I bought an automatic door closer and it’s erratic opening and closing using the timer mode. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Anyone got one of these?
I’m a bit unclear also about the light sensitivity icons on the display; quarter moon, sun, etc. My coop is mostly in the shade. Would that...
Found a softish lump on the foot of our old hen, Gwen the Hen, a County Fair Blue Ribbon winner. She’s about eight years old and sweet as can be. Any idea what it is and what to do about it?
Thanks very much in advance!
We have rats invading our coop. Bold ones too taking food in broad daylight from the feeder. We’ve tried snap traps with partial success. What rat poison is recommended? We’ll likely use a bait station that we’ll pick up in the mornings so the hens can’t get to them.
I'll read through that though treatment from what I've initially read doesn't seem too difficult. I just don't want to spread anything to our flock. Perhaps this isn't a good idea....
So are there physical symptoms in the early stages because this hen is showing none mentioned? Is there a test?
I've now put her in an enclosure for the night with food, water and plenty of straw for bedding. There's also a low temp pet heating pad inside which should keep her warm. An hour...
Thanks for that! Doesn't Marek's disease more commonly affect younger chickens? Under 16 weeks of age? What physical signs of Marek's or other signs of other diseases should I look out for? This hen looks much older. Perhaps she was discarded because she wasn't laying any more.
We found another stray hen today, the second in six months, down the street from us. There are no other nearby families with chickens so I suspect people are beginning to drop them off when they can no longer care for them. But my concern is with health. The one found today looks pretty healthy...
It's been above 90 degrees these last few days and wondering what impact that temperature will have on the eggs laid during that period. I typically place them after laid in a wire basket in a corner of the coop. Some have been out there for several days. It's shady but the temps have been in...
One of our chicks, the smallest of the group, was also not eating as much these last two days and this morning was on her back chirping, unable to get up. I put the chick's beak into some water without putting it into the chick's nostrils and she drank. I also wetted some corn meal with water...
Thanks, I found a nice thread with pictures. I'll check her eggs and see.
If she doesn't lay on them, how long do I have from once she's laid them to get into an incubator?
We have a roo and hen Belgium d'Uccles who are about ten months old. How will I know that my hen is ready to lay fertile eggs and when does this typically happen. It's early March and the weather in upstate NY is beginning to warm up. What should I be looking for? She now lays a few eggs per...
Thanks everyone! She's not molting nor is broody. It must be the darkness or she's laying somewhere in the yard. How will we know when she's been mated and is fertile?
We've never have mated a pair previously and have a pair of 7+ month old Belgium d'Uccles who are inseparable. The hen has been laying on a regular basis for about three months now and apparently hasn't for a couple of weeks. Is this a sign of a fertile hen or might the lack of egg laying be...
Well, our hen died. We brought her indoors and kept her warm with a heater. My wife had her in her lap for a half hour stroking her and trying to get her to eat. The hen refused food, could barely keep her eyes opened. I checked on her an hour later, and she was dead. I'm thinking of having a...
Thanks everyone for your replies. Today she's worse. We put her in her own nesting box last night and she didn't move at all. We put a heater fan on her for a few hours, and no change. We just brought her into the house, cleaned her bottom real thoroughly and placed her in the basement with a...