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I'm in WV where it's currently 16 and blowing to beat the band. There's no snow on the ground. My chickens have access to shelter besides their coop, water and feed outside of their coop. They're used to being out and about a BIG Yard, field. Let em out?

Well, they're pretty good size hens bigger than some of my good ol' Golden Comets (Red Star) who lay like champions. But, I guess unless I get a camera in there I won't know exactly who's doing what - though I know (warm egg when she was the only one out there) one of my SLW is laying a small...

Good to read all this. My Silver Laced Wyandottes started laying around 2-3 weeks ago, beautiful creamy brown but definitely on the small size. Ideas on how soon I might expect the large eggs they're "supposed" to have?

Ah! So it's her own hormonal levels that have to normalize after being allowed to be broody too long? Any rule of thumb how long this might take? I hate to see her hanging out all by herself ..

Yes. My oldest and younger (now laying) hens are pretty much 2 flocks. My problem is a Buff Orpington hen went broody on me ... and now the folders are not accepting her at all. She stays to herself, sometimes under the coop (wahn!) and only having a chance to boss the youngers when on the...

Im If you have no room for an alternate roost or they refuse to use one, you can improvise a divider on your roost. . This one is made out of cardboard and held in place with zip ties and a bungee. I eventually replaced it with 1/8" plywood. I find the olders are very happy with the...

I have 4 olders (1 yr old - the BO hardly counts since she seems to want to be broody a lot and is in a nest a lot or a broody breaking box). The 3 Golden Comets are not keen on the little ones (10 pullets) and they are almost 2 separate flocks despite being raised see not touch around 10 weeks...

This is so much of it funny! Same thing: 5 boxes - only two used - but then I just realized that these are the 2 boxes furthest away from the "people door", which we keep open for cross ventilation. Our hens free range on our farm. I've also seen two crowd into one box - somewhat comfy, no real...

Part one: I have 10 chicks about 9 days old in a box indoors that provides just under 6 sq. ft. of room, plus having a perch about 20 inches long. Which they use! Since southern WV climate means they'll be in the house another 3+ weeks, seems like I should join a second box to the first to...

Think this fits here: Ten 9 day old chicks in box 23in tall, 21 in wide and 31in long (not quite 6 sq ft.) They're actually using a roost I put in there. Equals more square footage? One question. Will have to have them in the house another 3-4 weeks since southern WV weather has been totally...

I have a coop 8x8 that is about 13 inches of the ground. The chickens like to get under there for any, all, no reasons. The coop is a slight shed roof (rain and snow) and is tall enuf to go in, feed, water, clean - comfortably. No stooping for me. People door one wall with window, same wall...

We had 3 roosters last year. All the roosters wanted to do was fight with each other and go after the hens. A guy thing. We got rid of 2. The man who took them said all they did was fight. Bottom line, one rooster is plenty unless you want fertile eggs - which don't matter unless you want to...

Hey, Deerchooper- I hear you about the dust! And the insidious smell you notice once it's gone to the coop! Keep us posted, Britannyes.

This is This is likely in your expanded info, but from what I read in BYC, the Heating Pad in a separate pen for the chicks, in the coop is a good way of all the chickens getting more used to each other. My newbies are going to be my "experiment" with this, long as I can be assured I get the...

We adjusted the apparent temp (as indicated by behavior - huddling together=cold; getting far away from heat lamp=hot BY raising the height of the lamp and then by lowering the wattage of the bulb. With the heat in your house (I'd be panting, too), you may need to try both measures. If the box...

Yeah. Our roo is +/- aggressive, mostly toward us humans. He's flogged my husband and I "successfully" (roo's point of view!), once. And still tries on occasion. He's rather well behaved with the hens, I will give him that. BUT, if he offers to give this new batch of chicks any trouble ... he'll...

I LOVE this idea! I won't be needing my 2 seedling mat warmers for seeds by April 4 (when baby chicks come) and can use them as "Mama heating pads". Will they provide as much warmth as the standard heating pad does? This year may brood them outside in the coop using the Mama Heating pad/Grow mat...

This is the type of info I need. I have 6 hens & 1 roo that were baby chicks I bought last year. I have baby chicks coming early April. They'll be in our house til mid-May or so. Then into the coop with the grown ups. I plan on "penning" the new ones behind chicken wire so everyone can get used...

Have a friend who breeds dogs so she may have some to borrow. Got multiple calls out. Since you've been so helpful here's my dumb question "for the day". HA! Just the first: can hens lay fertile eggs without the rooster or is that his reason for living? I'm guessing that that's his job and hens...