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I discovered a wound below her vent, and it was crawling with maggots. I soaked and cleaned as well as I could, and pulled out countless maggots. The whole area is covered with a gray-brown sort of fur that doesn't wash off, or pull off very easily. The wound does not appear to be deep, so I...

One of my five hens looks awful. At first I thought it was a late molt, but now I don't know what it is. She has quills, with much of the feathers stripped from them. I don't see her--or any of the others--picking at her feathers. There are a few patches of pink, irritated-looking skin. I don't...

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A neighbor had a large bag of wild bird seed get wet and then get sealed in plastic cooler. The newly discovered seed is all kinds of gross, and crawling with maggots. My thought is the chickens would love to pick through for those maggots. My fear is that the spoiled seed could be toxic, and...

I need help to settle an argument with my husband. We live in North Carolina (not in the mountains). We have some cold nights in the winter, frequently in the 20s, occasionally lower. It rarely snows. Most days are in the 50s during the winter. We keep five hens in a chicken tractor in our...

I assume if my babies were hatched by a broody, they could be exploring the outdoors from day 1 or 2. I have four ten-day-olds, and one four-day-old. If the temp is 85 in the afternoon, can I let them out in the grass in the coop for awhile? What are the risks? All I can think of is they might...

This is my chicken tractor. The run is 4x10 and the coop is about 3x4 with three nesting boxes and two roosting bars. How many standard-size laying hens would be happy in here?

We got our babies yesterday. The many weeks of waiting felt much longer than it actually was. At least it was filled with research on these boards and in many library books. The first four of our flock of six are settled in, with two more expected next Friday. We have a Buff Orpington named...

We are finally ready to get our first babies here, and everyone local has recommended a particular farm store to get them. The problem is the store gets a different selection from the hatchery on alternating weeks, and we want three from each selection. So... my question is: Can I safely bring...

Hi, my name is Mary, and I'm an addict. I'm addicted to chickens. I don't actually have any chickens. I really, really want some, though. I have a fancy coop getting delivered, because after thinking about it for two years, I finally admitted I would never get around to building one myself (at...

My family has chosen to get backyard chickens after much research. We all want them, but for slightly different reasons. DH and myself want eggs. The kids want pets. The kids will help with the chores so they do get a say in this decision. We have a chance to get six young laying Golden Comets...