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  1. telehillco

    Thoughts appreciated — chickens not laying

    I unfortunately don't have any suggestions, but want to follow this feed as we, too, have a 1 yr 2 mo old Ameraucana hen that laid about a half dozen eggs last fall and has not laid since. I thought that she had shut down for the season, but despite being a month away from the solstice, the...
  2. telehillco

    27 weeks and our Barred Rock hasn't started laying. Is this normal?

    We have four chickens in two age groups. The first pair started laying at 19.5 (Arucana) and 20.5 (Rhode Island Red) weeks. Of the second pair, the Buff Orpington started laying at 23.5 weeks. The three have been laying regularly (~5-6 eggs/week). Our Barred Rock, however is 27 weeks today...
  3. telehillco

    Chicken massacre...we are very sad

    Interesting. I'm glad that the skunk got its due. There wasn't any blood around our girls either, just some piles of feathers here and there and then the bodies.
  4. telehillco

    Chicken massacre...we are very sad

    I guess it could be a fox as well as we have seen them on the outskirts of the neighborhood. Our entire yard is fenced, are they skilled at getting in and out?
  5. telehillco

    Predator? Lost 2 of our girls

    I'm so sorry for your loss. We just lost 4 last night and it's a terrible feeling when you take them in, raise them and feel like you're making some kind of agreement to protect them. It sounds like you do a good job keeping them safe and that this was just a freak event. I hope you figure...
  6. telehillco

    Predator close call

    Wow! I'm glad you were there and able to intervene! We've had a number of hawks in the area and even have had one land in the yard, but our girls were able to send out a distress call and scatter to hiding places in the bushes or under the deck. I always thought that our 2 & 3 year olds were...
  7. telehillco

    Chicken massacre...we are very sad

    We lost our four girls last night to what we think was most likely a raccoon. They were 2 & 3 years old and we really have grown attached. This morning we awoke to find the four of them scattered around the yard, all relatively intact, but all without their heads. I can't imagine what would...
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  9. telehillco

    Why aren't they laying?!

    Thanks for the response. We have gone through the molting cycle so know that they won't lay eggs while molting. However, only one appears to be molting. The others don't. The inconsistent laying started in July and just keeps getting worse.
  10. telehillco

    Why aren't they laying?!

    We've got 4 chickens and not an egg in the last week! September yielded a measly dozen and a half eggs! From 4 chickens! We have no idea if there's something we can do or if they're just "done". Two RIR's are 2 1/2 years old now. One is just starting to molt (a little earlier than last...
  11. telehillco

    Feather Plucking Questions

    I tried the blue kot and found no effect, other than cool-looking blue feather patterns on the eggs (but I was worried about eating those). I'm curious about where to get the "chicken saddles" as we've been having this issue now for several months with our Barred Rock, who is unfortunately the...
  12. telehillco

    need help identifying a mystery egg!

    So, heading out to the coop yesterday, I came across a small brown egg on the lawn. At first I thought it was a fart egg laid by one of the girls in an odd spot, but when I got to the nest box, there were 4 eggs, one for each of our four girls, and I started wondering where the other egg might...
  13. telehillco

    Help! They're picking on Betty & plucking out her feathers!

    I've never heard of a rooster guard jacket. Where would I find one?
  14. telehillco

    Dealing with Fertility Issues

    It's nice to hear from all you ladies, and I'm sorry to hear about all the trials you're going through, but know you're not alone! We've been trying for almost 3 years now. Had all the major tests done with no smoking gun for either me or my husband. I ovulate regularly, just don't ever seem...
  15. telehillco

    Help! They're picking on Betty & plucking out her feathers!

    I'm not sure what to do. We have a flock of 4 chickens (2 RIR's, one Buff Orpington and the prettiest Barred Rock, Betty). Betty began losing feathers about a month ago, but unlike the RIR's when they molted, there were not a lot of black and white feathers lying around. We've now witnessed...
  16. telehillco

    Yikes! -17 deg Tues night! How to keep coop warm enough?

    I hope everyone made it through!! Our 4 girls made it fine--no frostbite that I can see. They kept laying even on the coldest days so I figured that was a good sign. I never could get the vaseline on the combs though--easier said than done. Thanks for all the support Coloradans!
  17. telehillco

    Thirteen below zero! Are they okay?

    I'm down in Boulder and it hit -10 last night. A couple of our chickens got frostbite last year when it got this cold. From what I read, it's the humidity and drafts that really contribute to frostbite so you should make sure that the coop isn't drafty, but still has plenty of ventilation to...
  18. telehillco

    Should I move my freezing chickens?

    Luckily it won't be this cold for long--you could probably move those that you're most worried about for just a day or two before things get back to normal. I also recommend what we're doing--adding gallon+ jugs of hot water. These should release heat relatively slowly and add a bit of warmth...
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