I've been using it for about a month now with very good results. I had one poor chicken the others would pick on all the time so bad that she became bald. :( I noticed her the other day and almost didn't regocnize her, she has most of her feathers back. :)
My 25 chicks ship Saturday, I can't wait! Does anyone know how Murray McMurray ships? I don't know if it's Priority Mail, Express Mail or Overnight anyone know the answer to this? I worry about them sitting at the Post Office all day Sunday.
I ordered from McMurray
12 Black Stars
13 Red Stars
Getting 1 Free rare exotic chicken ????? (No Clue)
If it's a Rooster it will end up on Craigs List.
My First Stab at Building a Coop
With luck on my side I don't think my first construction project turned out too bad. My wife, before she was my wife, had a dog run behind the shed, so all I had to do was build a coop next to the existing shed and Walla a hen paradise! Well close anyway. There...
I used it for a while and didn't like it for a couple of reasons, one the chickens ate it, and two it had no odor prevention qualities. Pine shavings always seem to help in the odor department. Just my 2 cents.
Sounds broody to me too. I have one that's been doing the same thing for two weeks now. I pick her up and put her out in the back yard for a while while I grab the eggs. She heads right back in there as soon as I let her. I noticed one thing about her....her comb is dull compared to the others...
Before mine started tearing up my yard and eating my house, I used to let them out in the yard an hour or two before dark. That way they would put their selves to bed at dusk and all I had to do was pop my head in the coop and get a count.
I buy those song bird bells from PetCo for 2 for $4 each one lasts about a week. I hang them out of their reach so they have to jump to get to them. I think it's good exercise and keeps them entertained. It's also fun to watch them jump for it.
I painted her with "Pick no more" and that didn't help. (She took it off herself) I guess if I can get her to be "un broody?" then I'll see if I can locate some of that blukote stuff. Thanks everyone for your help. And thanks for letting me know about the oil gland thing.
I wondered if she might be broody, but she's just been acting strange. She'll all at once flap her wings and make a lot of noise. And then that thing by her tail that she keeps biting.
Over the last few months I've watched my hen EE get picked on by the other hens. She has lost a lot, but not all, of her feathers on her sides and the underside of her neck. She insists on being on the top roost and the others will have nothing of it, this is where (I believe) she has lost most...
I used to let mine out in the evening for the last couple of hours before dark until they started tearing up the lawn and eating my house. So I have since expanded their run and that's going to have to do, at least until my lawn gets filled in for the summer.
I have 15 of them and love them, they follow me around the yard in hopes I will give them a treat. They can can be a bit noisy in the morning when they are laying. but not too bad. When I order next time I'll get more of these and I think I'll try some black stars also.