Hello-
We've had a bear getting into the run this summer (found the berry-rich scat inside the run). The food supply was gotten into but the birds were always safe. I've sealed up the areas of the fencing he had pulled out and dug under.
But this morning I found one of our decks dead. Her...
They are pets and for slug patrol, their run is a "chicken moat". We consider the eggs bonus, though they haven't laid any that I can find yet.
We bought them from Yachats River Hatchery, which seems to be one of the few places they are available - but we chose them since they are just down...
Thanks!
We were similarly duped when buying "araucana" chicks which turned out to be "easter eggers". Hard to find good birds eh? I don't really mind at all, in the case of the ducks or the chickens. I just find it interesting that it apparently happens pretty frequently.
Hello-
We have 4 Welsh Harlequins we raised from chicks this spring. It seemed all along that two were males. However, one has not had its head change color, and has a black bill. Is it also a male? Is it somehow remaining "beta" since the other drake is more advanced? Is it normal to be...
Hello-
We have some ducks and chickens living in peace. I am wondering, though, for optimal nutrition for the birds, how to feed them together. We have a long "chicken moat" run around a garden with a chicken coop on one end and a duck house on the other. They occasionally go back and forth...
Update:
It is not just the rooster. ALL of other ladies were attacking her. This started suddenly, after a year and a half of total peace. I put Vick's on the victim's neck. She stopped venturing out to eat, so put a little food in with her and kept the others away for a while. They still...
Today I noticed one of the other hens picking on her, and that eruption of squawks attracts the rooster. It seems that for whatever reason, there is now an outcast. Yet y'all say do not remove her? I'll try some of the topical stuff today...
Hello-
5 Hens (2 BOs and 3 EEs) and one Rooster (Cochin/Araucana mix) are sharing a coop with a daytime run. The rooster has always been nice to us and the ladies, but recently has started picking on one of the BOs. She now has a bare spot on the back of her head from this treatment. Are...
There will be a gate right at the back of the house so the pool can be easily pulled out and drained/cleaned. Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll post pics when its done.
Oooh, is the beak-sexing thing reliable? The breeders said they "didnt" sex ducks. The woman who handed them off said she suspected something by looking at their feet but wasn't sure. I can definitely start to work on getting some beak pics. Should I post them here or is there a better...
Hello-
First time duck keepers here. We're going to raise 4 Welsh Harlequin ducks outdoors. I was planning to build a raised coop, not unlike the henhouse of "the Garden Coop" plan. Then considering having a 4' kiddie pool halfway under the house and halfway under the ramp in front of the...
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We're about to construct a chicken moat. The walls are 6' tall field fencing. Its a 4' wide double fence about 60' x 20'. We'd like to cover the top of it with netting to keep out the numerous hawks and eagles in the area. A hawk has already tried slamming into the coop (which is...
Yes I suppose the drakes hurting the hens in attempted mating sounds like the main problem. Guess I will try to keep a close eye on them and segregate them as that starts to happen. Thanks everyone!
Hello-
We have 6 chickens, about a year old: 2 Buff Orpington hens, 3 Easter Egger hens, and a Cochin-Aracauna rooster. We would like to add 3 Welsh Harlequin ducks to the flock (1 male and 2 females).
The ducklings will be raised indoors until they are ready to go outside. At this time...
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Our beautiful and giant Buff Orpington Rooster died suddenly today. He was brought home from the feed store this June, and was I suppose about a week old at that time. He was raised (with his 5 hen buddies) indoors until feathered, and then moved into an outdoor coop in early August...