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I just got a trio of Ameracaunas from a local person (who ordered the chicks from a hatchery) two days ago and one of them has fallen ill. She was standing yesterday but today she can’t stand, isn’t eating and is overall very lethargic (eyes closed, head drops to the ground). If I hold the...

The black part of the wattle is firmer/tougher feeling than the red part. I’m starting to suspect it’s getting wet when he drinks (I really need to make the switch to chicken nipples but have heard they freeze up too easily). I’m in Alaska and it’s definitely cold (around 0 right now), but the...

My BO rooster’s wattle has been slowly turning black over the past month or two. His comb is in good shape, there’s no swelling and he doesn’t seem to be in pain or ill in any other way. The coop is draft-free, dry, and has good insulation (they’re very spoiled) and none of the rest of the...

Sounds like a fox to me too. We lost a couple hens recently and found them headless and lightly buried by a fox. Between a fox and an owl, we've had a rough summer...down to one lonely hen. Seems a shame to get more just to feed the predators, but I hate to keep them locked in the run all the...

I'm sorry to hear about your poor hens! We're in a somewhat similar situation. We've had what I suspect is a fox, recently take 3 hens, leaving us with only two (and another in the "chicken infirmary, healing up from being pecked by an older hen --older hen was one taken by the fox...so, in a...

Do you have any recommendations for specific antibiotics? I have only given her topical at this point. I gave something oral (in her water) to a different chicken who was attacked by an owl last summer (can't recall the name of it though). Thank you!

I have had 12 wk old pullets (3) mingling with the older hens (3) by day and separating them at night with good success for the past few days. Prior to that I had the pullets in a large wire dog kennel inside the run by day so everyone could get used to each other. I have one really aggressive...

I've got 10 wk old chicks in a metal dog cage IN the run during the day so the old hens can see them. By night I bring them back into a dog crate in the garage to sleep. I've tried free ranging them but the "alpha" hen immediately attacked two of the chicks. It's too cold where I live to...

Please help!! My sweetest, favorite Buff Orp (Mable) was found tonight, when we noticed we were one short as the girls headed to their house. Eventually found her in the woods. Some feathers around but not a bunch, head and crop missing. I almost didn't notice her, she was probably 75%...

I've heard of them definitely losing toes to frost bite, but not the whole foot. Giving them a wide roost seems to be the best bet for keeping their feet warm.

Our coop door automatically opens from 10:30 -4pm (this time of year) and the temps get down to 30 below with wild (70mph winds). The girls want to go outside no matter how cold or windy it is --UNTIL there is more than a couple inches of snow. Even on a "balmy" 20F day, they stay in their...

blueberry pancakes :)

Hi There! We're in AK too (valley) and we got our chicks from a woman in the Butte. Check out CL, in the farm & garden section, people are regularly selling pullets this time of year (chicks usually in the spring). If you let people know you're looking, it won't be much time at all before you...

Hi There, I'm new to chickens too and living in AK (the valley). I've been worrying over the ventilation-draft issue as well. The coop we build is small and heavily insulated (2" thick foamboard lined with vinyl on the inside). We've got a large window on one side and two 12" square...

After being fairly certain it was a fox, tonight I saw the culprit try to take another hen --right in front of me-- It was a great horned owl! Even though it was trying to tear my poor little BO apart, it was a pretty amazing creature...and HUGE! All told two of the original three missing...

An update! Went out to feed the remaining girls in their coop this morning and....one of the "piles of feathers" came shuffling out of the woods!!! She was half-bald and half-dead, but after spending the night in the woods alone she walked all the way home (I followed her feather trail -she...

Eagles are definitely a possibility. I often see them eating whatever they've killed on the ground (figured I'd see a mess if it was an eagle), but it's certainly possible that they were picked up and brought back to a nest or elsewhere. 5' for a fox, eh? That's impressive! Yes, the fence...

We have lynx, which are pretty similar to a bobcat. I haven't seen them, or rather sign of them. When I found the first pile of feathers (outside of the garden), I too thought something must have came out of the woods and grabbed it. After finding the other feather piles in the garden (7...

Thanks for responding! We do have fox in the area, but I've never heard of one that could jump a solid 7 foot fence. They usually dig underneath right? I checked the perimeter of the fence and didn't see sign of any disturbance at all around it, or tracks either. It seems that if something...

This is my first post, first flock and first (triple) loss. Our girls have been free ranging during the day and returning to their coop at night with no problems. My question is essentially this: will a hawk carry away three large birds (17 wks old & BIG) in one morning? I should mention that...