I would be careful about a heat rock, you can't control the temperature with them and they get too hot for a chick to rest directly on them for warmth. They do have heating pads that go underneath reptile tanks that might be a safer bet. You can't control the heat on them either, but you cover...
Where I live (boise), it depends on how many you have. Three and under are considered pets and are allowed in the city, four or more birds are livestock and require a permit.
It all worked itself out in the end, the SLW at the rehab was one of their mascot birds, and they said she's something like 8 years old! That bird is set for life. In the mean time I found a buff orpington a little under a year old on craigslist. She was getting picked on too much in her flock...
Name: Brownie (in the front)
Gender: pullet
Category: funny bird
Colour: silver laced
Comment: I think that this is basically the last thing I am going to see before I die
Name: Brownie
Gender: pullet
Category: chicks
Colour: silver laced
Comment: Brownie is the littlest and the sweetest of...
You know, I think your best bet is to go exactly the opposite of what you'd get to feed a cat. You can check the side of the bag for the protein and fat levels, which should be about the same with every brand. I think it's like 24% protein and 18% fat for most cat food. After that, the rule is...
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How do you know he's a roo at that stage? My SLW chicks are three weeks old now and have twice the feathers of that guy, but I still haven't got the foggiest idea what gender they are. They were all sold as pullets, so fingers crossed!
My chicks are also sort of hideous, so no...
My BO will NOT go up or down the floor door that joins the coop to the run underneath. She won't do it with a ramp or without a ramp. She also won't jump onto the roost that's two or three feet high. She would have spent the night on the floor in the run if I hadn't gone out and placed her back...
I have a friend who has a single house chicken left in her flock and she's offered to take Don Johnson in for a week or two until the chicks are big enough to join her in the coop. After a couple of weeks I'll bring Don Johnson home for good, and maybe bring home the lone silkie if one of my...
I bought a buff orpington hen a couple of days ago, her name is Don Johnson and she's just under a year old. I wanted a laying hen around to hold me over until my chicks are big enough to make themselves useful. Don Johnson was sold because the rest of the flock she was with were picking at her...
At $7 a pop for a silkie pullet (before any shipping charges) I think I'd just put in an order at the feed store and anticipate half your chicks being boys.
Just out of curiosity, how exactly did anybody expect hundreds of chicks to be processed fast enough to get them in the mail and to your house within three days? The amount of people you would need to hire to do this would be exorbitantly expensive, and that would be passed on in the price of...
I built mine that way because of space concerns. I have a pretty big yard for the middle of the city, but every square foot of yard is still precious. I built my coop up instead of out as much as possible. I also wanted to be able to use the weight of the coop itself to keep all the edges and...
Where do you live, and what is the specific wording of the ban? From what I gather, Idaho's right to farm legislation works for agricultural properties that have been surrounded by commercial or residential properties, and it doesn't have anything to do with land that is residential becoming...
Oh wow, I've been really baffled by how little information there is on the internet about vent sexing. I don't have the confidence to do it myself, but it did seem weird that there's just NOTHING online that tells you how to do it. This article is amazing!
What kind of diseases could a chicken have without showing signs for a month? If I bring her home, is there anything specific I should be looking for? I had originally thought that the month by herself would be enough time to quarantine her. Are there diseases that a chicken can just be a...
Well the chicks are all SLWs, so maybe it would be a battle royale.
You're probably right about the disease side of it though. I've volunteered at the bird center, so I know how good their procedures are and how clean they keep it, but on the other hand I also know that they get all kinds of...
I just finished building my coop. It is appropriately sized for 4-5 birds, and I have three chicks in a brooder box right now. The chicks are 4-5 weeks away from being able to stay in the coop. A couple days ago I learned that the wild bird rehabilitation center behind my house has been flooded...
I just finished my four bird coop and it only cost $20. I bought all of my plywood on craigslist, and the rest I got by taking apart other projects (think bunk bed, it's already the perfect size and shape for your frame) or letting my friends know what kind of materials I needed. You'd be amazed...
I always thought that the sex of the chick was determined by the temperature during incubation. Somebody told me that at the county fair when I was a little kid, and it stuck in my head. Of course now I know that it's only true for reptiles, but it does make you wonder what's going on with 90%...
I'm in Boise, too. Somehow I managed to find a 1/4 acre in the city, so naturally the first thing to do is buy chickens.
Have any other beginners noticed that EVERY copy of EVERY book about raising chickens at EVERY library is checked out and on hold? I think there are a lot of backyard...