Search results for query: *

If your property has a wooden privacy fence like most of suburbia I would suggest running a hot wire along the top of the fence. It will keep the cat from jumping the fence. You can get a transformer, wire and insulators at HomeDepot or Lowes. I have my coop hot wired along the outside to...

What a wonderful deed. She has obviously proved her worth. I would take a rescued mutt over a pure-breed any day of the week. Dogs are relatively smart animals and rescued dogs seem to realize their new owner has improved their lot. I know the several I've rescued over the years seem...

With the body portions being different than most other chickens, I'm wondering if it may be some kind of chicken dwarfism. Either that or she may be the "first in line" in an evolutionary step.

I have one roo and eight hens, all bantams. My roo is a silver seabright. He is as loud as a standard roo I would say. Mine and a neighbor's standard roo about a half mile away call to each other. I assume claiming territory. Honestly I don't think size will make a difference in volume...

I had a couple hens go broody when I decided to do a preventative treatment for parasites/worms and thus would not be collecting eggs. I let them sit on a clutch of eggs. I had 5 hatch and then they both abandoned the rest of the eggs. I lost two within the first two days due to an inability...

You can tell if an egg is fertile by the the little white spot in the yolk. If it looks like a bullseye it's fertile. However, as another BYCer pointed out it's mighty hard to get it back in the shell and hatched. I've met some people who swear fertile eggs are better, but honestly I cannot...

I agree with the others that having at least one roo is beneficial. They do spend most of their time watching for danger and when they see it or think they see danger sound the alarm. A good roo will sacrifice himself in the interest of his girls; however, you can't expect them to win against...

I used to have a rat problem. I would remove my feeder every night. I tried old fashion snap traps, new snap traps with teeth, glue boards and poison; all with varying degrees of success. Our cats had passed away a few years ago and a friend had a cat for adoption which he swore was a good...

My chickens didn't seem to care for yogurt much either. Their favorite treats are first kingworms from the petstore, and second place is grapes cut in half. We cut the grapes since they are bantams which I wouldn't bother to do for standard sized chickens. Earthworms are fine to give them...

You can pick her up any time. Just be careful not to lift her too high or too quickly. The little peeps get up under their wings so you don't want one falling too far. I found my broody hens preferred to poop in the nest rather than leave the clutch of eggs when they were close to hatching.

I use a syringe I originally received from the vet when I had to give my cat shots. I took to needle off because I was afraid I would accidentally poke my chickens. It is a 1 ml syringe, so it has every 0.1 ml (or cc if you prefer) marked on it. It works great I just fill it to 0.25 which is...

Our roo is named Col. Sanders. He is a silver seabright, so he's wearing black and white like the Col. Then the hens are named: Prissy, Rotisserie, Chicken Little, Ariel, Swiffer, Ozzy, Marilyn and Cassidy. Cassidy has bum leg, so she hops along on one leg; hence, the name. We hatched...

Mother nature gave the rooster two jobs: 1) breed 2) protect the hens so he can continue #1. In other words he is doing his job. I have typically done what Tammy describes carrying mine around like a football when he tries to attack to show him I'm top Roo. I will also had out treats to his...

Mice forage for food at night. Unless you remove the food at night you will always have mice. Even if you kill the current mice, others will show up to replace their brethren. Mice are also smart enough to learn from the mistakes of peers, so it usually takes a multifaceted plan of attack...

What a truly awesome dog !! German shepherds are generally bright, loyal and protective; however, I think JR outshines most of his breed. I agree steak and eggs should be on his menu this week. I'm sure that eagle is still trying to figure out what went wrong.

I'm with you Prov31gal. The regal posturing of whether a bird is SQ or not reeks of an aristocratic air. I haven't been a BYCer for very long, but I thought this was a page about sharing knowledge on raising "backyard chickens". I did not realize I stumbled into the Toddlers and Tiaras of the...

I let a couple of my broody hens hatch their own eggs which happened about two weeks ago. So far so good. I can tell the 3 I have so far must be from at least two different mothers. If she already has a clutch started you may be able to slip them in if your girls share nesting boxes like mine...

I have a bantam roo that decides to challenge me every so often. Catching him and restraining him usually works as does the holding upside down for a few seconds. My preferred method is to restrain him like carrying a football then handing out scratch or some other treat to all his girls but...

I have all bantams, 5 cochins (3 are frizzles) and 3 seabright hens. All are roughly 3-4 years old. I get 5-6 eggs daily in the Fall, Winter and Spring. As we hit the heat of a California summer they drop down to 2-3 day.

Nothing wrong with giving her a chance at life and leaving it to her and mother nature. I know I'd rather have a chance then not.