My hens will be 1 years old at the end of May. They have been laying since Nov. Recently I went out of town and came back to a few of them ripping off and eating her coop mates feathers. She seems to have stopped since Iv'e been home and caring for them better (bad caretaker while I was gone). I...
My hens are almost a year old and one just started ripping out and eating feathers off the other hens. In a week she has cleared the neck of another hen. I just got back from vacation so didn't know why the girls were missing feathers but after observing today I have spotted the culprit. What...
Hi, In the summer I do not shut my chickens in at night. We too can have some hot nights so I like all windows and doors open to allow air flow. Their run and coop is completely enclosed with hardware cloth so no predators can get at them. I also have a large branch wired to each side in their...
One of my hens has who started laying in Nov. lays eggs with tiny clustered balls on the shell of her eggs. insides are normal, is this common? Her egg shape is normal and color is also normal and the tiny balls are same color as the rest of the shell, it's just weird. Could it have anything to...
Wow this is a long thread, I searched "soy free layer feed" and it directed me here. I am raising my laying hens naturally and organic and have a question about feed. My husband is afaid soy will make him girly (haha) so we recently switched to soyfree organic feed. It's about 21$ for a 50lb...
Hi, does anyone know why soy is not desired in feed. I understand that regular feed is probably chock full with GMOs' but not organic so whats the worry?
One of my hens has a bloody comb. She is on the top of the pecking order so I am not sure how this happened. I'm worried because it is very cold here 28 degrees today and will it cause her to frostbite overnight if it doesn't scab over? None of the other girls seem to be bothering her but she...
I'd say all girls too! Your EE's are so pretty, where did you get them? So are the speckled Sussex, looks just like mine who is 29.5 weeks and still not laying.
Thanks everyone! Good point about potential death from poison, we are next to conservation so I don't think the shrew died from that but you never know. Chickens didn't eat it so I found it and chucked it in the woods this morning....Ya know, when we first got chickens I had no clue how truly...
My kids always leave cereal in the bowl with milk, instead of dumping it can I give it to my hens. It's always organic, non sugary kind with organic milk...Also this morning there is a dead shrew in the pen, do I leave it for them to eat or is it not safe? In free range they'd come across...
Mine also piled in a corner for about a week after they were in their new coop. I thought they'd never get it, I always checked on them and then finally one night they were all up roosting. All 10 would squeeze on the top roost and push each other off the back until all fit. They are so funny!
Yes, by squatting I mean they literally squat down with there wings spread and if you reach down to pet them they will stick their tails up. It's how they'd present themselves to the rooster to show they are sexually mature, but if you don't have a rooster they'll squat for you. It's kind of...
Are any squatting for you? I found that once mine did that they laid there first egg within a week. I have 10 pullets, 5 are 26 weeks and still not laying but just started squatting yesterday. Hang in there, it should be soon.