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I'm going to bring her in at dark to flush it and start antibiotic drops. I wouldn't be surprised if it is from an injury. Bucky is the lowest of the flock and gets pecked at all the time. She's 11 months old and has never squatted or laid an egg. Other than injury are there any thoughts on...

Long, long story short, I found three birds this morning. One was only scattered feathers and a small section of vertebrae. Two were decapitated. What do you think I'm setting traps for? What, in Virginia, would slip a gap in a chain link fence (we have a 3' bird netting extension on the upper...

I have a two month old austrolorp with a light brown crust on both sides of the beak, under the top edge. I saw it yesterday and figured the bird is just a messy eater that enjoyed an avocado I gave them but the crust is still there this morning. Any thoughts?

I have 3 laying hens, 10 two month olds, and four three week olds in the brooder. Of the babies one silkie has had a crusty eye from the start. I only saw the foam once, until this morning when it was back in full force. The chick is smaller than the others, feathers not as developed. I haven't...

I culled and butchered a bird with egg yolk perionitis yesterday and need to know if the meat is ok? She didn't smell of infection. She was not on antibiotics. Thanks.

I culled a two year old hen today that hasn't laid an entire egg (or even a yolk) in about 7 weeks. She was my first intentional, planned kill. I made mistakes and learned for next time. Anyway, after defeathering her I noticed just how scrawny she was. I mean, just look at the picture...

My flock consists of four two-year old hens that roam the backyard, 10 seven-week old "tweens" in the pen, and four three-week olds in the brooder by night/front yard pen by day. I brought the four home - a Buckeye, a Jersey Giant, two silkies - and spent a good amount of time dealing with...

My girls all used to lay in the morning, like clockwork and usually in the same order. I can tell what each bird's eggs look like. Nugget's are easy because they're speckled and perfectly oval. In the past couple of weeks, I don't know if it's the increase in sunny days or what, Yum has been...

I just went out to take care of post-dinner chores when I found a big, chalky, somewhat misshapen egg (probably a double yolk) on the ground near the coop. Four eggs were given this morning so I wasn't too shocked to find #5 this evening. What I did find odd was Yums. She was sitting in the...

As I type this I am sitting on my bathroom floor with a damp chicken and a heater. About an hour ago I went outside to investigate an unusually noisy chicken. It was General Tso, wheezing so loudly I could hear her across the yard. As I approached she did the squat and I played with her tail...

As a full-time mom (I won't say stay-at-home mom because I'm all over the place) in a one (modest) income family I have gotten pretty good at pinching those pennies. Long past just couponing, I don't think I have paid full price for much of anything in the past 5 years I've been home. When I...

One of my 7 month olds, Yum Yum, has been at the waterer all day. She drank over 2 cups of water between dawn and 11. It's 3:30 and she's still chugging away at the water. Her eyes are clear, no discharge from anywhere, she's eating (but more interested in water), and has not laid an egg today...

My girls have gotten this whole egg laying business down pat. They lay by midmorning and have all finally figured out eggs are supposed to go in nests (ahem, not in the coop, the leaf piles, the middle of the yard, on the coop's ramp, or at the bottom of the steps so I may step on it. Dang...

This afternoon I heard a stressed LOUD bokking from one of my backyard flock. Of course she was tucked around the side of the house without windows. I opened the back door to investigate and was greeted by four of my five girls. They were all silent and standing upright and alert. I dashed...

This afternoon I heard a stressed LOUD bokking from one of my backyard flock. Of course she was tucked around the side of the house without windows. I opened the back door to investigate and was greeted by four of my five girls. They were all silent, clustered together standing upright and...

My flock is free to roam my fenced backyard. They have a snug coop they visit briefly in the afternoon and only return at sundown to roost. They spend a good portion of the day in the 3-5' high crawlspace under my porch. The "walls" are lattice, providing shade, protection, and good airflow...

This is my first year raising chickens. I have three Cinnamon Queens - The General, Yum Yum, and Nugget (the chatty snuggler) and three Amberlinks - Dumpling, Parmesan, and The Colonel. Only two and a half months to eggs! I'm a stay-at-home mom of two boys, 9 and almost 5. I microfarm. ;) Monte...