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We're forecast for a few nights near 0 degF, in the next few days. Not all that unusual for us, but after a few abnormally warm years in a row, it's by far the coldest my flock has experienced. The flock: 2 year olds: Easter Egger, Plymouth Barred Rock 4 month olds: Golden Lace Wyandote...

I've been dealing with no electric, and thus no heated water, the last few winters in my coop. It's a small flock of 4, and I get thru most of the winter just fine with tucking my 2 gallon plastic waterer behind a clear plastic basement window dome on the sunny side of my run. It keeps the...

Recently purchased several pullets, two of which were supposed to be Asian Blacks, but at 5 weeks, it's clear one of them isn't like the other. Complicating this, we're supposed to be giving on of these to a friend tomorrow, and now we don't know what it is (or if it's even a hen!). Let the...

We’re nearing the end of year 2 with our small flock, and they’ve been doing great, thanks to the start-up and coop building advice we received here at backyardchickens.com. However, we have found our chickens really love free ranging, and while I can tolerate the mess the’re making of our...

I was doing the weekly cleaning of our poop tray (under roosting bar in coop, filled with PDZ), and I saw a lot of little bugs bouncing around, as I was sifting the PDZ. I really don't have any expertise to tell whether they were fleas, gnats, or something else. Their "bouncy" nature made me...

One or two of my young hens is laying eggs with what appears to be thick calcium deposits on their brown eggs. Normal, or a sign of trouble?

My wife sent me this, as she's into the herbal/holistic stuff. I don't see where they name it's specific purpose, dosing, or measured results. Typical of the always-vague herbal stuff I see posted for humans, as well, but maybe if interest to some here...

Two cracked eggs in one week, for this beginner. While I have some ideas on how to reduce the incidence of cracked eggs, I'm more confused about what to do with them. I've seen some here talk about feeding them back to the chickens, while others say you shouldn't do that, lest they develop a...

Okay, no shortage of questions from newbs here, on whether eggs need refrigeration. Of course they don't, if kept unwashed at room temperature... yadda, yadda. But here's a question I have not seen answered here: is there any down side to refrigerating your eggs? Now, I'm not talking about...

Well, my small flock of four chickens started laying eggs last Friday, and judging from the colors, it looks like three of the four might be laying. I'm getting two eggs per day. I'm finding green eggs in the nesting boxes, so that's my Easter Egger. Unfortunately, the brown and tan eggs are...

Hi everyone, Well, our small flock began laying five days ago, and we've had one or two new eggs each day since! The flock is just four birds, one each of easter egger, buff brahma, light brahma, and barred rock. We're getting daily green eggs, so I guess that's the easter egger, and it...

My chicks have been in their coop since late September, and I've been proud of the way it never really smelled, until maybe the last ten days. I'm wondering if my young chicks, which are probably just on the eve of laying their first eggs, are going thru some sort of hormone shift that has them...

So, we're familiar with the golf ball trick, but one thing that is not clear is when to place them. Our chicks are just shy of 20 weeks, and are barred rock, easter egger, and brahmas. The nesting boxes are currently covered, to keep them from using them to roost and poop. When should we...

I have four young chickens in a coop with attached run. Coop is 16 sq.ft., run is 48 sq.ft., and filled with deep leaves and yard debris. The chickens seem happy, but I wonder if it would be better or healthier to let them free range in the yard on weekends (only time I'm home during the day)...

Fairly new to chickens, here. Got four day-old pullets in August, and they're now healthy young chickens. Built a coop and a covered run (snow territory), and the run is surrounded by heavy 1" mesh wire, pretty impenetrable by anything less than a bear. Every morning I go open the pop door...

Just finishing my coop and run for four chicks: The dirt and mulch (it's an old flower garden) is a little lower than foundation inside run, so it's time to fill with something... but what? Dirt? Mulch? Wood chips? Sod? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Purchased four pullets (one each barred rock, light brahma, buff brahma, easter egger) exactly one month ago. They're getting big, and feathering out. Too big, I think, for our large rubbermaid tub brooder in the basement. Watching the weather, and the evenings are starting to get cooler...

Gotta pick heights, location, and sizing for roost and poop board in my new coop. Just finished lowering nesting boxes to 18" height, per aart's advice. Here's the layout. And here are photos, mid construction on lowering the nesting boxes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

4 X 4 foot coop with 12/12 pitch roof peaking in the middle at 7 feet high. http://cconly.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/Capture_44.75123406_std.JPG So, now to ventilate... but what's best? I could do a ridge vent (haven't yet shingled), or circular vents in one or both gables. What size...

Setting up our first coop and run, and reading as much as we can on this forum to get close to right on our first try. Here's our stat's: Location: Eastern PA Population: 4 hens, all winter-hardy breeds Coop: 4' x 4' x 7' high = 4 sq.ft. per hen Run: 6' x 8' x 7' high = 12 sq.ft. per hen...