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We have not had chickens for the past 2 years. About 10 or so years ago we got our first 4 little chicks. All we had was the coop, no run. So they grew up in the coop (and free ranged). Then we added the run, and a rooster. And they hatched chicks who grew up in the coop. And then we took a...

Wow. I wish I had the nerve to do that. I'd have to rig up a temp roofing over where they perch. We'll see how this effort goes. If it's impossible to keep them in the coop, I may relent. Hmm.

I was wondering about that, just how bad of weather chickens can endure. We can have temps that hover around 0F tho, with winds. Occasionally we might have nights in the negatives. I think that might be too cold. I think it may have deteriorated over time. All that weight all those years...

True, could put them back up in the summer. True, there are supports throughout the run but I should add new ones now, it's been probably 7 or 8 years since the run was built. The good news is the snow melts and drips through the hardware cloth so it doesn't stay accumulated, but it does get...

At least your extension has a roof. Mine is just hardware cloth all the way around, but I did/am growing grape vines and hardy kiwi vines that have grown up to cover the roof so that they form kind of a "living" roof. I wanted it this way so the rain could wash the run out, while allowing some...

WOW was that hard. I put every kind of treat in the coop - green peas, oats (that I have for seed), I sacrificed a can of Goya corn, bird seed (from my indoor birds) -- and nothing could get them all to go in the coop. They have been used to feeling like they are totally outdoors in that run all...

Yup, I'm going to try the treat method this afternoon if they are not already ice cubes this morning. The door to the coop is plexiglass, and one panel is nothing but hardware cloth (I usually clear plastic that up when it gets really cold) so I don't think it's exceptionally dark in there. But...

6 weeks? Wow. I was thinking maybe 2 nights in the coop would do it. I don't think there's parasites in the coop because it's been empty for 2 years. I cleaned it out and put fresh shavings. It could be they saw a critter at some point in the summer, or it could be that it was just nicer...

Thanks guys. By the time I closed them up tonight they were already roosting in the run IN THE RAIN when it's supposed to get to 31F tonight... I tried to entice them into the coop but they were in sleep mode. Tomorrow I will catch them when they go into the coop to roost, I will block off the...

Aaaaghhh. I've had chickens before, but they were never this *dumb*. They insist on sleeping in the open air run, rain, cold, whatever. The run, a 12' x 16' area all hardware clothed with roosts, is attached to a 4x8 enclosed coop with roosts, via a small chicken door which is always open. This...

I've watched them do this. When the broody hen gets off the nest and goes into the chicken yard to stretch, the other chickens, including the one rooster, make a beeline for the nest and come running out with bits of eggshell in their mouths. Yet there are a couple other piles of eggs in the...

Thank you! I won't give the hens dirty looks this morning then. I don't have electricity at the coop, so lighting isn't really an option, unless I wanted to stick a battery operated in there. One thing I did do was plexiglass one panel (4' section) of the coop (the coop itself is pretty small...

I have 15 hens and 1 rooster. Many of the hens are aging, one is 5 yrs. old, the rest are younger and range down to one that was hatched last spring. Some are in molt or just coming out of molt. And it's winter, dark days, and we went thru some super cold temperatures here in New Hampshire, so I...

What is a good option for keeping a small pool of water unfrozen for the ducks in the winter? I have a power supply across the driveway so this will be a situation of running cords - I was thinking of just using a de-icer once a day, and unplugging daily when not in use.

I've heard they might be. Anyone know?

The next day I gave the remaining duckling to a friend who already has 2 ancona ducklings, 2 weeks older. It will probably take a few days for them to all accept each other, but I'm happy that the remaining duckling at least has duck companions. I heard they need each other for development...

Thank you so much for the replies - and majd, I think that's what it is - the slugs seemed to produce foam that was seeping out the beak. I wonder if a particular type of slug we have here is extra defensive and produces lots of slime. If all slugs are that slimy/sticky, it's a wonder baby ducks...

I can't believe it. I had 3 ancona ducklings, they're probably 2+ weeks old now, and I was taking them to the garden in the evening where they'd find lots of slugs. They seemed to love them. But last night, the biggest and strongest duckling all of a sudden started acting funny after eating some...

When my 4 hens were about a year old, I wanted a rooster so we could have chicks. We found one on craigslist - he was the most beautiful cross I've ever seen, white tail, gold body. I got him around dinnertime, and that night I slipped his cage (I believe I used 2 laundry baskets) into the coop...

Wow, I hope you let us know what happened with the coyote. It could have just as easily come after your birds. Are there roosters in either of these flocks? Just curious if there might be cross breeds coming out of this. Live Free Range Or Die, altho I like to keep my happy little chicken...