i use it inside the coop! outside, they free range, no run.
let me talk up peat moss. i think it's a miracle:
pros: it controls odor and moisture and the birds will happily dustbathe in it, especially when it's fresh. it's easy to store. with ~30 hens and a depth of 3-5 inches, i was...
i've been successfully using peat moss as my sole bedding substrate in my coop and brooder for four years and have had no problems with excess dust or hens with respiratory issues. it is non-binding if eaten, fantastic for ground-dwelling birds (and dust-bathes up a treat), and needs to be...
a chicken story
on may 18th, 2008 my long-time dream of having chickens became a reality, but not quite in the way i'd pictured it or planned on it.
i'm a long-time ethical vegetarian and work hard in all that i do to live mindfully, encouraging and respecting life in all its forms. as an...
this is all great information. thank you all so, so much. this is exactly what i was looking for!
now i just have to worry about roosters. my only roo experience is bob, our vaguely neurotic, sort of prissy RIR hatchery oops. knowing that RIR roos have a reputation, i spent a lot of time...
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i've already got a half dozen ordered, so i'm already overrun before i even get started!
i've heard that silkies don't roost and have been trying to plan their coop with that in mind. will they roost low if there's a low roost available or is it the floor or nothing? these guys are...
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I wouldn't see the need for two seperate brooders, they should do fine. Just watch them to make sure the smaller birds dont get any injuries that could lead to further picking.
If you end up with TOO many roosters it could be more than your willing to deal with. However I do know...
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I'm perplexed as to why you'd ask someone who doesn't own silkies to give you information, but I'll try my best, as it appears no one has answered thus far.
I'll start with the negatives of owning Silkies. They need to be protected from predators a little more than other birds...
i didn't order directly from meyer, but from meyer via mypetchicken.com. the chicks made it in perfect time and in fantastic shape. i can't say enough good things about the shipping. it was high summer from OH to VT and a small order to boot and the kids came through like troopers in 24 hours...
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no, he definitely wouldn't be older or he wouldn't have survived in transit. hatcheries can only ship day-old chicks. if they shipped a two week old chick, chances are good that the little feller would starve to death!
your colouring would be the same between a BO chick and most chicks...
this is my advice: it's only a quarter or so per chick, so just do it. i opted not to last year with my chicks because of a variety of what i thought were very sensible reasons. heck, they were sensible reasons, but if you're anything like the worrywart i am, you'll vaccinate because, let me...
so, i blasted into chicken-keeping last year (and was on this forum all the time for a while; thanks everyone for the advice et al!) with fifteen hatchery chicks, all heavy breed layers (RIRs, BPRs, BOs, AOs, and PPRs) and all pullets (except for that one little sexing mistake *cough*). i...
i haven't used potting soil, but i've had tremendous luck with peat moss both in my brooder and in my coop. i highly recommend it to all. it's almost completely odor-free and really appeals to the chicks and the hens for digging and dust bathing. the only drawback is that it makes a fine...
i just thought i'd post an update on my odd problem here.
two weeks later and both hens' eyes are clearing and it's obvious that they both have near full vision. they were also two of the first to start laying, but i'm sure that's pure coincidence.
i'll probably never know what caused them to...
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I know you posted that their "diet was exceptional" but also said that it was "incredibly unlikely" that it was a vitamin deficiency unless "there's a serious problem" with the commercial feed. Is commerical feed their only diet? Do they get to freerange or do you add other...
pips&peeps :
I would look into ocular mareks or leukosis.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/servlet/CVMHighLight?file=htm/bc/203602.htm&word=marek's
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/203602.htm&word=marek's
opacity of the lens or pupil is not associated with systemic...