That's a great idea! I'm definitely going to do that when weather permits. I might just start a tub of grass indoors so they an enjoy fresh grass in the winter time.
I'm really interested in this thread too. I'm in Ohio, and I've got five Silkie chicks in he house brooder (in the walk-out basement room where we keep the firewood.) So I'm really worried about putting them outside once they're fully feathered. And I have three adult grown silkie hens that...
This is a great thread! I have a sand chicken run, but wood shavings inside my coop. I started adding some dry chopped up leaves this fall. It's not pretty like the sand, but I'm thinking they enjoy it more.
The best you can do is hang those feeders so that they can't get their feet onto it and scratch out the feed, or scratch the wood shavings and get them full of wood shavings. Another type of feeder I really like is long, galvanized steel, and has a little roof bent over it so that they can's...
Awe, that's a shame. I would just say time will tell, but in the meantime, you could put her in a warm, dry location with food and water close by. (Maybe a large dog crate with some fresh straw and a dish of food and water.) Maybe put some electrolites in the water. Really get ahold of her...
If you can, lock them up in an enclosed run asap, as the predator will be back. I can only guess, possums usually come before daylight. What about a fox? They're very good at leaping a fence, then snatching up the prey quickly without notice. However, I'm not sure if they would try to bury...
Hi Brooke,
I think you'll be OK to feed them the layer mash until you can get more chick crumbles. The layer mash has more calcium that chicks need and less protein that chicks need, so when it's available, switch back to the chick crumbles. In the meantime, I think they'll be just fine. You...
OK, mystery solved regarding the feathers! Young chickens do go through some "mini molts" as they mature. So I think that's normal feather loss for your flock. Looking at the pics of your hens, It looks like, in the pic of the silkie, that could just be feather loss from the rooster mating...
It's probably lice. Chickens can get that from wild birds. You can buy poultry dust and powder up your chicken with it. You'll also have to clean out her coop very very well, and powder that up too. And in 10 days, you'll have to repeat, in order to kill the baby lice that hatched from the eggs.
Hello,
It's always possible to get the breeds you really want. But it can take time and of course more money. Since you're close to Ohio, the Ohio National Poultry Show is something you might enjoy. It's the second weekend in November, in Columbus Ohio. You will see so many different types...
Hi Candy,
To my knowledge, Fowl Pox does not cause feather loss. Egg production will often go way down or even stop until the Fowl Pox runs it's course. How old are your hens? I believe my first experience with hens molting fully was in their second fall.
Hello! I do see a walnut comb there, that and the extra toes could indicate that it has some silkie in it's breeding. I think it is part silkie. It kind of looks like a rooster to me....Are you sure it's a hen? I think that little bit of fluff you're seeing is just where the feathers part...
I have to vote for Husqvarna. I've had my rider for 15 years and it's still working very well. I have to admit I'm about ready for a new one, but my property is on a grade, and it's really not an easy yard to mow, but that mower gets it done! They're very rugged, and reasonably priced. They...
Hi Cindy, that is normal. After the molt, they'll start up again. Sunlight is what keeps chickens laying, so if you're like us here in Ohio, it's getting dark earlier and earlier, so the egg production can decrease at this time of year. Some people do light their coops on a timer so that...