I have the same problem that also just started. There is only layer pellets in the feeder for over two years now. I did have this problem when I tried to go from crumbles to pellets, so I know now not to mix anything in with it. I topped it off on Sunday. Yesterday they had spilled a little...
I read and read and read about chickens and still made the mistake of buying a prefab coop. As many people on this thread have mentioned, I was misled on how many chickens I could keep in it. I didn't lose a single chick and I didn't have any roosters. It didn't take long to realize my...
The hens are two years old. They've been content within the run. Only once did one of them get out and I assume it was an accident. When I checked on them she was trying to get through the fence to her flock. They have a covered run of about 40 sq feet which is completely secured at night by...
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for advice on adding a rooster to my flock. I had six hens (no rooster) and a friend of mine ended up with a rooster she had to re-home (she's in city limits) so I volunteered. He's about 15 weeks old. I read somewhere (maybe here) that I needed to keep him in a pen...
Someone told me to expect to lose some chicks. I planned to accommodate 6-7 chickens so I bought 9 chicks. I didn't lose a single one! The first year was very challenging to accommodate the extra chickens, but they fared well. We got new neighbors recently and gave them three of our hens...
I have nine hens. They don't all lay daily. On days when they all lay (only the last few days) I have booted her from the nest and closed the door for a couple of hours. She did not find a place on the ground to settle. I observed her behavior today when I opened the nest door. She wasted...
I found a thread on this site recently that recommended a dog crate to isolate my broody hen. If I recall correctly, the goal was to keep her off the floor with air under her to keep her hiney cooled.
I couldn't find that particular post to reply today or remind myself of any details. I...
Does an Easter Egger always lay the same color? I have two of them and I only get green eggs, so I'm assuming I'll never see a pink or blue egg. Is that right? They are quite skittish compared to my Buff Orpingtons and Novagens. My one Australorp is by-far the most anti-social. I am...
Wow! We got an egg today! I think that means my ladies are happy again. I like to think they are happy and healthy if they start laying again. I cleaned the coop and moved the perches down so they are both only about 8 inches above the coop floor. At first some hens still wanted to roost in...
I just created a coop page. I'm not entirely certain if I linked it in such that people can see it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-ladies-lair.74715/ Lots of pictures. I'd love advice if you see something that could use improvement. I didn't get very good pictures of the...
This is the coop my husband and I built for our ladies. We started with a book called How to Build Chicken Coops written by Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson. Published by Voyageur Press. Pretty good book. In addition to showing you how to do things it did a good job of explaining why. I...
I will get more pictures after work. I do leave the coop door open since we built the run to be safe. In the spring we plan to extend the run significantly but with no top. I know then I'll have to get them back into the smaller run/coop each night.
Somebody else suggested checking their crops. I've never heard of that. Just googled it and I will check that tomorrow. They have a large food dispenser as well as a good sized gravel / oyster shell dispenser for free-choice access. The last time I bought gravel, they sold it to me by size...
I bought them in early August. They've been the picture of good health so far. Even now, to me the new chicken owner, I don't see anything other than their behavior. I stopped at the farm store today and they had exactly two options for mites. Permethrin powder with all sorts of...
The coop design does not make it very easy to look at the roosts at night. Wouldn't the mites be visible on the chickens under their feathers? Or do they leave the chickens each day? Also, wouldn't the mites live in the cracks and crevices in the run as well?
Hello Everyone, I am joining BackyardChickens as a total newbie for raising chickens. I started my flock in early August, about 6 months ago. I have 3 Novagens, 3 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Eastereggers and 1 Australorp. I've read a lot of blogs about raising chickens. Still, you should expect a lot...
I've got 80 sq ft of covered run plus 16 sq ft in the coop. Hens have been very happy in the coop until lately. I really don't think they are over crowded. I have not seen any pecking issues at all. A few weeks ago they stopped roosting and started sleeping on the floor of the coop all huddled...