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For the last three days I've found the remains of an egg in the nesting box. One thought is that I have an egg eater but there are several other factors. 1. Over the last couple of months I have found the occasional egg with a soft shell, maybe once every other week. Up until this week, the egg...

A friend of mine wrote an article in Saveur magazine about buttered eggs: http://www.saveur.com/article/travels/irish-buttered-eggs?src=SOC&dom=fb I guess the idea is to use softened butter to seal the pours of the egg to help maintain freshness. I asked my friend if the bloom was washed off...

A while back I bought a big bag of wheat bran with the intention of adding it to my mealworm container. I finally got around to it today and just as I was about to pour it in I noticed green mold on the bran. Can I sterilize the bran in the oven (20 minutes at 150 degrees) or should I just chuck...

Today I noticed three of my hens standing around pecking at something. Upon closer inspection I discovered that they were pecking the fourth hen. The "victim", a Wellsummer, was buried halfway in the litter apparently dust bathing and seemed to have no problem with the other three pulling out...

Hi Everyone, I use Sweet PDZ in the poop board in my coop. Over time the PDZ has gotten low so I picked up a new bag. Do people take all the old PDZ or just add more to the existing? Thanks in advance,

Just noticed that my Welsummer has a bald patch on the back of her leg. Is this what pecked feathers look like? Most the shafts are pulled out but a few appear to be broken. There's also a small blood area. I haven't noticed the other chickens pecking at her. Does this require Blue kote? Any...

I have been reading various threads about fermented grains and spent grain and had this question: is it possible to ferment spent grain? I may have a source of spent grain from a beer brewing acquaintance but would probably get more than I could use up before the grain spoils (I only have 4...

I'm wondering what the nutritional differences are between fermented feed and sprouted grains (fodder)? I searched but didn't see any threads on this. I'm specifically interested in egg laying chickens.

Hi Everyone, I'm just putting the finishing touches on my first coop and had a question about the height of my roost. I built a free-standing roost with poop board to place in my coop. The roost bar is 24" up off the floor of the coop. When I placed the roost into the coop I noticed that it's...

Hi Everyone, I'm just finishing up my coop for 4 chickens and was thinking about the coop interior. The coop is made mostly from reclaimed 2x4s and pallets so there are plenty of holes, gouges etc. I was thinking of trying to use the "Shou Sugi Ban" technique of burning the wood to help singe...

Just made a PVC feeder for my chicks with a wye. The chicks (5 weeks old) figured it out pretty quick. One question I have is that the chicks are spilling out a lot of feed at the base of the feeder but I read others say the these feeders reduce wastage. Here is a pic of the chicks eating from...

Hi everyone, I'm in the process of building a coop for my chicks. The coop will be about 4'x4' for 4 chickens. Originally I thought about having external nesting boxes but now I'm thinking of putting them inside the coop. I had an idea of putting 3 boxes about 12"x12"x14"h under a poop board and...

I've read plenty of arguments and testimonials for using sand in the coop and/or run but I have this one question: what do you do with your used sand? Some people suggest that you replace your sand once or twice a year. Where does it go?

Started framing my coop. Yes, I know it's overkill but the 2x4s were free so that's what I'm using. Coop is about 28 inches up. Thinking about hanging the feeder underneath or maybe a dust bath tub. Run will be 8'7"x4'. Originally planned on a large door on the front but the tree would block the...

Hi everyone, I read somewhere that you should block off the corners of your brooder to prevent all the chicks crowding into a corner and suffocating. I'm guessing this might be an issue with large scale operations but is it a concern if I only plan to have 4 or 5 chicks? Setting up the brooder...

Reading through these threads and stories about losing chicks/chickens I'm wondering should I get more than I want with the assumption I will lose some along the way? This will be my first time raising chicks/ keeping chickens and would like to have a flock of 4. I'm currently building a 4x4...

Hi everyone, I'm getting ready to get our first batch of chicks in a few weeks. Based on what will be available on the date that I want to pick up the chicks I am thinking of getting one each of the following: Black Australorp Speckled Sussex Black Sex Link Ameraucana Are these compatible...

Hello BYC peeps, Long time lurker, first time poster. Been scouring BYC for coop ideas and am finally biting the bullet and going to start building. I was all ready to go to the hardware store to purchase hardware and lumber this weekend when the offer of a free coop fell into my lap today. It's...