I had a buff Orpington hen who slept in a tree. Apparently she was a super hot chick and the boys were loving her nearly to death. She was exhausted and scared and her back feathers were all worn away from all the mating. She would fly down to the other side of the fence during the night so I...
This little girl was Madeline. Her mama was a tiny little Dutch hen, daddy was a buff Orpington. So she was small. One spring I got 18 day old chicks and put 6 under her and two other broody girls. One of the other two abandoned her chicks after a couple days and the other kept picking hers up...
Thanks for bringing up their heritage as something to consider. Both of these boys are offspring of an Easter Egger roo who I had to butcher because he started attacking people.
Hi all. I started my current flock in August 2019, and had the second generation hatch in May, so they are just about 6 months old now. There are 27 chickies in my flock now. I've had to get rid of all of my 1st generation roosters because they all turned mean. There are 5 boys in the 2nd...
What a cool thread with great ideas! I'm getting my garden started, with lots of goodies especially for my chickens. I have 12 hens, so I'm getting 9-12 eggs a day - way too many for my 2-person household. I often cook up a dozen or two, mixing in the crushed shells, oats, raisins, food...
I have a broody who has been sitting on fake eggs; I plan to put some purchased chicks under her. I had to go out of town for a couple of weeks unexpectedly, and the friend who was taking care of my chickens went to the coop to collect the eggs once while she was off the nest. Not thinking, he...
Hi Tiana's chickens,
I just saw your recent reply so here are a couple of pictures. The first is, from left to right, Blue, my now 2-year old blue orpington rooster; one of my buff orpington hens; Snickers, one-year-old offspring of Blue and a buff orpington hen; and a one-year-old female...
Thanks! That makes me wonder if he is thinking I'm a threat? He's a wonderful rooster, is very gentle and sweet, has never been aggressive, and looks out for his flock well.
I also have a lot of chicks this year that currently range from 5 to 14 weeks. Is it possible that he is training...
My 2.5 year old buff orpington rooster Cecil has been making a sound that sounds like a cat yowling (quietly!) or a toddler whimpering, like "Raou raou raou raou raou". He just started doing it this summer. I usually hear him do it when I am in the coop in the evening as they are settling in...
Thank you all so much for the input. I will euthanize her. She is one of 5 hens I was given recently by someone who thought they were chanteclers; they are obviously not. They're *very* sweet but aren't they type of bird I want to produce, so I won't breed them. It breaks my heart that she's...
One of my new hens was having trouble walking this morning. I looked at her feet and they looked and felt like dry oak twigs. Black and completely stiff. I brought her in to warm up and have soaked her feet a couple of times in warm water. The bottoms of her feet now have some pink and soft skin...