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Dik Hz posted:The only bird of prey big enough to take down a full size chicken is a great horned owl. Maybe a full grown peregrine could get one, but I doubt it. Bantams are another story. I'd be much more concerned about alley cats than birds of prey for bantams, though. I had a young hawk kill two full size chickens by piercing their necks. My biggest predator is other people's dogs, despite the fact I'm out in the country with hawks, owls, cats, coyotes, weasels, fox, possums, etc.
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Jun 16, 2011 16:32
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Here's a pic of hen saddles to protect hen's backs from roos.
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Jun 20, 2011 16:01
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A flying piece of posted:Questions: 1) Not really. Unless you want to watch the chickens pointedly ignore them. 2)Immediately. In two weeks it will be a lunar landscape 3)The younger they are the sooner they will sort it out. Shouldn't take long for yours...maybe a few days. 4)Agway, Southern States or Tractor Supply
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Jun 23, 2011 13:58
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A flying piece of posted:Then why have a few people, both in this thread and elsewhere, recommended using poultry netting over chicken wire. You people need to get your stories straight. I think they mean to use the netting over (as in above - like a roof)to keep things from flying in, chickens from flying out.
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Jun 27, 2011 18:13
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They will need some sort of shelter in winter to keep the wind & snow out. When it gets 20 degrees or below, I use a heated waterer - basically a heated dog bowl that the 1 gallon waterers sit in nicely. It's so nice not to have to bang ice out of the waterers every couple hours. Under 10 degrees I use a heater coop mat (third down on right) http://www.shopthecoop.com/chickens/He.html It also comes in handy for sick or injured birds. Choose a breed with a small comb and make sure they have a roost wide enough so they can sit on their feet to keep them warm. (Roost should be flat as well - they're not big parrots....curved roosts can cause foot problems.) I don't know how often it gets below zero in NY.....maybe someone further up north can answer.....
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Jun 30, 2011 19:39
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A flying piece of posted:What the hell are my hens doing? They are dusting. Theyu kick up dirt under their feathers which cools them down and also dislodges any poultry lice that may be on them when they shake all the dirt out. Pretty scary when you first see it - looks like some kind of seizure doesn't it?
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Jul 5, 2011 14:02
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I tried 3 times to put some straw under my broody turkey instead of a plywood, eggs, hen = uncomfortable stack. Every time I came back there was straw every drat where - not a wisp under the turkey.
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Jul 13, 2011 13:52
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That's all well and good, but what do Cockatrice eat when there are no available pit bulls?
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Aug 5, 2011 18:38
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Yes, both yolks in the egg can be fertile. Both chicks will develop in the egg but they usually don't hatch because there is not enough room in the egg to hatch and not enough air in the air cell.
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Sep 12, 2011 13:20
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Don't really recommend buying other people's used birds. There is a reason they are getting rid of them. Some don't lay, some may be sick, they may have parasites or they may all be roos. Don't get me wrong - some people sell decent birds but you have to be careful. Get pics and try to go there to pick them up so you can see the birds' living conditions.
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Sep 16, 2011 14:03
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Maximusi posted:So I got some chickens! I got a buff orpington and an americauna. Let me know what you think of my setup. They seem to scratch the ground a lot. They peck at their food but I'm not sure they're eating it. I hope that the bottom isn't slippery, please let me know if the shavings are enough: Cute peeps! I usually use paper towels in the brooder for the first week, mainly so the chicks don't eat too many shavings and to give their feet some traction. Make sure they are drinking water. If they aren't, you will have to dip their beaks in the waterer to give them the idea. (Make sure you don't dunk their "nostrils") The coop looks nice. Are you going to build a ramp up to the door?
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Sep 26, 2011 13:36
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Sorry about your roo. It sucks when you don't even know why they died.
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Sep 29, 2011 13:33
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If it's not a sting it could be a respiratory infection. CRD is common in chickens and is not curable. His nasal passages will swell and the bad news is he may never loose that puffy look. The fluid crystalizes in chickens for some reason. Hopefully it is a sting of some sort and he'll get better.
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Oct 3, 2011 13:46
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Usually watery poo w/ green means she's not absorbing food. Try some plain yogurt (with cultures) mixed with oatmeal and some crushed granite to grind it all up.
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Oct 11, 2011 14:12
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Tiny dinosaur hatching....
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Nov 1, 2011 17:41
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More baby pics:  Jerry the turkey: 
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Nov 2, 2011 13:51
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Inveigle posted:Oh my god! So adorable! What different kinds of chicks do you have? Why is that one chick so much bigger than the rest? The chicken behind Jerry is a chicken shaped resin doorstop. It would be cool to have a live one that color!
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Nov 3, 2011 13:46
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coyo7e posted:Is Jerry a male or female? Male domesticated turkeys can get huuuuge. We grew three turkeys one year (2 hens and a tom) and butchered them leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. The first hen dressed out at 21 lbs and she beat the poo poo out of me while I tried to hold her wings down and my dad lopped her with the axe. The second hen, we wrapped in duct tape to keep her wings from thrashing us, she also was over 20 lbs. The tom.. Oh god..! Here's Jerry with some of his children....he's a great daddy. 
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Nov 8, 2011 20:29
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Finally got around to taking pic of my big, fluffy roos - Duke & Albert. They are english Blue Orpingtons. Pretty mellow guys. 
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Dec 6, 2011 03:14
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Jenner posted:Also, I heard chickens need to eat gravel/limestone to have hard egg shells. Is this true? All chickens need to swallow grit/gravel to grind their food. Hens also need crushed oyster shell (calcium) to make strong eggs. Most commercial laying feed has enough calcium in it already.
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Jan 27, 2012 20:51
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marauderthirty posted:New backyard chicken keeper reporting! She looks like a black sex link to me. Once she has a friend to hang out with she won't follow you around as much. (Unless she thinks you have treats) Couple of pics to share: Tiffany:  Spikey:  Bill watching Vanna lay an egg:  Trixie:  Spookygonk, can't wait to see what your girls look like all feathered in! meriruka fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 01:24
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Hens do make noise, especially when alarmed. Mine fit up when a dog strolls by or a bird flies overhead, sometimes for no discernable reason at all. Some hens will sqwawk loudly after laying an egg. Chickens love grass and they will scratch it up, dig holes for dusting, destroy/eat flowers and generally turn it into a mud pit. the mesh on the bottom may prevent some of the damage. They'll need grit to digest their food. Some people do well with moveable coops -I'm too lazy to keep dragging it around all day, moving it back into the shade as the sun moves. I have a fenced in run attached to the coop and move the fencing when they've torn up the grass to give them a new patch and reseed the old one.
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Feb 13, 2012 19:39
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They don't need constant access to their coop, but they will need water at all times and somewhere to lay eggs. A box on it's side will do if you put some straw inside.
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Feb 14, 2012 14:51
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I got chicken saddles on ebay. They're usually around $3, worth it for me - I can't sew worth a drat. http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Chicken-Saddles-Hen-Aprons-/260957322005?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc244bb15
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Feb 16, 2012 14:45
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Vaga42Bond posted:So how many of what is still left? I liked the name so much I stole it ....the white chick sitting down in the photo is Queen Elizabeak II 
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Apr 2, 2012 16:13
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piscesbobbie posted:I will ask my same question here. What is the difference, size and taste, between eggs from Bantam hens and the regular heritage breed size hens? I have both bantams and standard chickens. They both eat the same feed however the bantam eggs taste a bit richer/sweeter than the regulars. This could be because there is less egg white but I don't know that for sure.
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May 31, 2012 14:29
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Velvet Sparrow posted:*MOD NOTE: DO NOT GIVE TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU AREN'T A VET. CALL YOUR VET AND HAVE THEM CHECK YOUR FLOCK. I read this and was curious - how many of you chicken owners have a vet that will treat chickens? I have been unable to find one here in VA despite the fact that I live in farm country. It doesn't help that the attitude around here is that chickens are disposable. I've had to do a lot of research and stock up on meds so I could at least try to save a sick chicken.
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May 31, 2012 14:38
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LordOfThePants posted:The Cluck Palace is nearly complete! Nice job on the coop! The only thing I'd add would be some slats across the ramp for chicken footholds.
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Jun 19, 2012 17:36
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I use crushed granite for grit. I think it was $6.00 for 50 lbs. Chido, you could maybe try a bird hand feeding food like they use for parrots. It has all the nutrition they need until you can get them interested in regular food again.
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Jul 6, 2012 14:29
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Pardalis posted:Awkward teenage birds incoming: What kind of turkey is that? A Bourbon Red? meriruka fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Dec 5, 2012 |
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Dec 5, 2012 20:17
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Pardalis posted:Yes! She is a Bourbon red, around 10 weeks old. If turkeys stayed that cute I would have hundreds of them
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Dec 6, 2012 19:50
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Inveigle posted:That is one drat fine-looking tom turkey. Are those juveniles or hens with him? That's Jerry with his children. (They're about 3 months old) He is a really good dad.
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Dec 7, 2012 15:01
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WrathofKhan posted:http://greenfirefarms.com/store/category/chickens/orpingtons/ If you are considering buying birds from that place, please PM me first!
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Dec 11, 2012 15:39
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Customer Service, I was looking at the pic of your chick and automatically thought it was a boy. We hatch Orpingtons and the boys always take longer to feather on the back and tail. Is it possible your chick is a roo?
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Dec 18, 2012 14:57
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Actually it was the big feet and the start of wattles already. You could watch for chest-bumping with other chicks but then again I've seen a few hens do that. I'm not an expert by any stretch but I have been hatching chicks for a few years. I just know I glanced at the pic and thought "oh, a roo." then read the text. Hopefully I'm wrong and it's the camera angle or something. I do know that our Orp boys take longer to feather in than the girls. Maybe it's a breed thing.
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Dec 18, 2012 20:23
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Zeris, You could try to massage the area and see if it feels like it's filled with a wad of grass. It wouldn't hurt to give her some form of grit to help grind the food and maybe a few peices of olive oil soaked bread to help slide it along. None of these things will do any harm even if it's not a blocked crop.
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Dec 19, 2012 17:32
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Not sure what is specifically in your presentation but here is what I would have loved to know when I first started: Symptoms of illnesses and how to treat them. Parasites and safe treatment. Please also mention that you should never use any ointment/medicine with an ingredient that ends in 'caine' the Neosporin with pain relief is toxic as well. A list of what foods are toxic to poultry and no serving of mouldy crap that died in your fridge. Using telfon coated light bulbs is also fatal. (fumes) Proper set up of a brooder (HEAT LAMP SAFETY) - I tie every piece of the lamp together and use the guards for the bulbs) and proper nutrition (Scratch should not be a primary source) How a crop works and why crushed granite & oyster shell are necessary. As for protection, even though I live in nowheresville, the worst predator is other people's dogs. When I lived in the city - right on a highway, I had a young hawk kill two chickens before I could put up netting. If netting isn't possible, hang shiny CD's or crinkly plastic shopping bags or a scarecrow. Basically all the crap that can go wrong that no one tells you until you have dead chickens.
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Feb 25, 2013 20:09
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Random cute chicken pic:
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Mar 5, 2013 14:46
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Chido posted:I tried to get Megatron "singing" after laying her egg on video, but she didn't do it. Instead, here's a picture of her wound. I haad put tape to try and close her wound on Sunday when it was fresh. It didn't quite work, but at least the wound isn't as wide. How is it looking? Does it look like she's healing well? You could try Blue Kote spray. It will help protect the wound & keep other chickens from pecking it. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/blue_kote_wound_dressing.html
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Mar 28, 2013 18:06
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