Hi sorry for the delayed response. We're in the Snohomish area...across the mountains. I'm sorry to say I don't know how the Mottled were developed -- we weren't looking to breed, just to hatch something different/unusual. Feel free to contact Eve, the owner of NorCal chickens. I had...
"Safari" was hatched May 19, 2015. He's been hanging out with his hatch brothers but he really wants a roost full of ladies to rule. He was hatched from NorCal Chickens Rare Breed Poultry eggs - a gorgeous blue egg. Mottled Ameraucana's are a project color at this stage, not recognize as an...
Dracoe19, I'm so sorry for you, your family and sweet Monchou. Sadly, cancers are one of the diseases spaying and neutering can minimize or avoid (certain forms). We lost our amazing Coonhound to intestinal cancer 1st of Feb. I know what you mean when you say you've never been in the situation...
Your two adult chickens will be fine. I would actually advise against a heat lamp. You're not going to stay well below freezing for weeks on end, so they won't need the help. Heat lamps weaken a chicken's natural ability and pose an obvious fire hazard. Two chickens in a well ventilated...
Fire Pirate, thank you for sharing your kind heart. So often people are vicious about killing predatory animals -- seeming to enjoy it. That's certainly their prerogative. But its nice to see someone who genuinely didn't want to take this course express their reservations about taking a life...
We use slide bolts with the looped handle, not the small notched lever as illustrated above. Then we put a carabiner clip through it. Racoons are incredibly dexterous but they don't have the wherewithall to open a carabiner.
Justine -- thank you for sharing your experience and posting this to help others avoid the unimaginable pain you're going through now. Either we don't think of "what if" scenarios or we put too much trust in things because they haven't given us problems before. Just like a parent needs to...
We have a nutty little Splash Sumatra hen who roosts right next to the door of the second coop. So whenever we open the latch to go in, she's right there to peck the snot out of our arms. I've found that simply blowing in her face (she sits about 3 feet up off the ground on the roost) when she...
Good observations and advice. I would add...do you ever free range your birds? We've found the best way is to let them free range for as many weeks as you're able to...3 weeks if possible (we usually have multiple coops, so free range area is neutral ground). They will start to work out their...
Our Polish are as alert as the others. Our cockerel had a full crest and he still spotted raptors in the air as quickly as our non-crested roosters. But we've since given him a hair cut because of the rain and to ensure his visibility is good. Our other Polish hen took to the ground as did our...
Chickenfan4life -- I can appreciate what you're going thru. I had always been afraid of the dark as a kid and had struggled with it as an adult. We live in the boonies. Pitch dark, no light pollution, it's actually wonderful. The way I got over my fear of the dark is that fact that my horses and...
OK. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't 6am until the next day.
If it's not mites, check their feet, make sure the perch material isn't causing them any discomfort. Then something spooking them or a change made to the coop that they don't like might be the issue. Are they in a spot where...
I'm in Western WA so I completely know what you're talking about with weather, temps and day light. Ok, probably no predators (and kudos on going thru the expense of making their coop safe for them!).
So you leave the light on all night long? Is that right? When did you start doing that?
Did they ever regularly go into the coop at night? lay their eggs there? do they have a roosting bar in the "house" part of the coop?
First thought is check them for mites. Mites are active at night and come out of the wood work to feast on sleeping chickens. Sometimes chickens are "afraid" to...