Let's Create our own Backyard Chicken Forum!!

I know lots of you have chickens, so let's create a thread where we can share our knowledge of chickens and all that goes with them.

Having had chickens for many years now, I have learned lots but have scads more to learn and I am in hopes you all will share. I have frequented the actual Backyard Chickens forum and have truly learned much from the fine members there but think we can learn from each other too.

My first question is: Can you raise banty chickens with regular sized chickens? I have heard yes and no, so if you have any experience with this I would greatly appreciate your input.

Never having had banty chickens, I have no working knowledge but think I might like to incorporate some to my flock if they get along.

I have no experience with banties at all...I've raised Australorps, X-Rocks, and Leghorns, and that's pretty much it...but I can't imagine there'd be a problem with putting them together. The problem would be if one of them is a rooster and you have a standard rooster. Standards and banties can and do interbreed, so I'd think you might have a few small tiffs until all the hens settled out the hierarchy, then no problems.

I have kept, at various times, Muscovy ducks, Royal Palm turkeys, and Ringneck pheasants in the run with the chickens and/or each other, and nobody ever had a problem with anybody else, in there...

I've raised bantys along side regular birds with no problems...but most of my bantys are in individual cages. Most of them are Old English Silver Duckwing Bantams, very cool and calm bantys.

Hummm...so I have a large coop and they all run together in the coop yard as well as roosting together. I do not have an area where I could actually separate them all the time.

So, is that agreeable? I can section off my coop yard but there is no covered area where I do that where they can roost protected.

???



This is my original coop...the right front portion has a door that can be closed between the extension and the primary coop. Changes have been made also...the entire front left panel and back panel have been closed in and a wall erected between the two for the roost station.

So, am I in a playing field for integrating the two species?

Y'all back yard chickeners be careful about allowing anyone who has other chickens come in contact with your birds or even your farm, house, barn.

Avian Influenza has been confirmed in the state. Shut down all individual sales of live chickens, period.

If that stuff gets out of hand, it will shut down and bankrupt half of this state.

Maggie, the answer to your question is yes. When I was a kid, I had Bantamn hens the size of a crow in the same pen with Dominecker hens. Never had one minutes trouble.

Now if your big rooster starts mating with your tiny hens, he may break them down.....

Oh gosh, I knew it was confirmed in TN but did not know AL...thanks!

I saw this on the news yesterday. Looks like they are taking every precaution as in uthinising whole commercial flocks.

Soooo...next question. Couple years ago, we acquired a dozen Black Star biddies. I put them in our chicken tractor to grow them up enough that I felt comfortable putting them in with the 9 adult birds we have. When they were 8 or 10 weeks old, we took one of them and put her in the run with others, everything was fine, so we put 2 more, and so on, until they were all in the big run. No problems, whatsoever. After about a week, 'Huntress and I were going somewhere or other for a couple days, so before we left the feeders and waterers were filled, etc. When we got back, all 12 of the younger birds were gone...as in, vanished. Not a drop of blood, not a feather, nothing. No holes or signs of digging/breaking into the coup, and not a single problem with any of the 9 adult birds. It was like they were never even there. The roosts are all inside the coup, the run is 20x30 with top and bottom rails on a 7' tall fence, and it's got Bird-X netting over the whole thing, so no hawks or owls. What happened to the 12 younger birds in 2 days and 1 night that they vanished without a single trace?

Kaint no !! That's pretty strange. I would think they got out some where the rest of the big birds couldn't get through. If it were a cat,coon ,hawk ect.you would be feathers and such everywhere from my experience.

Good nite...

Really? Wow! Can't really think of what the predator was unless the big birds got them. Seems as if there were any other predator, there would have been some sort of evidence in the coop. There was no break, loose spot or anything in the overhead netting?

Exactly how big were they? Could a snake have eaten them?

That is just crazy!

You have now entered The Twilight Zone!!!

DOA, it sounds like someone went in the pen and got those 12 chickens. If it had of been an animal they wouldn't have got just those chickens and there would have been feathers and chicken parts all over the place.
My game chickens (yard chickens) all sleep in a big cedar tree in the back yard. The dang things are laying all over the place, but we get plenty of eggs from the nest I have put up.. We keep the bantams in a pen, those game roosters would kill them.

No tears in the raptor netting, no holes in or under the fence. They were about half-grown, I'd guess, and if a snake big enough to eat all 12 had gotten in there, he sure wouldn't have been able to get back out, after a meal like that.

I could probably accept "found a way out" if just a few were gone, even though they'd likely still have been nearby, but every single one of them?...when they had feed, water, and shelter, and were completely accepted by the older birds?

I've wondered about someone getting them, but there's only one other house within a mile of us that keeps chickens, and he owns the feed store I got those from! For a stranger coming into the yard, 12 half-grown chickens out of EVERYTHING else in the yard and barn seems like a really bizarre thing to steal.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System has created a website to assist backyard flock owners with maintaining healthy birds and to provide answers for avian influenza control. It can be found at

http://www.aces.edu/eden/agricultural-disasters/avian-influenza/

Here is a pic of my little ones

Before you know it, they'll be hopping up on the edge of the tub...containing them gets to be a challenge, right before it's safe for them to go outside!

I've got about 30 black copper marans. Any of yall ever had any dorkings? Been thinking about getting a few just to try out. Fixing to fire up my incubators and hatch abunch of marans if anybody wants some. They lay some big dark brown eggs.

Sometimes, probably most times, I write my comments as if in shorthand. I write like I talk and I don't remember that I can't use inflection with typing like I do in my voice...

What I meant to say is that THE STATE OF ALABAMA has shut down ALL individual sales of live chickens. It is ILLEGAL to sell (probably even trade) and/or transport live chickens. So don't buy any and don't sell any.

I don't know what the punishment for violating this would be, but it would be very severe.

So, with that said Fur, did we get our chickens just in time? Or can you still buy from places like TSC and co-ops?

local feed store is still selling chicks.

At the Paxton sale the first Saturday of the month they sell hundreds of chickens, ducks, turkeys, guineas, etc.

I was at Shelby co op yesterday and they had chicks

Interesting, I wonder how those places can get buy with selling? I did a lot of reading on the avian flu subject this morning and AL is taking this very seriously.

'On March 14, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) issued a stop movement order for certain poultry in the U.S. state, after three potential cases of avian influenza were identified. The order halts movement of birds to poultry shows, swap meets, flea markets and poultry auctions.' from an article on WATTAgNet.com

Looks like they are testing a commercial flock in Lauderdale County, North of Florence; a backyard flock in Madison County, East of Huntsville; and a flea market flock in Jackson County, near Scottsboro....for now.

You can still buy baby chicks. This order is for farm raised chickens. Not sure if there's a lower age limit, but I don't think anything older than a day old chick is legal to sell. I'm not sure if farm raised day old chicks are even legal to sell, but most all store bought chicks come from out of state.

If you see anyone at a trade day or swap meet selling chickens, pull up a chair and get ready to watch the show when the po po and the state AG department shows up.

I mentioned in a previous post having raised some ringneck pheasants...absolutely gorgeous birds! If you ever get the chance to raise some...


pass it up!!! They're batsh!t crazy from the day they hatch until the day they die! They don't calm down and they don't get "used" to you being around. After over a year, they never did figure out that the raptor netting over the run not only kept raptors out, but kept them in. In smaller cages, they would fly up into the wire, repeatedly, until they were addled and bleeding...and once they're bleeding, the other pheasants with them will literally pick them apart.

Probably the calmest bird I've raised was the Royal Palm turkeys...the tom I had wanted to be a heel dog so bad he couldn't stand it!...very friendly bird. The hen was a little more standoffish, but not much, especially if she thought you had food.

The Muscovys are now permanently turned out in my Dad's pond, have been for a couple years, but will still readily approach to be fed and/or petted. They're a very social bird, and don't mind having multiple drakes around...huge bodied, too. I don't know what they'd dress at, but they're bigger/heavier than Pekins.

Johnv I might be interested soon. I have 6 hens black australorp, 2 americuans, olive egger, maran, and I think a Sussex. I'm sure I misspelled half those names

Well, after lots of research, looks like I may be cockrel heavy during our chick purchase. Anyone want some Barred Rock roos? Looks like I am gonna have 3, maybe 4 out of 6 roos

9

If you go to get some more chicks from tsc left me know. I want 3 of those black chicks that lay black eggs and they won't let me buy 3 ! After i just bout 20 three weeks ago.

What kind are they?

Tetra browns and there was one other black breed. The tetras are sexed . The other breed is straight run

ill meet you up there if you go .it would be much appreciated. No problem if not

i'll let you know if I go back. Gonna see if the get some more barred rocks in.

10 4 thanks man

I had some silver cuckoo marans that layed really dark eggs, but the tornado got them back in 2011. Wish I could fine some more eggs to hatch.

Do you wash your eggs? I have heard arguments for not washing and washing, so what is your preference?

Personally, I do not wash. If there is undue poop, I wipe. My understanding is if the bloom is left on the egg they last longer.

Also, do you refrigerate? I do both. Once I fill up my counter basket, I usually carton and refrigerate. Then I give away.

That's eggzactly how we do ours...no washing and in a basket on the counter until the basket is full, then wash, carton, refrigerate.

I've heard you can wash them, then store them at room temp. submerged in oil, and they'll keep a long time, too.

Another thing, lots of people use the "float test" to decide if an egg is good or not, but after being refrigerated for a long time, the egg will lose some moisture content through the shell...it'll still float, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I just crack each egg individually into a small bowl before adding it to whatever I'm doing. An older egg that's lost a lot of moisture will be thicker and won't necessarily just "plop" out of the shell, but it's still good. We still have some eggs we're using from last summer, and I haven't found a bad one in the lot, yet. Trying to get them used up-I'll boil a couple dozen at the time to make egg salad with. The two dozen I used in egg salad last month were washed and carton'd the last of May...all still good, though a couple were lighter than others.

We just wash ours prior to using

We don't wash ours either, just put them in a carton and leave on the counter

I didn't know eggs would keep that long. Our game hen eggs are sort of small, but the yolks are almost orange, a little strong tasting but in a good way..

We don't wash ours till right before we use them either.

So, my question today is: do you feed laying pellets/bits or not? What do you feed?

laying crumbles, seems they wasted more with pellets. Also throw out 5 way scratch feed.

oh, and I wash my eggs when they get collected.

I can show you how to build a feeder where they can't waste feed.

I had the exact opposite feeling...I felt like they wasted more with crumbles than with pellets. The feeders are under cover and hanging about 2" above ground, so no ants can get into them. Laying pellets are a balanced nutrition feed, so I don't supplement with scratch. When I turn my raised beds over, though, any grubs I find go to the chickens, and when I weed the beds, any weeds (along with grass clippings from the yard) go to the chickens. Last year, I was cutting some watermelons that I grew on the overhead trellis, and dropped 2...I put them in the chicken run, and they ate everything, including the rind!

I would pay attention to that

As would I!!

I always give my chickens watermelon in the summer. Have a neighbor that keeps three or four on my front porch when his come in and we can't eat um all. The chickens love them!! When I grow cabbage I throw a head of cabbage in for them too and I confess, I also give mine meal worms generally when they molt to help them refeather. They are spoiled and when they hear a bag crinkle they come running!! LOL!!

Mine that I built were gravity feeders. I made them out of plywood. They were about 2 feet wide and 1.5 ft front to back and about 2.5 ft tall. You basically make a box of of plywood and on the inside you make a ramp going from the back wall of the feeder to the feed opening which was about 1.5 inches tall and ran the width of the feeder. Make you a box out of 2x4s laid on edge around the opening that comes out past the feed opening about 3 inches. Cut one strip of 2x4 wire fence and staple it over the opening in the feed trough. The chickens have to stick their heads down through the fencing to get the feed and can't sling their heads sideways to throw the feed out on the ground.

do me a pic if ya can Nick, I think I got it. thanks.

I would but I can't get into photobucket at the moment.

ha, me either. I really hate photobucket sometimes.

You can't see it in the pics but I just cut the section of 2x4 fence and stapled it over the feed trough opening. It works like a charm. No more wasted feed.

THanks for the pic; nice design.

I feed laying pellets and throw some scratch on the ground for them. When I get home I turn them out to free range

Yep, mine free range almost every day too. Lost one to a red tail hawk not long ago while they were free ranging. With this crane fly outbreak they are happy chicken while ranging now!!

Well, I moved my little chicks out to their coop today. They wandered around in the run portion for a while then I caught them all and put them in the roosting quarters(with nest boxes blocked off) and clos d them up for the night. They will spend all day tomorrow in the coop run with access to the roosting quarters if they want.

Well they survived their first night outside. I opened the door to let em into the run and they were still asleep. They all eventually moved down the ramp to the run and were pecking around when I left for work

Young chicks are fun to watch.

Right now I have one of my old girls that is a[Rhode Island White] that is on her last leg I think. She is still doing okay but has poopy butt; I have cleaned her twice but we have not gotten rid of it yet which leads me to believe she is bound up....

Keeping a close eye on her and cleaning...ya ain't lived till ya washed a shitty chicken butt!!

I really enjoy watching my new flock grow. They have started getting a pretty big comb and tail feathers.they are still really skittish around me. I guess for good reason . Next few days a couple roosters will be going to aldeer backyard chicken great beyond.

I had to put mine in a back corner of the yard because they kept eating my wifes flowers and digging out all of the mulch in the beds.

My ol' roo keeled over daid about a week and a half ago.

Let the hens out for a little while this morning, and in about 10 minutes they'd torn a 10x10 patch of clover worse than hogs could have! I'd have never thought 8 hens could tear up the ground like they did!

True! They are like mini excavators!!! Everything I have that I don't want demolished I fence.

Question, my coop has a sliding door for the sleeping quarters. This week, as the chicks go to bed, I go close the door. Should I do this or leave it open?

If no predators can get to them without the door shut, I would leave it open for air circulation. However, if something could get to them by all means shut it.

Well, shite. Had to take out an egg bound hen this afternoon and that just plain sucks. If you know anything, you know once they are well and truly egg bound there is no hope. This ole hen has been babied and had her hiney washed more that any hen wants but we just could not get things to work.

To be humane and put her on out of her misery we took her out this afternoon. Thank goodness hubby was around to do the deed and told me to go away and not watch.

Never easy to take any life but it was the humane thing to do since she could not even get on the roost any longer.

Compared to the hive burning that has gone on with Fur this is no thing but never easy.

MMmmmmmmmmm, chicken and dumplins at Maggie's house!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding, you hate to lose them. The dang hawks are giving my chicks hell right now.

I had a coon get into the chickens Sat. night. I put my special "Kool Aid" out last night.

Oh dear they can do some real damage in a short period of time.

Yes they can. They kill for fun.

Well, it is confirmed. I have 2(possibly 4) roosters. Anyone want any barred rock roos? If not, they will eat good

Oh lawsy, wish you luck! Me, I am figuring out how to best get rid of my Black Australorp rooster!!

Heck Maggie, just wring his neck............

I am putting these photos up for Timbercruiser...he says this mama is something else...he can comment on her.





I think she is a beaut!!

Mean game hen, but she hatched 8 out of 8 eggs, very good mama, but she will peck the blood out of you. My Boston Terrier has been her victim several times also.

I was raised up with my grandparents owning chickens. I want to purchase some but I want to know more about them before I buy any. What websites would be best to learn Alabama Law and the basics on raising them?

Where in Alabama do you live? Unless you are in a city that has some kind of stupid law against owning chickens I don't know of a law. I would check around and see if I could find someone with some and just let a hen or two set on some fertile eggs. At Paxton, Fl the first Saturday of the month they have a sale and you can get about any kind of chicken you could want. There are bound to be similar type sales around you.

Murray McMurray Hatchery's website will have a ton of representative pictures of different varieties, along with a brief description of their temperament, egg color, etc. Once you've decided on a breed to suit your needs, you can order from them if you want a bunch and don't mind raising them from chicks, or hit Craigslist, in the farm and garden section. You can get everything from eggs to grown birds, there. Supplies are available at your local co-op, feed store, or Tractor Supply.

There was an order suspending sales of chickens in AL due to Avian Flu concerns earlier this year, but as I understand it, that order was rescinded in mid April. For any concerns you could check the ADAI web site.

For general information and to locate chicken owners within your area, My Pet Chicken Forums AND Backyard Chickens Forums are both good sites to ask questions and learn about care.

We have several chicken owners on this forum so some of your questions might be answered right here.

Are you anywhere in south/southeast Bama? I have a hen that hatched a bunch of chicks today I would give you if you were close enough.

Work it Timbercruiser!! It is hard to get rid of um sometimes!! Wish we were closer and I would help you out!

I don't think I could put a stamp on the chicks and hens........

Well my chickens are 6+ month's old now and I haven't gotten the first egg. Normally they start laying eggs between 5 and 6 month's old right?

By the way out of 16 unsexed chicks 12 where roosters. Next go round I will spend an extra dollar on sexed chicks. If I hadn't bought the 3 additional hens I would only have 4 hens.

Ouch, that hurt. Lotsa Roos!!

Ok, newbie with a question. My barred rock hens will be roughly 17 weeks old tomorrow. I have kept their nesting boxes blocked off so they would not sleep there. Just wondering if it is time to open them up? Also, do I need to go ahead and put a fake egg in one or two of the boxes?

What exactly am I looking for when they are close to starting to lay? Their combs/faces are beginning to get much brighter red in them

Open them up and throw a few old golf balls in the nest. I don't know the age they are when they start laying, but it shouldn't be long.

I agree with timbercruiser on the go ahead but don't look for the Bards to start laying before 22 - 25 weeks. They will give you big brown eggs & sometimes my girls have some speckles in the shell too. I had three bardrocks but a big ole redtail hawk got one while free ranging. Something about those bards that attracts a hawk...

That's an indicator they're getting ready to start laying. In the winter time or before molt, you may see their combs going back to pink, HOWEVER, a pink comb can also be a sign of anemia, so pay attention to how the bird acts, too. They may start showing some interest in your nest boxes, trying one out, then another. Another sign, if your birds are hand-tamed, is when you reach to touch or pet her, she squats. That's a sign of submission indicating that she'd accept a rooster.

Thanks guys.

If you have Facebook you can look up central Alabama chicken trader. People have chickens for sale all the time

Well, got my first egg today. It is a little on the small side and a light tan color but other than that, looks like a nice egg

got six new chicks hatched a few days ago and seven new ones last night.

And counting back, looks like they are 21-22 weeks old

Congrats on the egg laying starting. They will all get going soon & timing sounds just right. First eggs are generally a bit small but usually get larger. My bard rock are molting now as well as some other breeds...look a mess.

Congrats on the new chicks too!! I have never tried to let my girls hatched any.

Maggie, I've had pretty good luck over the years hatching chicks here, but this year was a clusterbomb. I had four different hens setting and all I did was let several dozens of eggs go bad. Now, after I have give up on any chicks I get two hatches!!!!

I learn more every day how much I don't know!!!!

I do as well about chickens!!

So far, 3 eggs in 3 days. Hopefully the other will start laying soon

Well. Looks like the other hen may have laid her first egg today and it was soft!

Weird.

Not unusual when they first start laying lefthorn.

Ok, so now I am getting two eggs every day!! However, I have a question. My chicken house has the run/coop/laying box deal all in one. Got it from tractor supply. So, in the beginning I had the nest boxes blocked off. Once the chickens were getting close, I opened up the nests. Everything was gooing good. At night, the chickens would sleep in the house/coop part where the nest boxes are attached to. Now, all of a sudden, they are sleeping on a roosting bar in the run portion and only using the coop/house part when they lay eggs. Anything I need to worry with? They are just as safe on the roosting bar as they are in the house part since it is all caged in. I just worry when it starts to get cold, they will probably need to sleep in the house part. Should I remove roosting bar for a bit to force them into the house?

Or, am I just too worried about nothing

Where do you think "free range" chickens sleep?

Yep, you are right. Figured I was worried over nothing

Don't over think the chickens hon. It is likely hot in the actual coop and that is why they are out of it roosting. They will go inside the coop when it gets cold. The heat will get to them worse than the cold actually. I have two LARGE fans on my outter coop area and one inside my covered coop area to keep air circulating at night for them where they roost. [I have a very large coop though, not like one you bought.]

My chickens sleep in a big cedar tree out back, in the heat, cold, wind or rain.

Got my first double yolk egg yesterday

Had a hen hatch 8 out of 8 eggs yesterday. My problem is the dang varmits.

Awesome! I don't let my hens set. Last year, I let 4 set on about 20 eggs, total, and by 18-20 days, they'd all gotten tired of it and decided to do something else. Wounding up chunking almost 2 dozen eggs into the woods.

Same here this year DoA, proly chunked 4 dozen in the trash. Then the dang hens decided to hatch a couple of clutches and I still have 11 live chicks coming along.

If mine start to get broody, now, I just bump them off the nest and take the eggs. Hasn't been a problem this year, I guess because my roo died.

Dang DOA, I'll put a stamp on a rooster and send it to you.

If you have a black australorp, send him on! The one we had was huge, and very mild tempered and well-mannered...I don't think 'Huntress would have anything else in there. She won't abide an aggressive roo.

All I have are game chickens, but they ain't picky...........

Every game rooster I've ever had, I shot! I had one that would see me coming and run 100 yds to pick a fight with me. I was coming back in from rabbit hunting one day, and here he comes hot-footing across the dam of the pond towards me...he didn't make it halfway!

one of my hens hatched out four more chicks, got a dozen in three broods now.

On the opening day of dove season I'm get a call from my wife asking me when I'm coming home and I can tell she's really pissed. She went on to tell me that one of our 2 roosters flogged my 4 yo little girl and scratched her up pretty good to the point of bleeding. I tell her I'll kill him when I get home but I could tell she was fuming mad. Little bit later she calls me and said no rush to come home ,i shot that roosters ass!
I fell off my bucket laughing. You have know my wife to understand how prissy she is. She had never shot a shotgun and she had never killed anything in her 35 years of life. I got home to find a rooster shot 3 times at close range by a pissed off mama bear.

Now that is hilarious!

Thanks I thought it was pretty funny my self. She had a few hens that would hear her outside and would run to her as fast as they could. Not any more! She's bummed out about that. I told her they would forget.

NOTE: a pissed off white woman will just kill yer azz.

Ok. So one of my hens lays a double yolk egg about every other egg. I am digging it!!!

Here is one pic of my bantam adults. I have 10 new chicks hatched yesterday if anyone would like some.
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If you were a lot closer by I would take you up on the offer. Those are some pretty bantams.

Pretty birds. Almost looks like a prairie chicken.

Oh wow!! Those are beautiful!!!

My poor ole brown leghorns are going through a HARD molt right now and look awful....necked necks....just makes you feel sorry for them!!

Very pretty bantams! I have two hens and a rooster, but may not have that rooster much longer. He keeps sucker punching me when I have my back turned to him.

Poor ole Black Australorp has been in a HARD molt....her whole bum has been bare but pin feathers are popping out all over now...she looked a sight!!

Ok. With winter coming (maybe) anything special I need to do for my chickens? What about when it is below freezing?

Chickens are very hardy and can withstand very cold temps. With that said, if I know temps are going to be below freezing for several days, I do use heat lamps in my coop in addition to a radiant heater if I feel necessary. Now mind you, I BABY my birds compared to many. With below freezing temps, your BIG concern is frozen water! Make sure they have fresh water.

As long as you have a coop they can get inside out of the wind and rain if things get real nasty and freeze they usually fare well. Their body heat as the snuggle together keeps them warm.

Speaking of...I just walked in the door after running a coon off from the door of my coop. I saw him earlier and kept a watch because my chickens were free ranging. Spied the little bastid just as he was about to invade the coop and ran out the back door screaming like William Wallace!!

My husband and the two German Shepherds came to the rescue toot sweet after hearing me screaming at the top of my lungs and hubby shot the coon, since I had not grabbed a gun on the way out. I was just before knocking it in the head with the shovel when they arrived. Alas, one of my Brown Leghorns is now missing but they roost outside the coop occasionally, so maybe she will show up tomorrow. If not, she is past her prime and not laying regularly now, so as it goes, no big loss.

I hate freezing weather because of the watering problems

I will turn on the overhead heaters in sub 25 degree temps, or heat lamps. Just be careful and don't burn the coop to the ground.

Woohoo...my old girl was in the coop this morning!! She must have been under another hen else when I made the count after the coon invasion!!

Big Rhode Island Red rooster, about six months old has become lethargic. Sits on the ground, won't go to roost. Has stopped tending himself. Eyes are clear, has been wormed monthly. Can't find ant injury on him.

Oh no, That does not sound good. Heck, I have had hens fall off the roost dead as a door knob ...

Have you checked him for any injury? Any mucus from eyes or nose?

Very strange, eyes/nose are clear and he is alert, just won't move, I have picked him up and felt all over him and can't find a thing. Hens aren't talkin'

Okay, so I have a question for those more experienced. Is it an option to cut the spurs of your rooster?

My big ole Black Australorp roo is cutting the backs of my hens with his spurs. The spurs and almost two inches long...large and look like mini daggers. Truly, I don't want to see the hens torn up from him.

So, is it just time to get rid of the roo and let the girls live in peace or is the spur thing viable?

Thanks!

I've cut em before on a bad rooster. Go in at night, grab him by the legs and snip em off, put him back on the roost.

Thanks!

Ok. With the really old air coming in, what do I need to do special for my chickens? Obviously, I got to worry about their water supply freezing. What about them? They have a nesting house they can get into that has hay. Sould that be enough? I could put the red heat lamp out there but worries me a little

It has been below zero up here every night for over a week with highs in the single digits. My birds have been fine they go out and lay in sun during the day. Water just freezes is it.

Funny, right before the cold snap, my hens had been laying again...not as much as usual, but for several months during the hottest part of the summer, they'd quit entirely!

mine quit this last summer too, laying some right now, but I had a long talk with them while I was holding a frying pan....

HA! We use the same motivational tactics!

Mine got real lazy about laying late in the summer too but they were all in different stages of molting, so I chalked it up to that. Talked to an old timer and he told me they just were not getting enough sunshine and to put a light in the coop. I did and boy howdy, got great results. Even though I was letting them free range daily, they simply did not get the required hours of sun they needed.

Mine are all laying great now and with all the cold weather, I've had on two heat lamps and a radiant heater in the coop. I keep one of the water cans by the heater to keep water available. Even so, every morning I carry fresh water out for them to insure they have plenty.

Recently, they were free ranging and one of my old Brown Leghorn hens, who had a propensity of flying over the fence into the backyard where the German Shepherds roam met her end. It was only a matter of time before it happened and we knew it. My female Shepherd, Roxie, was out and before I could snap my fingers, that dang hen jumped the fence and Roxie got her. My hubby went out, picked up the hen and smacked Roxie with the hen!!! Don't think he realized the hen was not totally dead, so after he chunked her over the fence, I went out and rung her neck. It was a mess but everything wants to kill a chicken.

Speaking of killing...my neighbor had four mallard duck chicks she got a while back. A few days back she text me and said she thought the hawk that had recently gotten two of her chickens got one of her ducks. Well....about two days later I let the dogs out that evening and remarked to my hubby..."There was some large bird in the backyard...could not see what it was but it was not a songbird."

Later that night the Germans were a total pain in the arse...we kept thinking they had a possum or something the way they were going in and out. Hubby got up the next morning to take out the garbage and said he thought there was a dead possum in the yard, which we did not find a surprise. What we did find surprising was it was a mallard duck! Pretty sure the neighbor's pet duck came home from a walk about and got confused on the yard where it landed. Oops...

I pushed my chickens to lay through the winter a few years back by putting a light on a timer in the henhouse with them...it can be any light, mine was a regular old 60w bulb...it worked fine. I didn't do it anymore after that because we had more eggs than we needed during that time, plus I suspect it'll cause the birds to lay out early. They're born with a finite number of eggs inside them, and once those are gone...

I've done necropsies on a few 1000 laying hens. There has never been one, nor will there ever be one that will lay up all she's got in there the day they reach sexual maturity.

Maggie, your rooster is cutting the backs of your hens with his back toenail, not his spurs. He's too heavy. Put him on a diet before spring and then feed him back up to a lighter weight if you want fertile eggs. Or just kill him and raise another and don't let him get as heavy.

Thanks Fur...his arse is gone as soon as we can make it happen. He is a HUGE Black Australorp rooster and a complete jerk to boot.

I have threatened to shoot him several times but my husband keeps asking me not to do that. He wants to take him to another home and give him a chance...me, I could care less he has attacked me so many times.

Hubby is having bad back/neck problems right now, so I am waiting till he gets better to give him a chance at relocation before blowing that roosters head off...I say waiting...that bird could meet the end of my .410 before all is said and done if he grabs my damn finger again. Almost yanked my middle finger off the other day when he came at me.

The BA roo we had until last year was the most gentle and tame of all of our birds...but I'm like you, had he ever attacked me or anyone else, he wouldn't have seen the sun set that day! I hope when we eventually replace him that we get as lucky as we did with him.

my wife shot our rooster while I was on a dove shoot because he flogged my little girl. That was the hardest I've ever laughed!
Those production reds are great egg layers but the roosters are freakin mean.

When I was 5 or 6, my grandmother had a RIR rooster that was as mean as the day is long! She kept a rake by the back door and when you stepped outside, you'd better be reaching for it, because he was coming! I swear I remember that damn thing as being 6' tall and having fangs!

I carry a rake everywhere with me when I am outside the fenced yard!! I've beat this roo with the yard rake, the garden rake, the hoe, a plastic bat, a wooden tomato stake and shot it with the BB gun...he just comes back for more...


He stands two feet tall and is mean as a snake...he fights the 100 pound German Shepherds through the fence and when he sticks those neck feathers out around his head he looks HUGE!



Took a couple of pics while I was just out in the yard...he would crow at me and then do this growl thingy in his throat...jerk. If you look close you can see his longggg spurs.

I think my game roosters know better. I've never had one offer to flog anybody. I had an old turkey gobbler that tried flogging our daughter years ago, he didn't live 5 more minutes.

I have a RIR rooster that is good as gold, never bothers anybody. He will run to you and follow you around waiting for a handout.

I used to have a White Leghorn rooster that flogged me, the wife, and my grandson. I shot his azz with my longbow.

Had a banty rooster that would leap up and spur yer hand, hip, sometimes yer back. I ran him out of the pen and let him fight the dogs. He lost.

Maggie, he looks just like the roo we had...great looking bird!

Timbercruiser, I've had Bourbon Reds and Royal Palms and never had a turkey try to jump on anyone! The Royal Palm gobbler I had was convinced he was supposed to be a lap dog!

my oldest hen, a game hen, died yesterday. I'm thinking she was around ten years old. Easy keeper and laid a medium size egg. I'm going to have to get a couple more game hens.

Sorry your old girl passed but dang, she lived a long time. Was she still laying at that age? Good luck with finding some new game hens.

game hens are pretty hard to find around here Maggie.

She was laying this summer, but not regular, kind of a small off white egg.

Dang Troy, if I could get a stamp or two to stick I'd send you a couple. Maybe we could get a Aldeer UPS route from Fl?

UPS would lose em.....

"UPS, yes my packages haven't arrived, been two weeks. Yeah, TWO chickens, ya know, feathers, chickenchitt, and such, hard to miss...."

Just a few experiences of my own regarding chickens and a few questions as well:

My parents were down to getting 2-3 eggs a day. A friend of ours told them about the heat lamps and also wrapping the coop with visqueen. Within a matter of days, the egg factory came alive again. Simply amazing!

As far as feed: it's laying crumbles and as many fruit/vegetable scraps that we can get to them.

Soft eggs or chickens eating their eggs: we feed them oyster shells or their own shells crumbled up so that it's not teaching them to eat their own shells.

My questions are:

1. Does anyone have a snake deterrent for the spring time? We can usually count on finding an egg thief in an egg box a few times each spring or summer.
2. As far as worming does anyone have an absolute preference? We've used pig swig, a granular substance that while feeding to the hens, the eggs are supposedly no good. I cannot say that we've ever had a problem with worms, but have always done it as a precautionary practice.

Grab the snake by the tail and pop his head against a post.

Oh they are harmless snakes who simply like eating eggs. I was hoping for more of a way to repel them. JK. We’ve “exterminated” every one so far. Ha. Was just thinking there might be a suggestion to reduce these encounters. Maybe a fake owl?

I picked up 6 barred rock straight run chicks yesterday to add to my flock. Do any of y'all have any of these birds ?

I've had barred rocks for years, good chickens, easy keepers.

That's what I wanted to hear! How long have you had them?

since 09, I have a mixed flock of about 20 birds of all kinds

Looks like we're going to be joining in on the backyard chicken community. Going to try to make a chicken tractor that we can move around the backyard every couple of days.

Just be sure to try and make it coon and dog poof.

Does anyone have experience with the treatment for vent gleet? The wife thinks one of our hens might have it.

do you mean when they have crap collecting around their vent ?

Started my backyard chicken flock three years ago. I keep about 14 at all times. Mostly RIR and Golden Comet laying hens. One Barred Rock rooster just for noise. He's a cool dude and laid back. Not the least bit aggressive.

Pretty much yeah. Never had any issues but this seems excessive. Can't see how it would be gleet reading about causes because she takes really good care of them. Just not sure what else it could be...

I have 4 rir nd 3 tetra browns . I've gotten 26 eggs in the last 4 days with 7 hens. Im glad to hear the barred rocks make good roosters.I got 6 of them and I was hoping for a good rooster. the rir roosters I had where mean as a snake !

when we've had similar problems in the past we hose em off good and rub coconut oil around their vent as needed.

Scattered moth balls around the pen for snakes

I checked on her this morning. She's going down quick. Gotta be something else, but for the life of me, no idea what.

Is she egg bound?

I've had chickens for a number of years now and sometimes the little buggers just die....I've had two or three just kill over...never did figure out what happened.

That was my thought, but the wife went out and found an egg where she had been laying. Next day she was gone. Was a red star and her comb never really filled out or reddened up. She was the 3rd one like that. Really thinking the hybrid genetics of the hatch. Out of 8 we started with, we are down to 3 in about a year. But those girls are as healthy as can be.

Picked up some new chicks. Marans and EE.
Also went to close the birds up Friday night about 11. When I got up Saturday to go turkey hunting I noticed the chickens were outside the coop. So they must not have been in there when I closed them up. Something has to chase them out, so last night when I went to close them up a possum was in there eating food. .17 the head ended that.

I have several girls going through their spring molt so, egg production is down. I wish I could get a pic
of my Brown Leghorn!! She looks a sight...and one of my Rhode Island White is bare azzed...LOL!!

IMG_20180320_162255008_HDR
Just started the last couple weeks building a Coop. The kids and I are excited about getting chicks hopefully this week. We are dummies when it comes to having a Coop. Glad I ran across this thread. Will keep eye and update as we complete the Coop.

rule #1 on coops....make em 100X coon proof at night, then make em tighter.

lookin good.

Yep. Will make it tight as possible. Still have alot to do.

Picked up chicks yesterday. We got 3 Black sex links, 3 Australorp and 4 Issa brown. To say our girls were excited is a understatement LOL.

Finished run over weekend. We put chicken wire a foot in ground all the way around run. Hope this will deter any critters from getting in. Couple more weeks and plan on putting chicks In new home. We did put them out in run for a few hours yesterday and they loved it.

chicken wire alone will not stop a dog, yote, or a coon

Suggestions?

I caged my pen in with 11 1/2 gauge 2x4 weld wire and then put 1" chicken wire on the bottom 3 feet. A determined dog might get in, but possums and coons aren't getting in.

Similarly, I used 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom 3 feet, and an additional 18" underground. Added some river rock at the bottom of my trench as well.

run a 3' high roll of 2x4 welded wire along the bottom

Wish I knew what type wire we used but not a clue. Buried wire down and out to prevent digging. I think it is one inch square wire... somebody on here could tell me. He built it. Also, put metal caps on the corners, so critters could not pull anything back.... no exposed edges.

You could always run a hotwire around the exterior base of the coup/fencing as well.

Thanks y'all. We are gonna at tin to top and I will install welded wire 3-4 high around bottom.

Are there any pros or cons of having the food/water in the coop itself rather than in the run? I'm trying to balance easy access, but not having a lot of doors/gates that could be possible weak spots for predators.

your daytime run needs to be dog proof with 2x4 welded wire fencing. One chicken killing dog in yer run will convince you that it was a real big mistake not to dog proof it.

Night time roost area/box/coop has to be coon which means no small holes, no light wire, no birds roosting close enough to grab thru the wire. A chicken that has been grabbed and torn apart by a coon pulling it piece by piece thru the wire is a pitiful sight and will make yer blood boil.

My night time coop is a 12x12 room tight as Ft Knox, with an automatic opening/closing door. It has windows wire covered with 2x4 wire. Daytime run is chain link fencing. I may be over doing it but having fought the coon wars for years I don't think so...lots of dead chickens in that learning curve.

Just a curiosity question... If you were to get rid of your current flock and start over, which breeds would you choose? And how would you distribute the different breeds in your flock?

What he said!

My coop is large and likely one of the most expensive around! We spared no expense, to critter proof the entire thing. The nesting area and roost are in the same "room" but on different sides. The nesting area is closest to the door, which is an open doorway, no actual door. The roost is on the back side of the room and totally enclosed. The wall on the front of this room does not go all the way to the top, we left a few inches for venting. I have electricity in there, so heating can be available if the need arises also, for light!

I have two different areas of the run, with one partially covered where I have the food, food cans and some water. Water is spread throughout the run and the nesting area. My only regret is that I did not cover more of the run area. When we have heavy rains, that run becomes treacherous for walking. I have busted my arse more than once slipping and slidding in the muck.

We've never had a breach by critters and I know several have tried. My neighbor had coons or something get in her coop a while back and they killed all her chickens - it was a bloody mess.

One of the hardest critters to get rid of is a dang chicken snake. They will get your eggs and your chicks, and are sometimes hard to get. Last one I had was eating eggs faster than I could pick them up. I ended up taking a couple of eggs and putting a small hole in the end and loading it up with big quilting pins and putting them back in the nest. It took a few days, but it killed that sucker.

GENIUS! Diabolical, but genius!

I have Marans, olive eggers, austrlops(sp?), Americanas. As you can tell I like the colored egg chickens.

I have 3 RIRs. Just added a Delaware, a Black Star and an Easter Egger to the flock.

One of my chickens has a wound on her leg(ankle area). I was treating it with neosporin and it was getting better. Today I go out there and she is laying on the ground. When I get her up she is covered in blood. I take her in, gave her a bath, doctored up the wound with neosporin and bandaged it up. Hopefully it will heal up. I assume something happened and the other one started pecking at it and once it started bleeding, it was game on

If there is a bloody spot they won't leave it alone. I've seen chickens that they pecked to death.

I have 7 amberlink and 7 golden comets I bought as chicks last year. They are laying good. I went to TSC the other day and came home with 17 more chicks. I got a mixture of leghorn, golden comet, amberlink, black star, barred rock, and a silkie for my wife just because they're different.

Yep. If one has a wound, the rest will home in on it like lasers. They're descended from velociraptors, so...

keep her seperate till it heals completely

Any suggestions on where to find young adult hens in thr Birmingham/Tuscaloosa area? Only need 4. I have a post on a chicken group on Facebook, but nothing close enough yet. Seems like Thrashers in Woodstock had critters one Saturday a month if I recall correctly.

The Thrashers events are not every month, maybe 5-6 a year

The wife and kids got to watch their 1st dust-bath today. Completely entertained. How many hens do you think could roost in a 5×8 coop? Got 6 now, and they free range daylight to dark.

I just ordered 7 Calico Princess pullets, 7 Sapphire Gem pullets and 1 Sapphire Gem rooster from Hoover's Hatchery in Iowa. They will arrive this coming Thursday.

Both are new breeds that was developed in the Chezk Republic.

Hens of both breeds weigh 4 pounds at adulthood, roosters weigh 5 pounds.

Both breeds are brown egg layers.

Can't wait till they get here.

Did your chicks come? Also, did they clip their beaks? Thanks.

Yes, Maggie, I picked them up at the PO that Thursday, 4/19/2018.

Had them here a week this past Thursday.

Have not lost a single chick.

They are doing great.

I have 16 chicks as they sent me an extra free "mystery" chick of an unknown breed to me.

I only want 10 hens and a rooster so I'm going to part ways with 5 of them a little later on.

All my chicks were vaccinated with the Coccidiosis Vaccination and the Marek's Vaccination.

Not sure about beaks clipped.

If I had to guess, I'd say not.

Have had no problems yet with pecking/picking at one another.

I'll try to post up some PICS soon.

Glad they are all doing well. I asked about the beaks because I once order some from a hatchery and they came with their beaks clipped. Good luck with them!!

Speaking of clipped beaks, I have a game hen that is about a year old. Her beak is too long, it curls under some. I guess I could take a dog toe nail clip and nip it off, but I don't know how far I could cut before it affected the nasal area. Any of ya'll had a similar thing with a overgrown curved beak before?

Finally getting a little production as the hens get comfortable. Going to have my most expensive breakfast ever tomorrow morning.

They'll settle in and turn it up in no time. We've got 8 hens, and get 6-8 eggs a day.

I wouldn’t mind another hen or two

How rare are Dominique chickens nowadays? I've read they are endangered. Ran across 4 last week, so I bought them all.

I had some around 2000/2002 . They where good birds. if I remember correctly they where breed by a family in Florida. most of what people assume are dominique's are actually barred rocks. you did good snaching em up.

correction: it is considered to be America's oldest chicken breed.they where nearly extinked but an effort was made to preserve the breed. one of the breeders was in Florida ,not originally breed in Florida.

https://youtu.be/kSdU3HfknRg
I like this song . I think about any time I hear dominique

Interesting factoid.

Well. I didn’t want em but clearly what I want don’t count.

lol how could you say no to those 2 beautyful baby's. My kids love our birds. They are some egg eating kids too.

oh, mine love em. we sold a house years ago and they went with the house.. thought i was done with em....

I like that custom chicken coop......

You ought to see the looks walking them down the street by the people passing. I mean. That’s there stroller. The chickens that is.

I love it!!!

Well after 4 months, we have a chick that has laid a egg 5 days in a row. Can't wait for the other 9 to start laying.

LOL!! That is great!!

I sure do want some chickens but I haven't had time to build a pen. This would be the absolute perfect time of year to get chicks. They'd be sexually mature and ready to start laying when the days started getting longer after the winter solstice.w

egg production is half of what it was in late spring, early summer. come on fall ! These barred rock birds I added to my flock sure are some pretty birds. They are almost twice the size of my reds.

I love my bards and they are really pretty...seems like the dang hawks like them too!!!

I've never had a problem with hawks but I have had problems with coons and possums. I have a jack Russell that has become part of the flock. he does good at protecting them.

Well, Sugar Ray, our Black Australorp rooster, has taken to coming on the front porch, knocking on the door [pecking] and then crowing like mad for treats!!! Rotten rooster!! Photo taken through the glass of our front door.

porch monkey of a rooster left you some fertilize too.

Sugar Ray would make a nice mount.....................

Did ya check out those spurs????????????????????????

I think a black australorp was the most aggressive rooster I’ve ever had. Had to watch your back

I have threatened to blow him to bits several times. Have literally beaten him silly trying to knock his head off and he comes back like the Energizer Bunny! He has not tried to flog me lataely but there for a while he was awful. The one and only reason he is still around is that it stopped. Crazy protective of the flock and an all around jerk of a rooster. His days are numbered.

He looks just like the Australorp roo we had, but ours was the friendliest bird in the coop. Never jumped on anyone and would eat out of your hand.

Got my first eggs today.

Five of my ten hens laid for the first time today.

Eggs will get bigger as they continue laying and hopefully all ten hens will be laying soon.

Don't know about you guys but my hens look a sight right now going through the fall molt....feathers everywhere and bare butts bouncing across the yard!! LOL!!

For the past couple years, I've had a couple Muscovy drakes down in my parents' pond. My Mom adores them, goes down and feeds them, talks to them, etc., daily, and when they're gone somewhere on the road, we always hear "please feed the ducks"...not "watch the house" or anything else! Anyway, my Mom has said for some time that the 2 drakes needed some hens in there with them. So 'Huntress and I bought 10 hens. This morning was time to turn them out in their new home. They all marched out of the crate and into the water...swam straight across the pond, marched up the other bank and into the woods...haven't seen them since! *L* The drakes were hand raised, and these hens were about half grown...didn't want to fool with hand raising more, but I guess I'll get some younger ducklings and hand raise them before moving them down there, maybe they'll stay!

If you don’t wash the eggs they will last longer. If they are really nasty wash them, other wise, I don’t. There is a protective layer(called a bloom) on the egg that keeps bacteria out. This is what keeps eggs from going bad without refrigeration until they hatch

But, best eggs you will ever eat. Most expensive too, lol!!

Yep, one of mine losing feathers like crazy and quit laying

Well I may as well jump in. The backyard flock is such a fun hobby. Roughly 20 birds at all times. RIR, Golden Comet, Barred Rock, Ameraucana, and Jersey Giant. Most expensive and most enjoyable eggs ever!

True words! People often ask me why I don't sell my eggs and I just say, "You could not afford what they would actually cost."

I give the eggs away. More fun to give them to friends at church and work. But there is a catch. I give you a dozen eggs in a new carton. Bring the carton back, and you stay on the weekly free eggs rotation. Fail to bring the carton back, and you move to the bottom of the list. One family takes a carton and brings back my carton plus several more. They are top of my list!

We give them away, too. Suddenly had so many people bringing us cartons that we had to tell them to stop! LOL

If you ever get tired of giving the eggs away, just slip two or three from under a settin hen in the box and they won't come back.

Oh that is wrong on so many levels!! LOL!!!!

My birds look awful ! egg production is down as well. I hope this cooler wather gets them straightened out.

I have sold eggs in the past just to make the feed bill....

Well I lost 5 hens to dogs today, 2 are missing probably dead. I was hunting behind he house and heard some commotion then my dogs started barking so I got down and found two pits around the yard. I ran and grabbed my shotgun, but should have gotten my rifle.

Well, that purely sucks. Sorry man.

My chickens are on strike! Egg production is wayyyy down. I evidently have an egg eater in the flock too .Guess I'll have to isolate em one at a time to figure which one it is.

my egg production is way down, maybe 2-3 eggs a day, just barely ahead of my egg eating.

Heck, my egg production is zero at the moment. Hopefully they will fire back up when it starts to warm back up. I need about 2-3 more hens

Between the dang hawks, possums, owls and every other chicken eating varmit I am down to 3 hens. I give up, can't enjoy them locked up in a pen so I'm quickly going out of the chicken business.

I'm down to three, as well...couple dogs from a ways down the road aren't going to make it home when I catch them.

My hens went into a hard molt and eggs stopped. They are finally pulling out after the molt and weather changes but I am pretty sure I have one egg bound. Cleaned her up twice and still not good. Ugh.

Maybe more trouble than it's worth, but wrapping the coup less a few air holes with visqueen and putting some heat lamps through the coup does wonders. Obviously you could experiment and maybe shield only the sides which face the north.....at the very least, try running the heat lamps at least at night. My parents do this and get tons of eggs.....sometimes I think their hens lay better in winter than summer.

Opossum got after my chickens again last light. sat a couple dog proof's and a live trap up. hope that will get em

nighttime coops have to be made coon/opossum proof if yer chickens are going to last. Make it coon proof, update the proofing, then do it again. You would be amazed at how a coon can get into a coop. Also put tin around the base of the wire to prevent coons from reaching in a pulling the chicken thru the wire. It took me a year and four upgrades to make mine coon PROOF. Coons are evil bastages when they smell chickens.

Finally got a gut full of that mean rooster of mine and gave the whole stinking flock away. Fortunately, they all went to a good home. Rounding ten hens and that bad azz rooster up in the coop was a sight! The ole egg bound girl passed thank goodness. Think I will take a break from the chicks for a while. Need to do some things in the coop before any others come around & think we will plant some tomatoes in there this summer!

Dang Maggie..no chickens.....

I know, right? My day was all screwed up without them....

Mine are really laying good right now

I'm getting 4-6 eggs per day. Most of mine are young, though. Around April should have eggs out my ears. I've got 4 buff orps, 3 Rhode island reds, 5 easter eggers, a crested creme legbar, and 2 barnyard mixed hens.

getting 6-8 a day right now

Getting 8-10 a day right now

I've got 10 beautiful hens that will be 1 year old in April.

Them ol' gurls is pumping out the eggs right now.

I'm getting 8 to 10 eggs a day every day!

I have had just about all of the most popular breeds of chickens over the years.

I got my current birds, the Sapphire Gem and the Calico Princess, last year in April.

Both are new breeds to the USA that were developed in the Czech Republic, both are brown egg layers and both are a moderately sized bird.

They are not flighty birds at all, very quiet and docile.

They may be the prettiest birds I have ever owned and they are the most proficient egg layers for sure that I have ever owned!

They consistently lay large brown eggs with many of them being double yolked.

Have even had a few triple yolked eggs.

I have 5 hens of each of these two breeds and 1 Sapphire Gem rooster.

I may never own another breed of chicken after having these.

Hands down, the best I've ever owned!

https://hoovershatchery.com/sapphiregem.html

https://hoovershatchery.com/calicoprincess.html

picked up six more chicks yesterday, 3 ea Ameracuanas and Golden Comets

Love reading this. I got rid of my birds about a week ago. Went to a good new home.

Not missing that arsehole rooster one bit!! Not missing lifting those 50 pound bags of feed..... it is what it is.

I have 3 hens that survived the possum, coons and hawks so I shut them in the enclosed pen. They are laying more eggs than we can eat.

Egg production it through the roof! I went from a 3 a day with 9 hens to 8 - 9 a day. Some dang biguns too. Egg carton cant contain em.

Well, couldn’t stand it. Went and got 4 more barred rock chicks. Gonna have to do a coop expansion

LOL, I just got six more chicks and three turkey chicks.

Any gobblers? I have seen some you g chicks strutting. Pretty funny

at least one of em is a gobbler.

Have not been around much lately. Got an update of my birds I gave away a while back. That nasty ole rooster I had was really mean. The first night he was in the new place, the folks I gave my birds to put my birds in a different coop from the birds they already owned. The coops did not have tops on them. My ole rooster, Sugar Ray, flew out of his coop into the other coop and beat the crap out of their rooster. Dang near kill their rooster and almost pecked his eye out.

The next night, they snatched Sugar off the roost and cut his spurs off. The next night, they snatched him off the roost and clipped one of his wings so he could not fly out again. Have not heard any more but the last word I got the guy said one of the roosters had to go...Sugar may have gone in the cook pot by now.

you gotta get some more chickens Maggie.....

5 of my 6 new chicks are doing good, one is much smaller than the others but holding on. Moved em to my banty cages in the coop.

Got another turkey, so have four now, all doing well. Out in the shop now with a heat lamp.

called and never got a answer or call back

got the order in today , have 13 sapphire gem hens and two roosters coming in tomorrow

I went to tsc today to get some more chicks but all they are carrying is straight run. Won't do that again .

You are going to love the Sapphire Gems.

Mine are pumping out the eggs right now.

Along with the Calico Princess these are the best birds I've ever had.

The sapphire gems came in today , very cute

I lost only one bird that I purchased from Hoover Hatchery.

Danged ol' chicken snake wrapped it up and killed it.

Keep them warm, fed and watered and they will do great.

Did a little work expanding the chicken coop today. Just need to add a roof and some chicken wire

That one fancy coop

Anyone close to chelsea have some hens? I bought 4 more barred rocks to go with my giant flock of 2 from previous and they all turned out to be roosters (in the freezer now). I need about 4 more hens to add to my egg production

Anybody ever done any Kentucky Red Turkeys?

I had some bourbon reds many years ago...don't remember anything particularly good or bad about them. More recently, I had some royal palms...bigger birds, and much prettier, and they're a heritage breed.

D o A, their is a couple over in GA we got our pygmy goats from and they had the Royal Palms and Bourbon Reds. I remember reading they are both, along with 5-6 more breeds are Heritage breeds. It got me thinking people may pay for a nice heritage breed turkey 1-2 a year. They also had Birmingham Roller Pigions which were awesome to watch.

Rollers are the coolest thing in the world to watch!

Yea they are

Figured I would resurrect this thread because it's got some good info and I enjoyed reading through it. I haven't had chickens since I was a kid but we started our flock this past weekend. Got a dozen bovan brown pullets from Tractor Supply to get started with. I'll probably go back eventually and get a dozen straight run game chicks to run around the yard. The baby loves her "ducks" already

She will love gathering eggs with daddy.

My wife and daughter has been wanting chickens for a long time. I guess I’m gonna have to give in and get some now that I have time to take care of them.

build em a Ft Knox class security place to stay at night. You cannot overbuild it.

We have an existing coop/pen on our place from the last people who lived here. Looks to be pretty sturdy. The fence is 8' chain link that looks to go down into the ground a ways with 2x8s all along the bottom and top and mesh netting over the top of the whole pen. And the coop is completely wrapped in tin. Only thing is, the coop is just an open front so if something was to get into the pen they'd be goners. I may look into putting the last wall on the coop so that I can shut them up in there at night.

That baby girl is precious!

She's a mess too. I think she's going to be a full on tomboy because she lives to dig in the dirt and roll in the grass. And she loves her chick chicks.

I'm going to have to make them a little bit bigger box this weekend. They're starting to get a little crowded in my rubbermaid tub brooder box but aren't quite big enough to go in the coop yet.