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I didn't think too much of opossums because I didn't believe they caused much trouble. Then one day I discovered a dead hen with the head eaten in the coop. That is generally the sign of a raccoon, but then a raccoon would have killed the other dozen chickens for good sport. Although I was in...

My chickens stopped laying eggs and while I had a light in the hen house I decided to up the amount of time it would be on - to no avail. We actually broke down and bought some of those white eggs the store has. I finally thought that maybe its not only having a light but also having the...

Use 2x2 or 2x3 lumber. It's much easier for the hens to hold onto the lumber. A closet pole is too slick and the hens will not be as comfortable.

Things I learned and put into use on coop rebuild: * Raised coop about 2 feet off the ground. It was much easier to dig 8 holes than to try to level the ground. The raised coop prevents mice from having a home below the coop and it gives shelter to the birds during the day. Birds hang out...

I raised my new 8x6 coop for a number of reasons: Better ventilation and no rodents under the coop are two reasons. Best reasons are 1. the girls would always go under my trailer where it's dry and would have a nice dust bath. I tried multiple ways to give them dust bath areas in my prior pen...

Once and a while I will check the dumpster at the grocery store. I would actually prefer discarded vegetables and fruits but usually only get bread -- last time about 40 loaves. The bread keeps forever and the chickens eat it all. Come to think of it, what doesn't a chicken eat? Perhaps...

Well, I opened up the eggs that I had candled and saw there was a chick inside. All four were fully formed but dead chicks - but I couldn't see anything that would explain why they couldn't break free. Seeing the chick inside the egg made me realize how remarkable it is that any chick can...

My first try at incubating went well. I had 24 of 33 hatch and all but two of the baby chicks survived and are doing well. Five of the unhatched eggs clearly did not have anything develop. Four eggs appear to have a chick - but I'm on day 24 and figure they probably wont hatch. Do most of...

I have a dog kennel and did not use chicken wire along the bottom. My problem was that raccoons (and a hawk) were coming through the top. I put some old wire fence on top which kept the hawk out but not the coons. I then turned to an electric fence with two strands along the bottom, one very...

If the owners deny that their dog is responsible, inform them that you have set a large leg hold trap and you are so glad that it wont be their dog that gets caught. That should get their attention. If this is your first brush with predators, even a dog, it will not likely be your last. If...

The study Lollipop directed us to might have some applicability to chickens - if chickens had four stomachs like a cow has. Since chickens digest their food differently, the study is of no value. I searched but found nothing to indicate that nutritional value decreases due to cracking the corn.

Of course, ya'll know that I was thinking of another word when i used the term "male bird" - right?

When I ordered chicks before, I always got just pullets. In my last order, I had to get straight run and ended up with a few male birds. I parted ways with a couple of the males, but did keep one in the coop. Since then, my stories of my birds have become much more interesting. Just the...

The "treat" they seem to enjoy the most is Styrofoam. Not that I give it to them, but once they found it in the garage it was hard to keep them out. Of the things I give them, they seem to like everything except potato peels and orange peels.

I have pressure treated plywood on the bottom and then 1/2 inch Hardibacker concrete board on top of that. The concrete board provides a firm surface that won't rot and is easy to clean - so far. It's also not so heavy that it makes the coop too difficult to move. You can also get 1/4 inch...

One of the coons decided to hang out in the trap -- he wont present any problem in the future.

I fed some shrimp tails this morning and the tails were gone in minutes. The other day we had Alaskan king crab and had a considerable amount of shell debris after that dinner. I put the crab shells in the the outdoor grill on a cookie sheet and baked the shells until dry. The next day I put...

We have several brew pubs in our area that use whole grain barley and wheat for making the beer. Has anyone used the spent grain? Much of the nutrition has probably been used up in making the beer, but I imagine my chickens would eat it (they eat everything). Has anyone cracked the code on...

My chickens also love the sunflower seeds. My question is how do they know it tastes good? They just devour it and it goes straight to the crop.

I found one that size in my coop as well - with a suspicious lump in the middle. Since the chicks aren't old enough to lay eggs yet, I had to perform a C-section (chicken section). Alas, the snake did not fare so well. I actually wouldn't have harmed him but he didn't want to get caught and...