellets and give them a morning breakfast mix of brown rice, veggies, sweet corn, pasta and occasional small curd cottage cheese. All food we feed them is organic. We also throw in some meal worms...

Do hens suffer from winter depression? My 3 RIR girls are eating but just barely, they really don't want to come out of their hen house during the day. I have forced them out in to their pen, just so they move around more, eat and get some water. Temperatures have been in the high 20's/30's...

Being new to this chicken thing, my girls are just 18 weeks old, I am still learning. Is it typical for them to lose some appetite in the winter? They are eating but nothing like they were a few weeks ago. Could it be because they are not growing as much now? Or, is it due to winter weather and...

We have some bodacious squirrels in the neighborhood and one has figured out how to get in to our chicken run. So far, we think he/she can not get into the hen house; the girls are closed up in that at night and squirrels are not nocturnal. We take food up at night but it's out in their pen...

Just a question. I have been advised not to give my hens names. However, they all have very distinct personalities and they like hanging out with me and visa versa. Is it really such a bad idea? I do think of them as pets even though we have them for the eggs. Thanks for your collective advice.

I know that not all chicks are created equal but I have 3 RIRs hatched the same day. Two are about equal in size, but one is half their size. She eats well and seems fairly energetic, but not as much as the other two. They do not gang up on her, in fact, strange as it seems, if she squawks a...

My 3 RIRs have just turned 5 weeks. I believe they must be the most precocious hens any where. Conchita started it by flying, the other 2 (Roni and Pina) follow any thing she does. They play with their food, taking turns chasing each other around with whatever has been picked up: beetle...

What should young chicken poop look like? My 4 week old girls seem fine, very active, learning to fly, using their roost, still in a brooder. Their poop is carmel color a bit wet but not overly. They have been dining quite a bit on Japanese beetles, as well as their organic grow mash.

My four girls turned 1 week today. They are out in their play pen during the day with a shady area to hide in if sun gets too much. Today they discovered how yummy Japanese beetles are. I wondered if I should limit how many they eat per day? Also, they are still sleeping indoors (in a pen) with...