His weren't weak or flaky. On the contrary, they were rock hard and strong. The issue was the pronounced vertical stripes typical of the breed. They camouflaged some minute surface cracks on the damaged hoof. Our farrier was concerned that they would deepen to full-blown cracks if they chipped...
Chickens are only a half-step above grass on the food chain. As a result, they are pre-programmed to hide illness from everyone and anything in their world. By the time an illness or injury shows itself, it's often too late for us to "fix" the issue easily. Those are the birds we lose early. If...
FIRST PAGE! ... and I'm with @sourland - Fresh sweet corn is da BOMB! It's even good right off the stalk ... no butter or salt ... just sweet corn goodness!
Years ago, we did the same thing for my Appaloosa gelding. It looked weird and scary at first, but it didn't affect him at all. We did a few more frequent trims as the hash-line neared the tip of his toe, mainly just to keep it from flaking (Appy hooves ... zheesh!) but it worked like a charm!
(Read this in a classic, dark, Voice of Doom:)
"CHICKEN MATH IS REAL!"
Translation:
"You WILL end up with more than you planned ... it's the nature of the beast!"
If you're planning to add multiple breeds, the four chick minimum shouldn't be an issue , because you can mix and match. Picking...
I SOOOO understand! For years, my children have officially banned me from entering a TSC (or any other place that sells chicks) unsupervised during Chick Season. Apparently, I require an escort every time I go for feed! Of course, I've learned to play that to my advantage. If I mention that I...
Chickens molt when they're stressed, so that could be your issue, but double check to make sure you're not dealing with mites.
As far as the pellets go, if you stick it out, they should shift when they get hungry! In the meantime, instead of buying two kinds of feed, try taking a mallet to...