Some hens just don’t squat for humans even with no rooster present, even when they are full grown and actively laying. I have some 5-year-olds that have never squatted for me, ever, and I don’t keep males. Most of them squat for me but a bunch never have. So don’t take that as a given.
P.S. Before heat lamps were "a thing", people used broody hens to incubate and raise their chicks, so it's not like the babies ran around people's bathrooms...
The smaller the chicken, the harder it is for them to regulate body temperature, so them being bantams actually makes it worse, and emphasizes the inexperience of the buyer, who'd leave tiny bantam chicks with no heat in the UK...
This buyer doesn't strike me as particularly experienced, if they want chicks but don't have a proper setup and no heat source, and think a chick can manage without any kind of proper heat at 1 week old. Note that they are buying random chicks from a stranger, not special ultra-fast-feathering...
It really depends on the individual and the social context. Some start as early as 1 week old, others as late as close to a year old. The presence of a dominant rooster will delay the onset of crowing for any others who are below him in the social order, until they are ready and willing to...
Here’s my entry #2, Harvest category:
These are my grandma’s heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers that I have been continuously growing every year since she gave me the seeds 17 years ago. They remind me of her now, and she lives on through my garden. RIP grandma! ❤️
The cherry tomatoes and...
Age doesn't matter, as long as you follow the "see don't touch" method, which you seem to have started with, so that's great. They need to be behind a divider where the flock can see them, but not get at them, for several weeks. Then start letting them mingle with the flock, for short supervised...
Chicken temperaments can vary a lot between breeds and between individuals within the same breed. And not all breeds get along well together. I picked my breeds to be easy-going, non-confrontational and generally submissive, so they’d be compatible with each other. They’ve been getting along...
Like with any other animal, there's a big wave of changes as they mature from youngsters to adolescents to adults. Point of lay is sort of the culmination of those changes for females. Some of them that were more skittish or feisty will even out their temperaments and chill out more as adults...
Some questions get asked over and over and over... I don't know if people aren't using the search feature, or if it isn't pulling up relevant results, or what, but this gets tedious and turns people off from wanting to reply, if they have to repeat the same advice over and over. For example...
Just like people, not all hens make good mothers. Some are more attentive than others. I've had one like that, and she sucked in other ways as well. Keep putting the hen and chick together one way or another (chick on roost or hen on floor) until they are able to put themselves to bed together...
Here are the two types of waterers I've used that have never had algae in all the years I've had them. The first one is a plastic planter actually, I just plugged the holes with food grade silicone (because I liked the rustic look). The commercial waterer, I have two sizes of - a 1 gallon and a...
What do you mean "throw out"? You throw the handfuls on the ground, scattered, and the chickens flock to it and eat it up? You might be confusing them. If this is the way you otherwise distribute treats, scratch, or other desirable foods - by tossing it on the ground for them to collect - then...
I'm curious, what kind of waterer are you using? Do you have a picture? I've never had algae in my waterers so I was wondering if there's something about the design, or what.
You don't have to use layer feed, ever. As Mary pointed out, most layer feeds aren't optimal, they just barely cover the minimum (they were meant to be cost-efficient for commercial hens that live about 2 years, not to support long and healthy backyard lives). Your chickens would be better off...
Never. The supplements industry is big for both humans and animals, and its goal is to make money. Healthy chickens don't need anything added to their complete formula poultry feed and clean water. And sick chickens need to be diagnosed first (by a more experienced keeper or a vet) before...