You're a stones throw away from me in W. Melbourne. Both me and my neighbor have chickens (and 2 folks down the street). There are tons of chicken people around me.
Ask any question you like. This place is really good about answering.
I raise:
RIR (+ rooster)
Easter Eggers
Barred Rocks...
I built mine like you described. I put down blocks, leveled them, the built a floor joist system just like a house except I used treated wood. I put down plywood subfloor (others use chip board) then I glued linoleum to that. Then i covered it all with pine chips that get cleaned out once a...
After yesterday's almost TS now TS Julia's rain my little flock needs row boats and kayaks to get around the back yard. The run is squishy wet but the coop made it through with flying colors; not a single drop of water inside.
Last night 7 of the 12 birds didn't go back to the coop to...
I have an EE (my avatar) who was so close to going into the pot she could feel the hot water. She was 33 weeks old before she layed her first egg. If she wasn't pretty she'd be dinner. My RIRs & BR's all were under 21 with 2 only 17 weeks. All that wait but no blue egg. It's cream-colored.
This thread is ongoing like the Enegizer bunny but it's been kind of quiet lately. I, for one, monitor the thread for activity and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Busy time of year for many of us. If you have questions, just post them.
Stay Tuned. We're a friendly bunch.
I have a friend looking for Florida hatcheries that have bantam Brahma pullets. He doesn't want to raise from chick (he doesn't know what he's missing out on does he?).
Anybody know of one?
tia
CMOM (probably others).
We had a bit of scare today. Went to pick up son from bus stop and found what we THOUGHT were a couple of our barred rocks 100yds'ish away from the house. Thankfully (cuz I didn't really want to chase chickens down the street) they weren't ours.
BUT, it brought up a...
I cut palm fronds from my Queen Palms and layed them over the run creating shade without spending a dime. They are much happier in the run but still would rather run the back yard and lay under the deck or the Crape Myrtles.
@SAINTSCHICKS
@cmom
Thanks for the advice. We did a few things. Added some hay in the nesting boxes. The broken egg was coming from the same box we added to all three for good measure. Put wooden eggs back in (had taken them out when the girls started laying consistently in the box (not...
I have a quick question.
I have 7 - 27 week old laying hens (EE & RIR) and 5 - 17 week non-layers (BR). For the past 2 days we've found a broken egg with the shell eaten. Now I assume this is happening from one of the laying hens who has a calcium deficiency. I have free-offered oyster...
Yep, you're a little farther north than I am but we're plenty warm for them to be in a coop. If they get cool, they'll huddle and be just fine. Give them some hay/straw/chips to nestle in.
I put all of mine out at 6 weeks in January and they were fine.
My run is also spongey as is my entire yard. The girls love the worms they find but they have torn it up. I put down some hay last night just to keep the mud down a bit. Of course it rained last night again but the ladies are scratching and throwing hay around not mud right now.
I'm looking...
I have just the opposite experience. My 20 week old hens (5 layers, 2 freeloaders) haven't touched the oyster shell I put out a few weeks ago. I guess they're getting what they need from feed.
My question would be do they have access to grit? They'll use oyster shell as grit if nothing...
I have 7 young hens all of laying age. I get 3-4 eggs a day. I KNOW 2 of 3 RIR are laying and I've matched one color of egg to an EE but I'm also getting a GREEN egg that I can't match to one of the 3 remaining EEs. If you, like me, can do math, there has to be 1 or 2 more laying (at least)...