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Chicken aprons work great, take them off of the bare backed hens when their feathers grow back fully. It gives them a chance to let the skin heal from irritation & let the feathers grow back. My rooster has a flock of 14 hens that adore him & he could easily cover a few more, but he still has...

Last year my flock got toys in their extra run: my plastic chair, t-pees & lg dog crate lid/bottoms. They run under these, others run in too, they peak in on each other, they lay down in them & stand on the tops. A real playground of non-stop fun for us to watch, great chicken tv.

Consider "dry incubation" method, water in incubator is cut off at a certain time to not fill the egg with too much fluid & keep the air cell at correct size. Years ago, this became my regular frequient incubation method with great success. Do a search on this BYC site for that method.

With new hatched chicks that are still to find their balance, I put marbles in the water so they don't fall in or get stuck & possible drown. Then take the marbles out when they "find their legs" & are getting around. I always put paper towels over the floor bedding & sprinkle some chick...

We have always just used 2" chicken wire for the roof area above on our metal pole carport "chicken run" enclosures. Any prey type birds can't get through that size & it's the least expensive.

My first move would be to put VetRx in the waters. It's an oily medication that floats, so the chicken get a drink & it gets on their beak which then gets breathed in through their nostrils & works to open their breathing passages. For a start you can drop a drop or two on the beak/nostril...

How lucky you are to acquire a spacious chicken coop & with an attached yard. I commented on the nest boxes & came back to your post to comment on the roost & floor issue you mentioned. Here's a pic of one of my roosts, they can't wrap their toes around completely so don't get toe cramp at...

My 4 new chicks are 5 wks old now, so they won't get veggie treats for a few more weeks. They think a handful of nutrious chick starter is a curious treat when offered in an open hand for now. Best wishes.

The little roosters usually show their stuff strongly around 5- 8 weeks, experience will give you a keen eye to maybe spot them sooner. It takes a few months before roosters need separating because of severe fighting, you'll see injuries & know when the time comes to rehome them. I only keep...

Maybe they are afraid of be handled when they haven't even learned to trust yet. Different breeds act different & some just like coming near for food treats without being snatched up for who knows what reason; their instincts are strong to keep safe (fight or flight instincts ). They need a...

Wire bottoms on nest boxes may be good for keeping predators out, but the cool draft coming up would be good for "breaking a broody" from non-stop setting with no egg laying. So, as others have suggested, put plywood squares & plastic tray/pails with straw/etc. & fake eggs to intice your hens...

My experiences with different breeds of roosters has taught me that aggression & sparing is their type of game & they all seem to challenge me to various degrees at some point. They love that kind of stuff. The first advice given to me years ago was to be aggressive back to show who the boss...

A while back, I posted "Buckbeak says time out." My rooster "Buckbeak" is an Ameraucana & a real control freak; he would do any thing for his girls: like find food, growl to alert every possible danger, attack any one or thing that tries to get them, get between them durring disputes, tell them...

In my flock there are two Black Australorp hens that seem to be my roosters favorites for breeding. When their backs look bald with only feather quills that never seem to open & replace with full feathers, they get a chicken apron. I've found that the other hens pluck out the quills before...

"Buckbeak" is the rooster over the 16 hens & I don't plan to have more than one rooster even is my hen #'s increase. As far as fertility, when young roos are hatched, I can easily sell them as a "trio" as a young roo with 2 young pullets or hens. My hens just love their one & only rooster &...

My 1st time broody hatched & reared 4 chicks this year, she taught them to be wise & cautious when anyone or anything came around, eventually including me. They started out easy going, then very alerted (for other mean hens in the flock, etc.), & stayed that way even after their broody mama was...

Great he's on his way to recovery! Years ago I used Vet RX in the water for a hen I purchased that started sneezing. It smelled like a menthol & was oily; so the Vet RX floated on the top of the water so when the chicken dipped in to get a drink, the oil would get on the beak & be breathed...

Thank you all for your replies! "Bear" (the little roo on the right in my pic above) sold to a good home yesterday where he'll grow up to be the only rooster over 14 pure Black Australorps. The other black pullet & 2 Ameraucana/EE pullets are already checking out their future nest boxes here...

Your pullet chick above is cute & seems to be eating just fine, she's unique! My broody hatched a couple of brown eggs (slid under her) from a Black Australorp hen & my Ameraucana rooster. The 2 brown eggs each hatched black chicks, both had the Ameraucana pea comb, but one pullet had fluffy...