Hi all,
This is my first experience with a sick chick (23 weeks old) and I need help. We have a 23 week old welsummer who never really developed. She is about 1/2 the size of all the other chicks who are the same age, even the other welsummer and her comb has never developed of changed to any...
hmmm... still not laying but I will keep checking. I have added a light from about 6:30 to 9:30 at night to keep up with their daylight demands. 14-16 hrs is adequate right?
ok, I hear ya...... I need to keep being patient. One other question. My chicks free range during the day. Will they go back to the coop to lay or just lay where ever outside?
Hi all,
So my pullets are now 23 weeks old and none of them are laying, even though a few have full combs and are very red. I have 2 ee, 2 barred rocks, and 2 welsummers. Shouldn't the barred's atleast be laying?
Also this may sound stupid, but will they figure out how to do it, where to lay...
Sorry I have become vegetarian in the past 6 months. Before we had hens I had no problem eating the disgusting factory farm raised meat, but after watching how unique these birds are I had to stop. My logic is if I can't kill and eat something that I raised humanely with love, good food, and...
chickensducks&agoose :
My delaware was abused by our ex-roo, and her entire back is naked. Some scarring i think because it isn't growing back well, and now she's molting, and looks TERRIBLE!
I would give her a full year. We adopted a ee from a friend last year b/c her roo was so aggressive...
Hmmm... I would have to think about the mold issue....these are dried fallen needles, brown not green ones, I guess I can give bagging them up a try and if it doesn't seem to work go back to shavings. Thanks to all who added their input!
Hi All,
Yesterday I went out to refil the nesting boxes with wood shavings and realized I was out, but had a hen who needed to lay an egg right then so I scooped up a bunch of pine needles and filled in the nesting box with them. The hens use these needles to make a nest in their nsting box...
Hi all,
My hens started moulting about 2 weeks ago and really look awful, I mean losing feathers like crazy. I checked them for parasites, etc just to be sure this was due to a moult and all is fine, plus my 25 weekers look beautiful. How long does this last. I have herd that cat food may be...
I have been wondering the same thing. WE have 2 ee, 2 barred rocks and 2 welsummers, all at 25 weeks old and none of them are laying yet. Am I doing something wrong? We also have 4 already laying hens who are of course moulting, and thus not really laying.
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Thanks for your support. I am going to leave things as is for now and let them out for an hour or two in the evening about every other day. Thanks
Thanks all. I I am just going to add another section of run that can reach the sunny part of our yard, probably another 50 sq. feet or so. I will sleep better at night knowing my chickens are happy.
ok I just meausured the space and the square footage of the coop is 35 sq. feet and the run is 45 sq. feet. Don't chickens need approimately 3 sq. feet per bird? If I am correct then it should be big enough right? Also their coop has three windows and the run is very fine fencing on the top sp...
So my chickens (we have 10 in total) have been such pests to our neighbors and OUR gardens that we finally decided to close them in. Up until this point they have free ranged over 3 acres of land, but they were really getting into stuff. They have a coop that is about 5x5 and is 8 feet tall with...
Thanks all! I have been really observing and watching them and I atually think that they might be moulting and not laying out in the woods. Can anyone help me define "moulting". They are losing a lot of feathers, but otherwise seem happy and healthy. How long does this last? Thanks
Hi All,
We let our hens free range during the day and up until a few weeks ago they would go back into the coop to lay or lay in a nest outside near the coop. Lately we haven't been getting hardly any eggs. Are they laying in the woods somewhere? Any tips on how to find their secret stash. I...
You will most likely need to round them all up and put them in their coop for a few days 3-4 and not let them free range during the day. After a few days they will get the idea and you can let them out and at dusk they will voluntarily go back into their coop and not your porch.