My other hens came from a prior hatching that was two weeks older and they weren't wyandottes. This was a single that I bought to add to a hen that was lost to a predator. I will say that when I hold the bird, the wattle has a fair amount of red coloration.
These are supposed to be hens, but this 6 wk old beauty sure seems to have a lot of color in the facial and head tissue. But the feathers and tail look like the other hens (different breeds). Pullet or cockerel?
Here's another question; How long before the feet spurs usually form? I see no signs on this one, and only one of the others is showing some spurs, but it is a hen.
I have a young flock of hens which I bought from a feed store that were hatched on March 1. Of course, the hatchery only guarantees 90% hens so I am suspicious that out of the 7, the first partridge rock pictured might be a rooster. It seems to have a more developed waddle and a larger crown...
In N Fl our property is full of those nasty fire ants that leave red welps on you. I have started letting my young hens free range and saw one of them stand right in a bed. She imnediatelt started lifting and pecking at her feet. So my question is whether these ants can penetrate the skin on...
Okay thanks, because I have read of some having success feeding alternative foods to chicks of only a few days old. So I wasn't sure whether they need to be trained to forage or accept other foods or whether tgat will come naturally with age. I am a newbie.
We bought our 8 chick hens at the feed store several days ago and have been feeding them crumbled medicated chick starter. I am wanting to introduce some different foods as I intend for them to eventually partialfree range. I have tried to put small pieces of chopped greens, mulberries, banana...
I was hoping someone might have a guess as to what the hanging boxes are. I was thinking maybe they were chick rearing boxes since a couple had heat lights in them.
The far end is where I took down the sheet metal on the sides to open it up. That is where I have since built roosting structure. I am thinking of going with a deep llitter floor since I have so much available materials out here.
Actually I misspoke and meant to say hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. But does the roost area need to be darkened with more structure being that birds in the wild sleep in trees and only need the darkness of nightfall? I guess that is my basic question. This structure will be plenty safe...
So I have an old covered chicken house of 25' x 10' with is caged in sufficiently. It had metal roof panels on the on north end which was used for the roost area but I have taken them down and put up chicken wire. The house (old property owner) basically served as a run, nest boxes, and roost...