Search results for query: *

  1. LearningToFly

    bloody egg and bloody poop?

    The roost box is where they sleep at night. The nest box is inside it.
  2. LearningToFly

    bloody egg and bloody poop?

    A week or so ago, one of our hens laid an egg and the shell was smeared with blood. I'm not 100% sure which bird it is, but I'm reasonably sure it was Jeep. Today, one of the girls was pooping blood. I wasn't home but the kids told me it's Jeep. She's a 5 or 6 yo Buff Orpington; years ago I...
  3. LearningToFly

    trauma, and what to do about it (warning: graphic)

    Yup, for the most part, the older girls are leaving the young ones alone. I'm pretty sure their behavior is from raccoon-induced trauma. Their personalities have totally changed since the massacre.
  4. LearningToFly

    trauma, and what to do about it (warning: graphic)

    Up until 3 weeks ago, I had my new pullets in a chicken tractor (7 of them) and my 4 older girls in the coop. One night (3 weeks ago today), a raccoon defeated the latches on the tractor and got 3 of my pullets. It was particularly gruesome. It plucked a little Faverolle in the tractor...
  5. LearningToFly

    Dominique question

    My new pullets were hatched in mid-March. One is a Dominique. This is the first time I have had a chicken of this breed. The Dom carries itself very upright; has a sort of 'streamlined' appearance, and is beginning to have sort of 'flowing' tail feathers. In other words, I suspect this...
  6. LearningToFly

    cross beak?

    I thought about the new thing, but she's one of two who are new and she's the only one getting the "new kid" treatment. They are all the same hatch date. She's made it this far with no special attention so it must not be that big of an issue for her. However, if I can resolve this for her I'd...
  7. LearningToFly

    cross beak?

    I was just given a little pullet hatched approximately March 11. Her beak is crossed. She's as big as the others of her age, but she's not as well preened. She definitely seems more vulnerable in the pecking order; even my Faverolle pullet is nailing her incessantly. What's her prognosis...
  8. LearningToFly

    sigh.... a fox was here...

    I figure we've had a good success rate - almost 6 years now, and only one predator loss. Still, I hate for things to end that way for one of our hens. We regularly see foxes but lately the frequency is increasing. And apparently our 60lb dog's presence is no deterrent. Neither is the...
  9. LearningToFly

    sigh.... a fox was here...

    We've been keeping chickens since 2007, maintaining a little flock of around 6 layers. Last year, our oldest girl died. It was sad, but it was expected. About a half hour ago, we had our first predator loss. A fox killed our "lead hen" Lucy. She would have been 5 this May. It is just a...
  10. LearningToFly

    Why aren't my hens laying?

    I was wondering about egg eating, too. But... If they were eating eggs, wouldn't they eat all of them? As it is, I'm getting a white egg and a brown egg almost daily. And if they were eating eggs, how would I know other than the absence of eggs?
  11. LearningToFly

    Why aren't my hens laying?

    Yes, I know. I fully expected the older girls to start slowing down this year. They'll just hang out here until they pass on. But that's why I added the little girls to the flock last year. Having the expectation of 5 eggs / week from each of the young girls and then another 2 or so from...
  12. LearningToFly

    Why Aren't My Chickens Laying? Here Are Your Answers!

    oops, posted in the wrong place.
  13. LearningToFly

    Why aren't my hens laying?

    Background info: I have six hens. Three are four years old, so I expect a decline in their laying. However, three just turned a year old in April. Four of the hens (the older girls and the buff rock) lay brown eggs; I have a white layer and a green layer. My three older birds moulted in...
  14. LearningToFly

    Bumblefoot?

    Well, she had a scab-looking thing on the bottom of the foot. My daughter bathed her today. It's warm out and the bird was looking pretty bedraggled. After she was clean, we wrapped her in towels (the bird, not my daughter), covered her head with a cloth, and performed surgery. The scab...
  15. LearningToFly

    Bumblefoot?

    My year-old hen is limping. She has a swelling on the "palm" of her foot. The first thing that came to mind is 'bumblefoot'. How do we know if she has it? Can I treat it without going to the vet?
  16. LearningToFly

    blood on the eggshells?

    Well, it's been happening on and off for two or three months now. It's not speckles but actual smears.
  17. LearningToFly

    blood on the eggshells?

    A couple of my young hens are laying eggs with blood on the exterior of the shell. Why?
  18. LearningToFly

    How do I make this stop?

    We are taking her eggs daily. She's not only sitting on her own but on the two other hens' eggs as well. It's a fight to get the eggs; we are using a baseball glove as a shield. I don't have access to a wire cage. One thing we have tried is locking her out of the roost box but then the other...
  19. LearningToFly

    How do I make this stop?

    Helen, my 3yo Australorp, is broody. This is my first broody hen ever. Normally docile Helen is sitting on the eggs, growling and turning her feathers inside out and just being a pain. How do I encourage her to return to her 'unbroodyness'?
  20. LearningToFly

    Helen is losing energy and won't walk. No one is laying.

    Worms? Okay, can you help me with this? My vet is a dog vet; we live in the suburbs.
Back
Top Bottom