I have a Buff Orp that I was wondering the same thing about! She molted around December, but not that many feathers fell out. She looks really ragged. Not sure what to do, so I am just watching. She is still laying beautiful eggs.
I had to show my little ones to go into the coop "to go to bed" before they understood where they should sleep. I would march them up the ramp and into the hen house at dusk when the bigger girls were going to bed so they "got" the idea that was when and where they had to go. I did that a few...
I have two black Australorps, 2 Buff Orps, and one cochin. I adore my cochin--super sweet, soft and inquisitive! One Buff is my pal--she wants to be picked up and petted, while her sister doesn't want anything to do with me. My Australorps are 6-week old chicks, so still pretty new for me. They...
We believe it was a raccoon who got the girls. Upon a second and intense inspection we discovered a hole up in the roof netting. And in the lawn next to the chicken run one of the sprinklers was dug out and a muddy hole where it once was--and raccoon prints! We replaced the run roof netting with...
The older hens are 2 Buff Orps and one California Grey. The younger girls were Silkie, Black Cochin, and a Blue Andulsian. The two runs are fully enclosed and locked--I looked for an external predator entrance or evidence a cat, raccoon or something else was in there and couldn't see anything...
I awoke this morning to three dead hens in my run--killed and eaten by my other three hens. The question I have is if I should cull the hens that are left.
Here is the situation: The three that were killed were 7 months old and the others are 2 years old. They all had been co-mingling in one...
I bought the Chick-n-Barn since I am not handy and couldn't find anyone to help build me one out of recycled materials. I think I paid about $400 for it. I have had it about 6 months, and indeed has already cracked on the top layer of wood along the roof. I was thinking of adding shingles to the...