Some breeds don't have wattles or combs, think Easter eggers. Are both the same breed? As mentioned in previous posts they will lay when they are mature. As with people, there are early and late bloomers.
I have a cuckoo maran, about a year old. She went broody a few days ago. She is in a pen with 15 other girls and a roo. She had a nice clutch of eggs and after a couple of days got off of those and set on
fresh eggs. Today she did the same thing, left her clutch and set on fresh ones. I picked...
Once I put a saddle on one of my girls she regrew her feathers. It just took a while. Plus a saddle keeps the others from pecking as the feathers grow in.
A few weeks ago I lost my beautiful young rooster to a dog. He was managing 10 girls. I have another rooster who has been minding 5 girls.
After about 2 weeks the remaining rooster noticed there were no other guys around and decided he would add the 10 to his 5. However, the 5 are a year...
Sounds like you put some thought into your chicken tractor. I commend you for being frugal. My fear for you is that a dog or dogs could have that chicken wire and hardware cloth torn apart in just a few minutes. I know because for my chicken tractor, I used heavier fencing and covered it in...
I have a hoop chicken tractor which has been stationary since November. I have a tarp over it that I open for air and light depending on wind and weather. I use DLM and have not had much odor. When our nightly lows got between 0 and 16, I used a heat lamp to keep them warm.
I have 1 for 6 hens. He doesn't mind me being around and actually runs from me. But, he doesn't like my husband or grandson and acts like he is thinking about challenging them. I guess it's a testosterone thing.
Originally got them for eggs and meat. We started with 3 x as many males as females. I now have 6 hens and a rooster. They provide hours of entertainment during their free range time, 1-2 hours a day. Rooster is dumb but takes care of his girls and they adore him, I think. Good stress buster and...
I have a 4x4, flat about 2.5 ft off the ground. I only have 7 birds at the moment, in an 8x10 chicken tractor. They like to rest down on their feet. No complaints so far.
I also have a hoop coop, 8 x10. We put wheels on it and move it every few days. We pulled it by hand but now use the tractor. I don't know if this is an option for you. We can handle about 17 chickens. They free range an hour or so each day. Sorry that I don't have a picture at this time.
I live in a semi rural area in Northern KY. In April I got my first chicks. Most of the guys went to freezer camp. I am down to 6 hens and a rooster. They are a beautiful mixed lot. I could spend hours just watching them. They can be quite quirky.
We built a chicken tractor to start with and...