A Chickens Tribe's topics - tribe.net

Free Rooster

2009-12-31T05:24:37Z

I have a beautiful Blue Marans Cuckoo rooster. I just learned that, due to county and city ordinance I'm not allowed to have a rooster. I'm in West Sacramento. Free to anyone who want's to come get him and promises not to make a meal out of him.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Very distraught...

2009-12-09T18:54:50Z

My two chicks are now 6 months old. One of them is laying, but she is also being picked on by two other hens and the rooster (though I suspect the rooster's intentions are not the same as the hens'). She spends most of the time in the coop on top of the house. If she comes down, they attack her. If I let them out to roam, she goes off on her own while the other five stick together. Everyone comes back when it gets dark.

I don't know what to do. I feel so bad. This is majorly stressing me out.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

Need non-toxic grub control

2009-09-29T19:34:27Z

We put in a lawn this year and now have grubs that have enticed the raccoons and skunks to come and dig it up frequently. Pesticides are right out because we have chickens. So far I have found two types of non-poison grub control. I was wondering if anyone new if milky spore or beneficial nematodes are safe to use around chickens? Im concerned because our chickens also like to eat the grubs and we like to eat the chicken eggs.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Susan Orlean on raising chickens

2009-09-29T19:24:55Z

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/28/090928fa_fact_orlean

and video

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2009/09/video-pecking-order.html

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 6 replies

help, my hen is pecking off her own toes

2009-09-12T21:47:10Z

for the past few days now shes been laying around all depressed, tail droopy and won't respond to the other chickens. She just recently started pecking at her toes, right where the nail connects to the flesh. She's got two open sores on 3 different toes. and now the other hens are starting to pick on her. Not even going after her open wounds, which would make sense, but just attacking her and pecking at her back and head. And she just lays there and takes it. she's just the sweetest hen you'll ever meet. As soon as I step into the yard she runs over and practically leaps into my arms and falls asleep while I pet her head. I can't tell if she's just glad to be off of her feet or if she's glad to be away from the other hens. So does any body have any ideas what could be causing this foot biting? Mites, fungus? I've seen a lot of information on bumblefoot and I don't think that's what this is. We live in the inland northwest. Any ideas on what I should treat her with?or how? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

getting stuck...

2009-09-12T20:05:01Z

The past couple of days my free range ladies have discovered that they can use a shelf to jump up onto the top of my outdoor freezer (with the boxes of canning jars up there they are about 7 or so feet off the ground), but then they don't come back down.
I know they like to be up in things... off the ground and so forth, but are they so challenged in their little heads that they can't figure out how to come back down?
I have had to get them off the top of the freezer 3 days in a row now... last night there were two of them roosted up there and another on the shelf next to the freezer like she didn't want to be left alone but there wasn't enough room up there for her to be comfy.
We got them down well after dark, put them into their house and have shut the door (they have a chicken tractor type of enclosure, so they are still able to be out in the sunshine and shade and so on) to keep them there for a bit.

any way to keep them from getting on top of the freezer short of closing off the area that the freezer is on? They are molting right now, so I don't see that clipping their wings is an option... since they can "fly" right on up there with almost no wing feathers as it is...

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

getting started

2009-08-15T00:03:59Z

Hi, I'm karlynmeow. I'm interested in getting started with having a chicken flock.

Any advice or reference materials anyone would ecommend?

What are some challenges to having chickens in an urban area versus rural?

Thank you.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

Very Vocal Rooster

2009-07-09T22:28:08Z

We now have 2 rosters, a surprise to us but here they are. One of our boys starts crowing at about 0430 every morning and continues for hours. While the 0430 was charming and cute at first, months later not so much. Does any one know of ways to train, discourage etc the boy from sharing so much so early?

Now second part of the question, the boys seem to be getting a bit protective the barn and scare the kids a bit. Again, any training ideas? We are fairly committed to free range so I don't really want to build a small place for them and we certainly can't eat them.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 11 replies

I have babies!

2009-06-12T23:03:44Z

The first one hatched out late last night, the other about noon today. They are so cute! So far doing well, the older one already eating mash with mama. I'll post pics when my internet stops being fussy.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

red skin

2009-06-06T14:00:26Z

some of my chickens have terribly red skin, almost rashy looking all over their body. anyone have this experience with their birds?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 12 replies

Broody turkey hens

2009-06-04T13:57:36Z

I have about five broody turkey hens all crammed together in a dog house in their run. All of my chickens see partial to laying in that dog house even though there are other places or them to lay. The hens are sitting on many, many eggs of all poultry variety including ducks. my question is is what to do about the amazing funk that is emanating from the dog house. I don't want to disturb the hens and it is never completely devoid of a bird so I cant remove the broken rotten eggs/eggs.
oh my god is stinks!! I just hope that they hatch something soon. it has been a while but how many days I cant be sure.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

damn dog

2009-06-04T02:01:43Z

From two yards over it wormed its way under the fences. I was away from the house, letting my birds roam around the yard like I have for years, and then i came home ...to yard full of feathers, five dead chickens, one beat-up old rooster and a miraculously unscathed young hen.

...stupid fuckin' dog

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

Getting excited!

2009-06-03T20:31:16Z

I candled my two eggs on Sunday night, after about 9 days of sitting. Saw pretty strong vessels, air sac at the end, hard to see an embryo, but I didn't want to look too long, so I gave them back, figuring I had not seen anything indicating they had not developed or quit.

Last night, after looking at more pictures on the internet, I wanted to get a better look, so I stole her eggs after dark, and gave them a more thorough inspection. And you know what I saw? Movement! So exciting! Both of them were wiggling, it was so cute!

They are due to hatch out Thursday or Friday of next week. Hopefully they will both make it, though my luck they will both be roosters!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

How long can the mama come off the nest?

2009-05-27T22:36:08Z

My mama hen came out of the nesting box yesterday, but went back into another box (one with no eggs) to settle back down. I'm not sure how long she was out, maybe an hour, give or take. To me, the eggs felt a bit cool. I put her back on them, she settled right down on them.

How long can she be off of them without causing harm? Having trouble finding info on google, or past discussions here, maybe not using the right key words.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

Sitting... and sitting... and sitting...

2009-05-22T21:06:57Z

My little black hen has been in the nesting box for the last 5 hours, maybe longer, as she has been in there since I first went out this morning. She's in that "I'm-laying-an-egg" trance. But she is also sitting on the eggs that were laid yesterday afternoon that I hadn't gotten a chance to collect. Sometimes when they lay them later in the day, I don't get them til the next morning. But she's been on them since I got up. I wouldn't mind having chicks, but I really don't want any more roosters. Can I force her out, without upsetting her? And is she in fact incubating them, or is something else wrong?

Thanks in advance.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 10 replies

Hard boiled Hell

2009-05-21T13:50:44Z

Why can't I ever get my girl's eggs to peel properly when I hard boil them. Store bought eggs are no problem for me.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

one day old baby chicks- what to do?

2009-04-16T01:11:30Z

Hello fellow chicken lovers. Our family is about to become the parents of 12 baby chicks in 2 weeks time. Any pointers on what to do??? and of course what not to do? We have a 6 month old bull mastiff boy dog- and I would like to avoid having the dog consider any of the growing chicks pop tart snacks. thanks

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

Eggs- how long?

2009-04-15T15:35:01Z

So, we planned our first day of leaving the chickens alone for a day. The plan was to leave late Saturday night, and be home not-too-late Sunday night. What actually occurred was, left late Saturday night, and due to an emergency, got home late Monday night. I had overfilled a water basin and food bowl, and left out a large platter of veggie goodies. We called the neighbor Monday morn, and he came over to make sure they still had plenty of food and water, and even brought them some more fruit.

When we got home, we had eggs from Sunday and eggs from Monday. They have been laying mid-day, so the eggs from Sunday were potentially in there for a day and a half. How long can they be left there and still be safe to eat?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

Selling chickens and making friends

2009-04-09T19:20:53Z

Thought I'd share this with ya'll. We sold a few of our laying hens and a run of chicks today to some really nice people. The coolest thing about it was being able to meet a couple who are as serious about self sustainment as we are. We traded tricks and feed recipes discussed my water collection system and canning secrets etc..in general it was a great afternoon. I told them about this tribe. So hopefully they'll pop in.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

New to chickens

2009-04-03T04:37:08Z

And obviously new to this tribe, but I do see a few faces I recognize from other tribes. :)

So we've decided to dive into the world of chickens. This is a whole new thing to me, and I've already learned a lot. There also seems to be a lot of good info on this tribe, but to be honest I'm not even sure where to begin!

I'm thinking of taking on 3 hens and a rooster that are about 6 months old and due to start laying anytime now (well, not the rooster, obviously). I have a 12x12 covered pen that I will house them in, but I need to do something quickly for nesting boxes, even if it's just temporary. I have found many simple plans online, but I may be picking these little guys up tomorrow, so I need some ideas I can implement on a whim. I'd also welcome ideas for a permanent setup.

In addition to that, what challenges does a rooster present? Do I need to make any special arrangements, or does he just go in with the hens? I wasn't planning on having a rooster, but he comes with the flock....

General feeding guidelines/suggestions appreciated, too, as well as anything else that would be good to know right this minute.

Thanks in advance!

Shannon

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 15 replies

Welsummer

2009-03-29T18:19:43Z

I'm getting ready to order my spring chicks. My local hatchery is offering a breed called welsummer. They are Dutch and lay the dark brown eggs. Has anyone have any experience with this breed? What kind of layers are they?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

backyard chicken survey - pls help chickens come home to roost in Shorewood, WI

2009-03-27T00:55:24Z

I’m part of a group working to legalize backyard chickens in Shorewood, WI, just outside Milwaukee. We have created a brief 10-item survey to gather info to help us respond to the concerns of our Village board. Please take the survey & share it with your network of backyard chicken enthusiasts:

http://www.polldaddy.com/s/428DF6425FDACA67/

Thanks!
Nicole

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

compost and birds

2009-03-26T15:24:36Z

we moved our compost bin into the coup, is there any type of table scrap we should not throw in there?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

Need tips on convincing my landlord to let me put in a chicken tractor

2009-03-17T04:21:59Z

Has anyone else had this problem? Any pointers or talking points I can use to convince them?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Selling fertilized eggs

2009-03-15T22:04:01Z

Hey tribes people,
I am starting to try to make a little money with my eggs. I have been selling eggs for eating but am also getting into selling fertilized eggs. I have'nt hatched out any of the eggs myself yet but I have my Delawares set up in a "honeymoon" suite (2 roos to 9 hens). I hate the idea of selling eggs that I don't really know will hatch or not. Do any of you folks have any experience with this and how to know for sure?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

Fewer eggs as weather gets better

2009-03-08T20:58:46Z

I've noticed the postings on egg production dropping off as winter settled in, but my problem is the reverse. Our 5 bantam hens (all about 8 months old) were averaging 4 eggs a day among them for many many weeks in the depths of winter, but now that the temperatures are up and day length increasing, we are down to about an egg every other day -- 2 of them have gone broody, but locking them out of the roost in the daytime seems to have reset one, and the other is at least semi-sociable.
One obvious possibility is that we have a thermostatted heat lamp in the coop, and during serious winter weather they were getting light 24-7 -- so spring actually results in a decrease in light. Another possibility is that I started giving them some scratch grain in addition to pellets at about the time the production dropped off -- that could be coincidence.
If anybody has ideas about what may be going on, or especially about how to get them back into better production, I'd love to hear them.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

poopaye

2009-03-08T04:05:05Z

who cleans it out and who lets it just 'disappear'

I have three cages I haven't needed to clean out in about four years. I free range during the day so I'm not sure if that helps the poopaye dry.. just curious about others..

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

frost bite

2009-01-23T18:03:14Z

Hello all,
My chickens have really bad frost bite on their combs and a bit on their wattles. It has been incredibly cold here in Ithaca NY, -15 this morning. They live in a barn, have hay to nest in and a heat lite that they dont really use all that much. But some of the combs on my roosters are 75% black. These animals are livestock so please dont suggest taking them to the vet, I dont however, want them to be uncomfortable. I also see evedence of blood on their heads around their combs, perhaps from being pecked. Any suggestions? I have seen it suggested that the combs be cut down to a small size to prevent frostbite. This isnt really something I want to do, but would if necessary.
Thanks

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

frozen eggs

2009-01-23T16:37:37Z

pretty much every morning I find s few frozen eggs in the barn. When that happens the crack. Do you think it is ok to eat a cracked egg?
I think I already know the answer but damn, I hate give my dogs all those eggs!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

building a chicken plucker

2009-01-22T20:29:40Z

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d58/crowjoy/Picture560-1.jpg

the book says anyone can do it. It takes some patience and a bit of cash and tools of course but it works pretty well. Saves time if you have a bunch of birds to do.

http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2006/09/whizbang-plucker-story.html

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

eggs in the dead of winter!

2009-01-17T19:43:47Z

...yet again!

i think one of my girls has a hormonal imbalance

i've been getting one egg a day for the last week or so

...not that I'm complaining ..beats the hell outta the pale store-bought ones

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

RIP, JuneBug

2009-01-17T08:12:02Z

Yesterday, my little boy went out back to let the chickens out to roam the yard, and found JuneBug, my pet australorp, dead in the laying coop. She was only three years old, in apparently excellent health, and laying every other day or so. She already had rigor mortis, how long does that mean? I am really tearing myself up about this, even though she had shade, water, and food, so what could have happened? Her feathers were shiny, she had the hugest brightest comb, and tons of spunky chicken attitude. What could have happened to my beloved hen??????

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

Chicken coop size

2008-12-05T19:08:41Z

I have a space in my Mom's yard that's 19ft long, 5ft wide, 6 ft height. I"m thinking of putting the chickens in this area which would still leave 4 feet of space to walk, take trashcans, etc. It is still another 4 feet from the garage wall which would out put heat from nearly 6 hours of sun during the summer. Overhead my neighbor's jungle of pomergrantes trees, geranium bushes, assorted...whatevers drag along the chain link fence. We have permission to cut those things back if they get in our way. (no way for those pomergrantes!)

I think a two foot tall wall as part of the coop would keep out the creeping nightmares and the geranium is not that close to cause problems. In fact they do provide shade during the hotter weather. I look outside shows part of are is bathed in shade at 12 noon. As you might know, So Cal summers can be brutally hot for as long as four months. However our winters (we are almost at 2900 ft) are freezing with lots of bitterly cold days(low to mid 20s to mid 30s), flood like conditions and on rare occasions snow. Ok so that isn't super cold but to a Native Calif anything under 70 is "cold" XD

Ok that was long winded so my questions is, with two small runs on either side plus using the old dog house as giant nesting boxes, do you think that could hold 10 chickens (minimum order from McMurray)?

I'm thinking of a flock with these breeds:

Easter Eggers

Plymouth Rock

Jersey Giant

Australorps

Delaware

Wyandotte

Thank you for your thoughts/comments. :)

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

NO EGGS

2008-11-26T19:46:28Z

My chickens have seased laying. It is really strange because I have about 40(+-) hens. Some of the older hens are going through a moult, so I get that, but the rest, not so much. The others are only about 3mnths old so their eggs are still quite small. They stopped laying before it got really cold. Right now the temps. would freeze anybodies cloka right up:) The feed hasn't changed from when they were producing a dozen a day. My ducks are still producing however.
Any thought oh wise chicken tribe?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

gorging

2008-11-24T17:57:30Z

Another issue with my chickens is they have been eating their feed at lightning speed. I give my birds 25lbs and it is gone in one day (at the most)! I have about 45 chicken, and I know that that is a lot, BUT JESUS! They are sending me to the poor house at this rate! I thought it might be my turkeys(10) but I separated them and that doesn't seem to be the problem. AND THEY STILL ACT LIKE THEY ARE STARVING TO DEATH. What to do, what to do!?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 6 replies

Chicken attacked and now is injured

2008-11-24T10:25:27Z

My chickens were attacked during the night and it's pretty sad..
I found out that a raccoon attacked my chickens and i have 2 chickens.
1 chicken is fine( i havnt found any injury), but my other chicken's head got scalped...
it's not dead, but it's really injured.

The red part of the chicken's head came off and everything under it is visible.
I put some anti virius cream, but i need help..
The back part of the chicken is also hurt, there's a visible cut..

What should i do..?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

Unexplained chicken death... Ideas?

2008-11-04T18:02:07Z

Hi folks. One of my hens was found dead on the floor of the coop today. She was young, about a year old, perfectly healthy and fine this morning. Any thoughts on what may have happened? About a year ago, I had the same experience finding a beautiful, otherwise healthy rooster dead on the floor. I don't get it, but want to make sure it doesn't happen any more! Thoughts, please....

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

nightmares?

2008-10-25T03:58:29Z

we have a 4 month old dark cornish hen that has gotten really weird all of a sudden. she freaks out at night like something's attacking her, only there's nothing there. like squawks and flops around. when she was in the coop with the other hens, we thought the big girls were picking on her, asserting their dominance and all that, and my husband actually thought she was at death's door when he checked it out one night, so we put her in the tractor. now we are not sure that anything ever happened (external to her). she is completely safe and even if a raccoon did come near our dog sleeps 30 feet away. and yet she freaks out once an hour, all night long. she is fine all day. so any ideas on what is going on? ptsd? nightmares? if she keeps it up she's going to get culled, but might she have some crazy neurological disease? mad chicken disease? do we even want to eat her? any help at all would be appreciated... :)

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Follow the Rules - Loose Your Pets

2008-09-29T01:57:07Z

My sister in law is confined to a wheelchair. About a year ago she began researching goats, to help keep the weeds down, carry things, and pull her chair. She checked the city zoning ordinances and called city hall. They said "No problem".

In July I rescued a beautiful alpine goat, along with 2 dozen other animals, from an awful hoarding situation. My sister in law took four chickens, a duck, and Billy the Goat and nursed him back to health.

On Monday, at a supposedly "canceled" city council meeting, the city decided to ban "farm animals" and limit dogs per household to 3, effective immediately, no grandfather clause. Then, when Channel 19 news did a segment, the mayor claimed these animals were always banned!

On Friday there will be a special council session where all emails and letters will be read. Please read the message from my sister in law, below, watch the TV news report.

Please write. Please cross post and forward this request. Thank you.
--Helen Morrison

Begin Forward Message----------------------

This was on the news, I did not know they where coming someone else called, so I don't look so good/ I was up crying much of the night.

www.woio.com/global/vide...upplayer.asp

Mayor Merle S. Gorden
> (216) 292-1901
mayor@beachwoodohio.com

> And let him know how you feel about the story.

Also, please forward this to anyone else who may be interested in the story.
I don't feel like talking on the phone, I am too sad.
Just give him your opinion may help or not.
Thanks much
Liz

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

roosters ?

2008-09-24T02:57:18Z

so our chicks are about 2 months old, i know the general consensus is that you know they are roosters when they start to crow, but i just feel there has to be some behavioral / developmental difference that we might observe before this happens. are there ?

-m

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

Why I love my chickens

2008-09-12T06:42:49Z

I love "Supercomb"'s tiny chirrup-chip-chip-chip every time she sees me.
I love "junebug" and her high-falutin' pseudo-cock ways. And her huge, pale, oblong eggs.
I love all four barred rocks for being sweet, friendly little pullets who are starting to lay every single day!
I love Tilly and Junebug for being the time-honored, wise old hens that they are.
I love Miraim for her gentle soul and large size.
I love Laea for her suddenly crooked comb that she grew while we were away at burning man. I love her intrepid spirit and her tiny pullet eggs.
I love Stryke for her rapid maturity despite her seeming retardation LOL. What a dumb cluck, but oh-so-sweet!
I love
I just plain love raising my little flock o' chickens. I really can't imagine life before they came to live with us. Can you?

Tell you chicken love story here!
Peace sans fluster cluck-ing,
Cat-spiracy

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

quinoa

2008-09-02T15:44:31Z

has anybody ever grown quinoa for their chickens? are the saponins toxic to them? does it HAVE to be washed first?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

chicken food

2008-09-02T15:37:08Z

anybody tried to grow their own? we feed our gals organic pellets and kitchen scraps; i'm toying with the idea of growing stuff for them at home,food that is whole and nutritious for them. i'd love ideas and inspirations, or a reality check if need be. thanks folks!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

Our rooster is acting really funky and we need help.

2008-09-02T15:19:07Z

one of our roosters, arnold, has been acting funky the past few days.
it started out as he was limping accross our driveway about five days ago.
we brought him inside so he could rest a few days since our ducks had been picking on him.
he ate well for the first day and then his droppings started turning bright green and we notcied today his comb is turning a dark purple color.
he has lost most of his appetite and he doesn't want to stand on his own.
what would you suggest?

please help.
he's our favorite.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Writing a book on Chickens

2008-09-01T21:04:56Z

Hello all!

I am brand new to this tribe, as of today! By way of introduction, I am an author, living just outside of Asheville, N.C.. I am in the process of authoring a series of books on what is loosely referred to as the "New Domesticity", or, all the ways people are re-localizing food and getting back into what, to many, are antiquated kitchen crafts.

The first two books in the series are on "Raising Chickens" and "Canning & Preserving." They are scheduled for release in March 2010 by Sterling Publishing, whose parent company is Barnes & Noble. Part of the uniqueness of the books will be the inclusion of profiles of people nation-wide who are engaging in these activities, for profit or simply for fun.

This e-mail is an attempt to network with all of you to seek out folks you may know who are currently raising chickens. I would love to include people across the country, covering a range of ages, professions and reasons for raising chickens.

If you know of anyone who might be willing to share some information with me, and receive a free copy of the book in return, please let me know how I might reach them. They may want to know in advance that their name and photo will be included in the book.

Hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing from you!!

Be well,
Ashley English

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

bald chicken ...

2008-08-07T20:28:47Z

My 3 year old black rock molted a couple of months ago. Her feathers grew back as usual apart from the one's on her head. She looks like a vulture/chicken cross. Anyone have any ideas why? She's the oldest in the coop (4 other hens) and still the dominant one. We don't have a cockerel, and she's not fighting the others. They all have full run of a large garden during the day and she acts just fine. She doesn't lay much but that's nothing new - has always been a bit of a prima donna.

Any suggestions for feather regrowth appreciated!

thanks

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

taking the little-uns outside

2008-08-04T17:28:36Z

i'm new to this tribe, so i'm sorry if this has been talked about before...
i have four crazy cuties that are almost two weeks old. when can i start introducing them to the outside world, where i really feel they belong? i really want to let them run around...........
i have the 'keeping chickens' book, but i'd like some other opinions

thanks!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

My Faverolles are hatching!!

2008-07-23T15:12:59Z

Yippeeeeeeeeee!!

LOL

..sorry.. had to tell someone.....

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

turkey chick with a cold

2008-07-16T21:33:59Z

so we have a turkey chick, about a month old, that's come down with what looks like a cold. he's got a drippy nose and you can hear the phlegm in his lungs, but otherwise seems fine. we have him isolated but don't really know what to do from here... we would ideally like to avoid antibiotics, plus they wouldn't do any good if it's viral anyway, right? he's always been the runty guy, and has had a few bad days before (just fairly listless) but has always perked up. any suggestions?

(google searches have come up with everything from soup recipes to quitting cold turkey, but nothing helpful!)

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

Micoplasma

2008-07-08T23:22:50Z

I introduced some new (18 month old former commercial free range chickens) into my flock. Soon after they were all very ill and the vet tested them positive for micoplasma. I suspect it came in with the birds, but the vet has said that this is a common problem with wild birds as well, although previously my flock were okay. It looks like I will have to vaccinate mine if I want to keep them free range. So is that what everyone else is doing? I know the wild bird population has all these things anyway, but they all look healthy, and its always my birds getting sick! My idea was to get the ex-commercial birds because they have been vaccinated against some things and I was extending their life! Where do you draw the line with vaccinations?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

mixed coop

2008-07-03T22:04:48Z

Hi all. I am new to the chicken thing, with the way the economy is i have started a chicken coop, started a garden, and am trying to start a buisness. well.... my neighbors got me into chickens and raising different birds for food and eggs.. kinda a resupplying food source. so i went out built a 15x15 x5foot hi 1inch chicken wire pen for the chickens.. built a house in the middle for them and covered a corner for a breeding box , hang out area. i ended up getting 11 2-4 munth old chicks, a couple days later a neighbor gave me 2 3 week old chicks and 2 more chicks roughly 2 munths. a week goes by and the 2 baby chicks die a day apart.. i saw they got beet on some.. but they mostly stayed out of the way of the bigger birds. .i blew it off as dead loss.. something byond my knowledge.. well today I got a turkey chick.. prolly 2 munths old.. maby less.. I got it from a feed store. i released it in the coop and all at once the flock gangrushed the poor thing.. i snatched up the chick quickly after doing 2 laps around the coop chasing the flock and baby turkey.. looked kinda funny I would immagine. well now i have the baby turkey in with my quails. how are in a smaller pen inside my coop. I am hoping that the chickens will see that the chick is a turkey and leave him alone after a while.. my neighbor has quail, chickens and turkeys in the same coop. not alot of each but they are still in the same area and they dont fight .. granted his are older. anyone got any clues on how i can do this with out any real fighting? thanks for the help..
I am planning on getting a farm going with different eating and egg producing birds, so the 3 acres i have will end up with alot of inter connected coops and breeding areas. if ya got any ideas for that would love and heads ups you al can help me with. thanks a million.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

blood in chick poo

2008-06-01T17:46:25Z

Hi guys, i have just started keeping chicks and a couple of ducks. one of them ( i think my little maran hen) has blood in her poo? chicks are 8wks and ducklings are 4wks. any advice for a concerned rookie? xx thanks

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Hen just dropped dead

2008-05-27T02:44:25Z

Is this 'normal'? the first one I've lost to apparently natural causes; she was just lying on the ground dead under the perch in the morning. About a year old, she was kind of the runt of the litter. Her comb had been slowly turning gray for some time, now I wonder if that's some indicator I should have paid attention to. Ideas?

We were pretty sad, but at least it wasn't a raccoon!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

the poo doesn't look right...

2008-05-22T15:41:17Z

I just got two young chickens ...they are 7 weeks old.. and their poo goes from "perfect little buns" of dark and white twirl, to dark little beebees with clear water squirts, to very seldom ..a black'ish and shiny poo that really smells bad. They are both acting normal, eating and drinking water fine... and they are inside for a big part of the day, so their environment is pretty clean (paper towel in the crate.. that I change out when soiled). They are outside in my organic garden for a few hours, weather permitting. (I usually set them up where there's just some grass or edible "weeds" ...they share the space with my tortoise ...in a pen, them)

The beebees and the really dark stuff is only about 40% of the overall poo factor ...with the latter being a very small part of that.

Is this "normal" ? Should I be treating them for anything? They are a little young for most things, still. Btw, one is a Sizzle and the other, a Silkie ...probably one Roo, at least. Their original Mom said she thought she saw a miniscule amount of blood in their poo on a couple of days ..before I got them... but I haven't seen any at all. I just don't want something to be wrong and I don't catch it in time to do something.

Thanks!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

canabalism

2008-05-17T23:13:46Z

Has anyone had any experience with cannibalism within your flock. We have lost several of young birds to this brutality. They attack the butt of the bird until it is a large opening into the body cavity. It is really disgusting and savage.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

New chick needs help, Please help!

2008-05-17T00:28:51Z

Alright, we have been working on chickens recently. My daughter wants to be a vet. Well. one chick needed help out of its shell. It was fine for a few days, I thought it may have stradle leg, but it seemed to move fine. Well the other day my husband found a lump on its neck. And now its neck is turned to the side constantly. Does it have a disease? These birds were kept inside almost the whole time. We just have newly born chicks, and some older ones like a month old, all from the egg. And we dont know what to do for the poor thing. Should we seperate it from the others? We have just been keeping them all together. Please help!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

dog got one of our chickens... ouch!

2008-04-30T18:18:17Z

we left our puppy unsupervised with the chickens a bit too long the other day, and she attacked our "alpha" hen.

not sure if she'll survive, but she's doing fine right now. $600 of emergency surgery, and now we have to see how she heals. she's missing skin off her back, and has some deep bite wounds, so the concern is about infection. quite traumatic for everybody. :(

i'm really amazed at how resilient she is. she never seemed to go into shock, and she's quite her usual self (temperment) by all outward appearances (except for a 1/4th of her back skin and feathers missing). i keep telling myself "its only money".

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 15 replies

Expanding the Flock

2008-04-24T15:36:23Z

With chick season here and some new folks just getting into it, what are some tips from some older hens on how to raise or integrate chicks into an established flock. Mine are

A. I never add a single chick, but always raise them in groups of two or more
B. When I first put the new chicks in they are physically separated by wire
C. After a few days, the wire is left open but there is always a "hiding place"
D. The hiding place needs to be small enough that big chickens cannot get in
E. There is plenty of room for the two "flocks" to be apart

This seems to dramatically decrease trauma for the new chicks, and eventually the flocks integrate. Other tips?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Someone's stealing my eggs!

2008-04-24T02:46:24Z

I've just come on-line to have a bitch about the human race.
We have alot of chickens (about 100) and I sell the eggs. I don't make money out of it. I just enjoy doing it. I leave them in a box and people leave me their money. I know there are always people who will steal anything that isn't nailed down, but I don't want to live my life like that!! I don't want to have my chickens locked up with 24/7 security! Didn't their families teach them anything growing up? I've a feeling its adults, not children. And I am just so mad I am spitting nailsl. I just wish animals could talk and tell me who's doing it!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

Chicken Charity

2008-04-24T02:40:22Z

Today I was outside building a storage shed for my neighbor. I heard my chicken's clucking the predator cluck and went to investigate. Sure enough there was a huge St. Bernard jumping on the fence and coop. I got a rope around him and then chained him up in the backyard. Tomorrow at 5:30 am, when I go out to collect my morning newspaper, I will chain this dog up to my front gait so any motorists or pedestrians can see him/ her. I put a padlock on the chain so the dog is going nowhere. I'll let the dog sit out there until about 7:30- 8 and then the Animal Control people will come by and collect the dog. If the owner does happen to come and claim the dog, I ask that they call Animal Control and find out how much they would have to pay if they were to retrieve their dog from the pound. I ask that they pay half that amount to our neighborhood renovation of the historic Washington School which serves as our community center. So far I have raised between 4 and 5 hundred Dollars. In the four years that I have had backyard chickens, this dog is number 34.

Douglas

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

Horrible

2008-04-22T04:10:22Z

I went to check on my chics this morning and one of my Cornish X was dead under the heat lamp with a bleeding backside. Several of the other chics had blood all over their butts too. They have two brooder lights and plenty of room, I don't know why it happened. Starting a homestead is wonderful but death, on many different levels is something that is constantly challenging my psyche because it is so in my face. Dieing critters, processing my animals, the list goes on...and so shall I.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

Raising turkeys

2008-04-17T14:17:17Z

I am planning to get some midget white turkey chics in May. I want them to be pasture raised but am concerned about the fact that they can fly. Recently (yesterday) I dispatched the last of my Rio Grande turkey X. They were large beautiful birds, not the freakish large breasted things that you see in the stores, more like a wild turkey. The taste, AMAZING with the best, rich gravy we have ever tasted. I just hated to have to have them in a coop that was much like a jail,although they did have the whole barn to wander around and poop all over as well as a fenced in run. Otherwise they would (and did) fly away requiring my partner and I chase them all over the damn place. Any advise from you wise poultry folks?
thanks

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

Absess or cyst

2008-04-10T11:07:56Z

I have got a brahma hen who has got an absess (I think!). It was a lump covered by a scab. Anyway I picked the scab off and got the lump out and it left a hole which looks like it has now closed up. I disinfected it etc.
Anyway I looked at her again today, and I am now wondering if it wasn't an infection from a wound, but it might be from an absess from inside because it looks like the lump is forming under the skin again. Should I try antibiotics? I thought she had got an infection after the rooster had stratched her back (she is missing some feathers from his amorous attentions!).

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

The Olympic Torch

2008-04-10T11:05:39Z

I know this site is about animals, but don't you think this olympic torch thing is weird. There are all these protestors about Tibet (rightly so) trying to get the torch, and china has sent all these security guards (dressed in blue like smurfs) to stop anyone getting to the torch. What was everyone (international community) thinking of when they gave China the olympic games???

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

Incubating Goose Eggs

2008-04-05T00:34:02Z

We have got a trio of geese. Both females have laid clutches, but haven't gone broody yet. So we have taken one clutch and have just put a load into my incubator.
I have read that they are harder to incubate than chickens eggs.
I couldn't fit the rotator in as well as the eggs. So I am planning to turn them 3 times a day for the first 25 days. Then spray them with water morning/evening for days 29 onwards. Does that sound about right? Any other advice out there???

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

duck question

2008-04-04T21:29:53Z

we were gifted a male and female duck last year... we loved them, they coexisted with the hens and rooster, free ranging around the land. I became a duck egg fanatic, with our egg per day i got the whole neighborhood convinced of the benefits of duck eggs. then she sat on her eggs and we had a bunch of baby ducks- cute cute cute... until daddy duck started gang banging the whole family and it was so violent and horrible all the cuteness there ever was dissappeared. after many failed attempts to seperate the family- we gave the whole bunch away. but now, after the horrors have faded a bit in my brain, i'm missing those duck eggs. does anyone know if duck eggs need to be fertile to have all the benefits? do all male ducks get so brutally violent, and how do you avoid an incestuous duck family,. or is it acceptable in the duck culture? maybe there's a duck tribe....
any input appreciated
M

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 11 replies

Keeping chickens under light

2008-04-03T22:04:33Z

I have just acquired 60 former barn hens, 18 months old, kept under light. They are now free rangers and have begun moulting. I have had them two months now. When I got them they were still laying but now they aren't laying at all. How long will it be before they start laying again?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

Egg Hunts

2008-03-30T22:44:17Z

I love having free range chickens.....but the egg hunt is getting old! We built a delux coop for our ladies and Bubby the Rooster to keep them cozy and laying during the winter months. I was so happy when they actually started laying in the nestng boxes -instead of pooping and roosting in them as they did when they first moved it. But now that the snow has melted and they can range freely, they're back to their old habits of hiding eggs. They'll generally all lay in the same spot, it's just finding them that's hard. Then when i find the nest- which is usually nicely built in a bush or behind a hay bale, there's days worth of eggs and i don't know if they're good to eat any more. any ideas on how to get them to lay in their nests... or how to determine if an egg is still good for eating? Does anyone else's chickens have these laying habits?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 9 replies

jersey giants

2008-03-28T12:42:27Z

i have to say, now that we are finally getting eggs--they are big and brown and beautiful! very good layers of large eggs--the roosters are known to top at 20 lbs! they are slow to mature though, but good temperment too. they are a fairly rare breed, i recommend them!!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

meat chickens

2008-03-27T20:24:14Z

having rare breed layers up until now....we've decided to do two runs of meat chickens(6-8 weeks) in move-able coops. any ideas of a weight gain grain ? like corn only or a scratch-grain mix?
what do you do?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

Rooster lost his crow?

2008-03-23T21:53:14Z

I have two roosters (really, cockerels), after not having any since I was a small kid (so I'm fairly ignorant of roostery issues beyond the obvious showing them you're top chicken so they don't attack you). They grew up together, and get along well, fighting very little, even when rooster #2 tries to hump the same gal at the same time as the top rooster. But recently, rooster #2 crows and a little squeak comes out instead of a crow. Anyone experience this before? It's hilarious, but I hope not a sign of sickness or something.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

hatching the eggs

2008-03-21T15:14:17Z

hello from the big island. i've got six young layers (black giants and ameraucanas) and a rooster that's doing his business and taking care of the girls lovingly. they've all been laying happily for about a month and i'd like them to hatch some eggs for more baby chicks, which i've never had before since this is the first time i've had a rooster. i really look forward to have baby chicks that did not come from the feed store and mothers that protect them. i now keep a dozen eggs in one of their two brood boxes in hope that one of them is going to get the urge and start hatching them. is it too early to expect them to brood and how can i further entice them to do so?
thanking you all for your dedication and love for your chickens and wishing you happy easter.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

chicks wont roost...

2008-03-20T21:15:57Z

our 12-week-old chicks don't go into the coop at night and they don't sit on the roost. is that odd? our other chickens went into the coop and promptly roosted at this age. at the end of the day they go "nest" in the corner of the yard, rather than going into the coop. its been two weeks now of rounding up the younger ones and putting them into the coop each night. then they sit on the floor of the coop until the morning.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

Midwife

2008-03-20T21:07:14Z

I have nine hens, mixed breeds. All of them are pretty good layers as I keep all of my neighbors in eggs. However, I have this one Barred Rock hen who insists on being there when ever another hen sits in the nest and lays an egg. She sits there and clucks while the other hen is laying. And afterwards I get two hens proudly clucking their heads off, "I laid an egg, this has never been done, I laid an egg!!!" Some times the clucking really gets loud, every bit as loud as a rooster. I'm sure the neighbors do not appreciate it. If I'm home I usually go out to the coop and point a broom stick at them. I've even just used my arm and finger and pointed at the cluckers. This pointing business really freaks them and they immediately stop clucking. Anybody else have a midwife hen or pointed a stick your hens?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 11 replies

Chicken foot fungus

2008-03-19T22:02:10Z

I have a Bantam hen who has foot problems. Her nails have had to be cut because they've grown so long, and her foot is covered with a white, crusty fungus. Actually, we have two Bantam hens with this problem. Any suggestions as to what's wrong?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

chicken with the runs

2008-03-19T21:49:18Z

I have quite a few chickens, and for some time a few of them have had the runs. It is usually a ginger frothy colour. All chickens seem fine and healthy. The only suggestion the vet came up with was to have an autopsy on one of them costing over £60.
They have been treated with antibiotics and wormed, but this made no difference.
Are there any old remedies out there that could be helpful, or any suggestions as to what might be causing it.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

leg mites?

2008-03-06T04:57:21Z

i think a few of our hens have leg mites... they burrow under their leg skin and make them look aweful and scaley. i've read to dip them (legs only!) in petroleum and kerosene. anybody have any ideas about the best way to treat our gals? thanks!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

did yoO no dat ....

2008-02-12T18:22:53Z

eggz Luk gud in hats?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

planting along chicken fence

2008-02-10T18:12:58Z

i am growing sweet peas ( the flowers) for the first time.
i have read the seeds are toxic, and we wanted to plant them along our chicken fence....but we don't want to poison the birds
any body know if the birds will eat them and if they will be toxic to them as well?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 7 replies

That darn crowing cock

2008-02-10T01:10:23Z

Our rooster, who is otherwise quite charming, has developed the habit of sustained crowing from 3:00am to 7:00am. Not a problem for us, since the chicken spa is far from the house, but its starting to wear on the neighbors.

Any thoughts on convincing him to sleep in?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

sick turkey

2008-01-31T02:12:24Z

Hello fellow poultry enthusiasts,
I have five heritage breed turkeys under a year old. I notice last night that one of my hens has a very sore looking clocha. It is extreamely inflamed and prolapse to the sized of an egg. It almost looks like a feathery swollen egg on the out side of her body. It seems to be interfering with her ability to poop properly. I am concerned for her. She just started laying and I noticed some blood on her eggs but i thought that was normal but now I see how bad it really looks.
I am going to try to catch her today and see if she is bound, or what the deal is.
Any advice would be apprieciated.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

white polish rooster looking for a home

2008-01-25T21:03:50Z

we have a cockerel looking for a home. (roosters are not allowed in Oakland.) please let me know if you'd like him. i posted his pic in the photos. He's about 4-1/2 months old and has just begun to crow occasionally. (we got him "unsorted" along with some other chicks who all turned out to be girls.)

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

Poultry Show, Stockton, Ca, January 28 and 29, 2006

2008-01-15T19:59:16Z

For those of you who could attend, I just found out there's going to be a large national poultry show at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds on January 28 and 29. There are supposed to be over 3000 birds being shown. The group putting it on is the Pacific Poultry Breeders Association.

I'm having trouble finding more specific info, but here's the fairgrounds calendar:
http://www.sanjoaquinfair.com/pages/calendarofevents.html

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 15 replies

Got THREE eggs today!!!

2008-01-02T00:26:32Z

So, we went from no eggs to 3 this morning. They are all egg-zactly the same color, so I am thinking they are probably from the same hen (Aracuanas here) and since we don't check everyday (we thought we were in for the long haul...) they have probably been there a couple of days at least..

Yippe Yahoo!!!

Loch.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

egg shell calcium

2008-01-01T23:00:15Z

A friend of mine has a large flock, well to me it is large at like 20 layers and a few roosters, and has offered me advice throughout out journey with out three ladies. She mentioned that she puts oyster shells into the pen with her chickens and that they nibble on those to get good calcium to make their shells stronger. Made sense to me, but we move our hens around the yard in their pen/coop, and I don't want to have to pick up oyster shells (not to mention look at them) all the time.
My question is this, do the ladies need the extra calcium if they are eating a balanced diet of layer food and also foraging in the yard, and if so can I just crush up their own egg shells after we use them and put them in with their cracked corn?

Thanks in advance.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 4 replies

a rooster swap?

2007-12-19T18:02:32Z

Hi folks,

I won the "10% of these chicks may be male" lottery! Woohoo! Now, I
have a beautiful 24-week old Plymouth Barred Rock rooster who would be
happier in a location other than Berkeley.

I also have a little Auracana hen that will be very lonely without him;
So, I would love to make a trade if you have too many hens.

Any other ideas you may have would be appreciated. Until we find a good
situation for our big boy, we'll keep him (he only crows a few times
late in the morning, sorry neighbors).

Thank you!

-- Kris

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

eggs, eggs, EGGS!!!

2007-12-18T16:17:37Z

so back october/november the ladies stopped laying ...pretty much expected; it's cold, it's dark and I don't use supplemental lighting. I don't bother checking the nests for a few weeks and then this past week I peek in just to see how everything is doing in there and, WOW!! ... I have about two dozen eggs from three laying hens and I've been getting an egg a day from each of them since. I'm happy as pie, but what's going on?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 11 replies

update on winter lighting issue

2007-12-16T02:19:29Z

...so i posted a while back on whether or not i should put a light on my hens this winter to keep em' layin'. well, we opted to go natural and not put a light in their coop... and they are still laying! we have 9 hens , 2 of which are molting, and we are getting an average of 4 eggs a day. YAY!!!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

to light or not to light... that is the question

2007-12-14T06:06:18Z

so i've been reading lately about eating seasonally ,and that perhaps "forcing" chickens to lay in the winter by putting a light in their coop goes against nature (and the chickens well-being), and compromises the nutritional quality of the eggs.... and yet we spend over $40/month on quality organic feed so it's tough to ignore the math on that one if we don't get eggs this winter... i'd love to hear any thoughts/theories on what ya'll do in the winter and why that makes sense to you.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 11 replies

my rooster is sick PLEAZE HELP !!!!!!!!

2007-12-14T05:51:15Z

my rooster has been sick for 1 week now. His red thing on top of his head is has hard puple/ black spots on it . And he looks like he is gasping for air every time. When i Bought him he was fine but then like 4 weeks later he started having those symptoms. Pleaze help i don't know what to do.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies

Baby chick hatching series photos...

2007-11-28T03:43:51Z

I am psyched there is a chicken tribe! I'm totally new to this, so sorry for the roundabout way, but if anyone wants to see a series of photos of a chick hatching out of her egg, I just put them up in my photo album. my profile name is Sparepony so maybe you could get to it that way if you have any interest...

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Blood on the shells

2007-11-26T17:30:12Z

My white aurucana bantam has been laying eggs with streaks of blood on the shell.
The eggs are perfectly fine on th inside, but the outside is streaked with blood, not much, as if she was straining to get them out. I also noticed they have become more elongated, more coneheaded, altough the size hasn't changed.
I have no rooster. For the rest she is active, healthy eats well, and is feisty as ever.
Any ideas if I should worry or what causes this?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 3 replies

winter concern for "bald" chickens- thoughts?

2007-11-25T21:09:35Z

Ok, so we have about three or four hens who have some pretty severe bald patches on their backs - you know, from the over-amorous attentions of the boys. :rolls eyes: Most of the girls have done their molting thing and are all grown back and ready for the winter (here in NJ, it's already frosting over at night now) but these few haven't as of yet.

I'm not so worried about them during the night- we put an infrared lamp on a thermostat in the coop to help everyone stay warm once the temps are hovering in the really cold - but i'm not sure if there's anything we can do to help protect them during the day when they roam. We have to grease the comb (vaseline) of one of our roosters at night during the winter to protect him from frostbite - but I'm not so sure that would be a reasonable thing to do for the much bigger exposed areas on the girls.

So, any thoughts, folks? ^^;

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 13 replies

is it safe to wash eggs in water?

2007-11-16T05:04:31Z

ours have been a bit muddy and poopy since the rains came. i thought read that there are certain times that the molecules in the shell are permeable and therefore unsafe to get wet... anybody know about this?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 6 replies

Did you know that chickens, pigs and calves can't move on many farms?

2007-10-23T00:44:10Z

I am collecting signatures for a very worthy grassroots cause. Californians for Humane Farms is trying to get a proposition on next year's ballot that would require farms in the state to have cages big enough for the animals to stand, sit and turn around. That is all this measure calls for. It has already passed in Arizona and Florida and is law in Oregon too. Let me know if you would like to sign my petition to give voters a chance to change this cruel farm practice. We need 650,000 signatures by Feb. 22, so please consider volunteering to gather signatures. The Web site is: humanecalifornia.org/. And if you know of events/venues that would be good for collecting signatures send them my way.
Thanks,
Elinor

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

awards, chicken, chicken, chicken presentation

2007-10-08T18:47:35Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_-1d9OSdk

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 0 replies

PLEASE HELP!!! SICK HEN

2007-10-07T18:42:48Z

My Silver Leghorn hen is probably four or five years old now. She has been blind since she was little, and hasn't ever had health issues until now. She looks pretty sick and I don't know how much longer she will live. One side of her face is normal, but the other is covered with wart-like sores. They keep getting bigger and worse. Her eye isn't visible due to the swelling and the fact that her eye is foaming. I have searched all sorts of poultry disease sites, but haven't found any close matches. She doesn't seem to have any other apparent symptoms. She has gotten a little lazier than she used to be. She has been staying out in the yard and on the porch for the past few days so the other chickens won't get sick. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. We put some iodine on them, but it didn't seem to make a diffference. We got a antibiotic for her water, but then realized it isn't for chickens over 16 weeks of age. Should I give it to her? I can send pictures if anyone thinks thay can help.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 1 reply

Question about chickens and their noises.

2007-09-18T23:30:25Z

So, for a while now we have been thinking that one of our chickens looked different, bigger, more defined comb etc... but we knew that chickens develop at slightly different rates and so hoped against hope that it wasn't a rooster. Well, last Friday, two hours before we were to leave town for an extended weekend away that bird started crowing. I suppose it is possible that it had been crowing for a while, but not being home for most of the early part of the day we never heard him. So, with two hours of time ticking away and not knowing folks who live outside of city limits who could hang on to him until our return we panicked. We checked his underside... it looked like the other birds to our untrained eyes, but he crowed again and again... so we no longer have 4 chickens.
The remaining three are better behaved and seem happier... not sure if that is related to not having the 4th or not. Prior to his demise they were not wanting to go into their pen during the day if we had to leave and were arguing a lot.

So here is the question, is it possible for hens to crow like roosters? Not that it is going to help anyway, but in case it comes up again in the future.

Thanks.

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 8 replies

Some laying some not, what to feed?

2007-09-18T16:24:56Z

I'm anticipating this situation may come up for me soon.

What if I had 4 pullets (2 different breeds) and one or more pullets start to lay, but the others are not expected to lay till spring? (The breeder said spring is the typical time for commencement of laying for her strain of the breed.)

They are housed together, eating from 1 feeder. What feed do I buy? Do I keep feeding Pullet Grower, or switch to Laying Pellets?

I hope some of you can help with this. I want to do the right thing!

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 5 replies

Hen with a vision problem

2007-09-12T14:07:44Z

Hi all,
I'm new to your group and new to raising chickens. I have three hens and a rooster. THey are all about 4 mos old. I have noticed that the white one, who is part brahma, seems to peck in the wrong place when going after food. i.e. I brought them raisins, which they go crazy over, and she 1. has trouble even seeing them, and 2. when she does spot one she pecks about 1/2 further then the raisin is. She tends to be aloof and she seems to walk with a half sideways waddle. I notice that when she comes down the steps when leaving the coop in the mornings, - well she waddles/slides off to the side and ends up half flying.
Could this 'nearsided-ness' be a breed thing? I don't see any visible signs of infection? The good news is that I feed them mash and she has no trouble eating that, but she's definitely missing out on many bugs, and virtually all of the fun leftovers that the others get to before her.
Any ideas?

posted in A Chickens Tribe - 2 replies