I also have my chicks in the chicken coop with a chicken wire divider for a few weeks before I let them together with the main flock. That way they see each other and can get up close and personal without anyone getting hurt. Then - I introduce mine by letting them out to free range for...
I absolutely am not an expert on turkeys... this is only our second time raising them. So I'm just sharing our limited experience: our turkey chicks have not ever pecked at each other to a point where I was concerned. I use a red light/heat lamp which helps to keep pecking down to a minimum...
Having had GSD's around chickens for nearly 7 years I totally agree that it depends on the dog... not the breed. My first GSD was a city boy until he was 8 and we moved to the country... we got chicks and he got a hold of one through the wire fencing and killed it! I verbally reprimanded him...
My family is going on a cruise next month -- it's a last 'hurrah' before our kids are not available for family vacations. My oldest son and his wife are expecting their second child... she will be 4 months pregnant while on the cruise.
My husband has been working on this cruise for 10 years...
The general rule of thumb is 4 square feet of floor space for each chicken. So - an 8x8 coop (if it's ALL usable) would offer 64 square feet. Divide that by 4 and you could have 16 chickens in your coop.
The outside rule of thumb is 10 square feet per chicken if they are in an enclosed run.
My Australorps were really easy to tell the cockeral from the pullets by about 5 weeks old. He had much darker red and larger wattle and comb. I'm thinking you have a pullet.
If I could figure out how to get pictures from Photobucket to here - I could show you a picture of them side by side...
I agree that burying wire at least 18" under ground would be an effective solution. If you can afford hardware cloth use it. I ran extra wire along my fenceline about 2 feet up the side and 18" down into the ground.
Remember that gates are a potential source of predator intrusion. I dug a...
I haven't heard of hens actually crowing like a rooster crows ... my hens have made some interesting sounds though. The one time I had a pullet trying to crow... she wasn't actually a pullet... I had a rooster!
How old is this girl and what breed?
I agree that you need to remove one of the roosters. Generally you should have one rooster for every 10 to 12 hens; as a minimum. I had two roosters with almost 30 hens and still had issues between the boys. They are being boys!
As far as separating your shy girl... probably not a good idea...
I'm sorry about the dog attack... that is always a fear with anyone who free ranges their chickens.
Whether Greta comes back is anybody's guess... if she's close enough to home and safe - she will probably show back up tomorrow. But, if she was chased farther away or is hurt she may not be...
I'm not venturing a guess as to what it is but am I the only one that sees a raccoon right behind it to the left? It looks like it is turning it's head toward the raccoon. ?????
I will admit that I use glasses to read and don't have them on now.. so, I could just be seeing things... but???
I agree with keesmom - you cannot just put new chickens (rooster or hens) together and not potentially have fighting ... serious pecking/fighting.
I would also find a way to put him in eyesight of the hens without them being able to get to him for a few days; then... take him into the coop and...
elbertchick asked:
Anyone going to the Kiowa animal swap? Saturday at Kiowa feed, Sept 10. I have never been to one before and am thinking of taking my Blue Cochin Roo. A friend of mine is taking 20 chickens. I am just curious what they are like? She says you can sell them or swap them or give...
I agree.. use whatever you have around that isn't going to cost you money. Just make sure it's large enough for the entire time the chicks are growing up in it or be prepared with something else bigger as they get bigger.
I actually go to a local furniture store and they save huge boxes for...
The one on the left certainly looks like a Guinea egg.... the size is right, the color is right and it has that typical triangle shape. I'm guessing the shell is really hard to crack too.
As shown above... it is possible to get 7 eggs in 7 days from a hen. Most hens don't lay that many though.
It is also possible to get 2 eggs in one day from the same hen! That is even more rare.