Well... I was a little too ambitious at a poultry swap, and got two young Cubalaya roosters. They're actually quite nice birds. They're just a bit too flighty for my tastes and they could use more room than I have. According to the lady I got them from, they were hatched in April. They're...
I've heard that Buckeyes are supposed to be really good at mousing. But my Naked Necks, Speckled Sussex, and Orpingtons will go after mice like a feeding frenzy of sharks!
I've been alternatively using havaheart traps and old fashioned spring-loaded rat traps. I've also been letting my cat that thinks she's a chicken into the coop at night. She has actaully managed to get mice and voles, but no rat thus far.
My girls are champion killers of mice and voles. Also, I see that you are in Illinois. I don't know about how much the weather differs, but here in Kentucky there's been a huge explosion in the mouse population due to last year's mild winter. I've been at war with the little boogers around my...
You could soaking her leg in some warm water. Warmth is always nice when your muscles are sore. Also look out for bumblefoot, just in case. It seems to me that would be devastating for a one legged chook.
You might be able to find a wormer at a farm/feed store like Tractor Supply, although the stuff sold at my local store is usually meant to be given in water to multiple chickens by the gallon. I took my boy to the vet in the beginning because the maggots totally freaked me out. I think they...
Oh, and the purple skin is most likely dead skin. My chicken had a patch on his back where the dead skin just peeled off and you could see exposed muscle underneath. It was horrifying, but I kept spraying it with the peroxide and eventually healed up. He has a little scar there now and no...
I had something very similar happen to me. Maggots are absolutely horrible. I agree that you should separate her until she's healed. I'd put her somewhere that you can put newspapers down instead of cedar shavings and change the newspapers frequently. She could definately use some...
Ah! And here I thought that was a happy coicidence. Anyhow, I remember reading about in my biology class in high-school. Apparently its fairly common in turkeys. I hadn't known chickens could do it until I saw it in that article.
As long as it's not a bantam egg it might be a cute little accident of nature. I've heard them called wind eggs, fart eggs (my personal favorite), and rooster or cock eggs (under the assumption that they were laid by roosters). They don't have any yolk. My girls laid one a few months ago and...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48995742
Here's an article on it that I just happened to read this morning. Beware, it's mostly about snakes, though. If pics like that trigger you.
Broody = psycho. It is a determined hormonal state of mind that is hard for us to comprehend... She very well could hatch those eggs. My father always tells me stories about how he used to switch out the chicken and duck eggs when he was a kid. One of the best stories was of a hen with...
When I first put my girls in the coop, they completely ignored the roost and clustered in a bog chicken pile by the door. They did that for awhile until one of them just started sleeping on the roost by herself and eventually they all followed her. I'd just make sure that they can get to the...
My regular hens are actually kind of afraid of my Silkie rooster. I think they think he's some sort of black fluffy little alien. He cruises over to eat with them and they walk away quickly and won't look at him. It's kind of funny, actually.
Thank you, everybody for the advice! I suppose I need to explain this situation more. Yesterday, I was just eating my breakfast cereal and typing random things into pinterest to entertain myself and I happened to come across a pic of a chicken foot with the bumblefoot scab. I think, Oh crap...
I'd say that she could definately get worms if the chickens have worms. And if nothing else if she tanks up too much on it she might throw up chicken poo in your house. I'd check out a well-stocked petstore, or maybe a vet catalog like Foster and Smith. I've heard of products that are...
Hey!
I rescued a Silkie rooster earlier this year and now I am his willing slave. He's the sweetest little guy! Anyhow, I've heard about how Silkies have trouble getting wet because their feathers won't insulate them. I've searched the internet, but I haven't really found any advice on how...
Hey, I was just wondering if the classic bumblefoot scabs are always indicative of bumblefoot. My silkie rooster has little dark sopts on the bottoms of each of his feet. He's never acted like his feet are hurting him. I always assumed that the scabs were just calluses until I saw a picture...