people with house chickens

[mg15]

Every time I go in to scoop litter and check on things I feed my girls meal worms from my hand. They've been getting meal worms from my hand since I brought them home. A+, great name!!

ahhh, your girls will love you.

I am happy about NOT buying store eggs. My tiny dent into the cruel way hens have to 'live" their lives in the factory egg producers ghastly monster production sites.
AND eggs that people buy from me puts another tiny dent in store bought eggs.
any amount of people declaring to eat only home grown hen eggs can do more than any legislation

 

[mg15]

chynasparks,

I can't find your bulletin board, I didn't know I had one.
But the "officials" behind your house will appreciate the eggs!
I like the sand idea.

 

[LaLa Chickie]

OH NO. How awful.
Was she far from her coop. ? Or who ever did it were they close by ?

The reason I ask, is, before I had chickens a very big hawk would come to this area and get a possum. Especially in the fall and the winter.
I live in the city.
So, two days ago, I was watching out the door just because, and I saw the hawks huge legs and he was flying up off the ground. I ran so fast I don't even know how ended up outside. The girls were free ranging, so my fear was he got a girl.
I found no fearthers, the babies were in a fright, I could just pick them up and take em right back to their protected coop run site. And the other girls followed me after the danger passed.
That hawk perched up on the power line and I clapped my hands made noise, he only moved when I started to run towrads him.
He did a fly over yesterday, everyone was in the coop site. Today is cloudy and some of the bigger girls are out. BUT Dottie the girl Japenaese Bantam is out with huge children that she hatched is foster mother to.
I thought I would be able to keep them out free range at least until September. Since food would be so plentiful for the hawk.

I am sorry for you and JamJam, it just the pits.

Thank you. JamJam had become very independent. She had been very hurtful to the younger hens. She kept perching at night in the Magnolia Tree and not in the coops. She started nesting under a huge bunch of Scrub oaks on the hill, that's where we found her 5 eggs. My older hen Madonna (14) was out with her 2 nights. Madonna was dirt bathing around the Magnolia tree when we got home. We don't know when she disappeared. It could have been in the night or day. We lock up all the hens, but not these 2 nights. I have a feeling it was a day time, that's when we have lost others. The Coyotes, and Fox just glide the 6' fence and get them during dirt baths. I really had hoped she had gone over the fence into the neighbors, or the miles of open space and trees behind our property. I just don't know. They are all in lock up at night now. She's the only one that wouldn't go in at night. I pick Madonna up where she perches and put her in her coop. She is very spoiled. The others go in willingly to their coops at nightfall and we lock the gates.

 

[mg15]

LaLa Chickie

JamJam just didn't understand the dangers.
This is how A+ our White Leghorn is. She is so smart, so she just does whatever she wants. Also an escape artist.

Madonna is 14 years old. How wonderful.!

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I lost my sweet white rooster now too.

it makes my decision clear and once i get my momma and babies OUT of the house my pet hen is coming home.

Ah the chicken poop question. Well, i've read of litter training, but it sounds dubious. Have to use a dog training clicker. "won't wear a diaper", hmm. Well, my pet hen i lost "wouldn't " wear a saddle the first time around, i wish i could have video taped that first time i strapped one on her! LOL. Threw herself down and much more; but a few days later she was strutting and had decided that the thing somehow had given her flock status. Lorded it over the others, LOL. I just kept telling her how pretty she was

 

[mg15]

I'm sorry.

 

[LaLa Chickie]

LaLa Chickie

JamJam just didn't understand the dangers.
This is how A+ our White Leghorn is. She is so smart, so she just does whatever she wants. Also an escape artist.

Madonna is 14 years old. How wonderful.!

They really are amazing! I love all my chickens. I learned they aren't a Hen until they are a year old, so I still have 3 pullets that are 10months. JamJam never recovered mentally from the day CocoaPUff her partner was taken during a dirt bath, broad daylight. She was never the same. Very skiddish, and scared...then she began the picking on the youngest ones and was relentless. Of course Madonna would put her in her place and so would Betty and Boops, my Bardrocks that are her same age. Anyways, as much as I hate to lose her, all the chickens are getting along now and the Pullets, LaLa, ChaCha and Jessica are starting to lay better. Less stressed from her. Thank you for your kind words, she thought she could hang with the other wild birds I guess.

 

[LaLa Chickie]

Oh, NO! What happened to your Rooster?

 

[fuzzybutt love]

from what i can tell liver failure. But it was slow, lasted months. I thought he was improving but he kept pooing bright green diarrhea. The ONLY thing i can come up with is he ate insulation when he was younger. Otherwise idk what could have caused it, he was a healthy baby. He was my best bud and the prettiest rooster, never crowed at all and never got agressive. I tried everything, antibiotics, probiotics, special feed........ I gave him time more than what he would've had but ultimately he just couldn't do it anymore.

His sis will come home with me as she's the only one left of the "pet" breeding project i've been doing the last 3 years. My other birds are friendly but not nearly as much as she; Others have bred for color, performance; i've been quietly keeping the friendliest and going from there. I had wanted others to be able to have lovey birds like what i had; unless i found a VERY special rooster i don't have any way to keep the project going foreward. I'm pretty picky, took me all 3 years to produce him.

 

[LaLa Chickie]

from what i can tell liver failure. But it was slow, lasted months. I thought he was improving but he kept pooing bright green diarrhea. The ONLY thing i can come up with is he ate insulation when he was younger. Otherwise idk what could have caused it, he was a healthy baby. He was my best bud and the prettiest rooster, never crowed at all and never got agressive. I tried everything, antibiotics, probiotics, special feed........ I gave him time more than what he would've had but ultimately he just couldn't do it anymore.

His sis will come home with me as she's the only one left of the "pet" breeding project i've been doing the last 3 years. My other birds are friendly but not nearly as much as she; Others have bred for color, performance; i've been quietly keeping the friendliest and going from there. I had wanted others to be able to have lovey birds like what i had; unless i found a VERY special rooster i don't have any way to keep the project going foreward. I'm pretty picky, took me all 3 years to produce him.

That's so sad. Sorry for your loss. I had one early this year I lost, my favorite Black Star, Lady. Hers was similar with the green poo, she was gone in a week. I have not idea what happened. So far everyone else is doing great. My Light Brahmas are the sweetest if you don't have one, they are real lovey doveys