Recent content by Chocobo

I second the idea of a dust bath. There are plenty of "recipes" you can find on this site. I don't think I'll ever be as happy as a chicken is when it is dust bathing.

My neighbor really wants to have a few chickens in her backyard but unfortunately lost her job and can't pay for a pre-made coop. Last year I made a coop for my backyard but I used my own plans and frankly spent far too much on it but I figured I could probably make her one if I could find...

How serious is an injury like this on a young chick? How, if at all, should I treat it?

Definitely not a tick. Sorry it's not a higher res photo.

I have some red silkie chicks that are about four days old now. This morning when I was checking in on them I noticed one had something on his head. It appears like a small scab but is black and not red. It was not there yesterday. Could it have been caused by a peck from one of the adult...

I took her out of the nest box but she went right back in and hunkered down. The chicks are coming out on their own to eat and drink now though.

So they started coming out on their own to eat and drink. Everyone appears in good health and spirits.

There is food and water just out of frame. Only about 5 inches away from nest box. They should be between 48 and 72 hours old at this point. I just thought it was a little strange that they would eat and drink so much yesterday but hardly at all today. Should I kick the mom out of the...

Yesterday I bought some day-old Red Silkie chicks and last night I slipped them under my broody BO hen. Yesterday while I was waiting for the sun to go down the chicks were eating and drinking a lot in their little cardboard box but today I've noticed they hardly ever come out from under their...

I put them under her last night but so far only one has come out to get a drink before going right back under. How long does it normally take for them all to come out looking for food/water? They were eating and drinking a lot yesterday during the day.

I think I'll leave them in the coop at least for tonight to see if she takes them in. How will I know in the morning if she has accepted or rejected them?