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Hi, We're having our first batch of birds processed this Monday. I'm trying to get everything ready since I will be gone for the weekend. What kinds of things should I plan in advance? We're having someone come and do on site processing, when should I put the birds into holding boxes? When...

Hi, This is our first time raising meat birds and we have 46 "red broilers". They are supposed to mature around 10-12 wks. I got ours on May 5th, and the roosters have been crowing now for about a week. Is it time to slaughter? I was scheduled to have them done on July 25th (a little less...

I have a free-range Araucana who hasn't laid an egg since mid-December. I expected her production to go down in the winter but she hasn't started up yet and I don't know why. All my hens get organic feed, fresh water and access to the yard (including barn/manure piles/pastures) every day. I...

My almost 1yr old Barred Rock hen seems to have developed a huge crop over the last few days. I was gone for a couple days and it seems to have happened while I was away. My husband was looking after the birds but he says he didn't notice it so I'm not quite sure how long it's been this way...

Hi Everyone, Sorry if this is a silly question. I had a Golden Comet who I adored, very friendly and an amazing egg layer. She was killed by some dogs that roamed onto our property and I definitely want to replace her in the Spring. Here's my question though, is a Golden Comet the same as a...

I lost 2 of my layers yesterday to roaming dogs and a 3rd that I'm trying to nurse through a severe injury. The State Trooper told me I should submit a value for my chickens and I'm not quite sure how to go about figuring this. Both chickens were raised from day olds. They cost 2.10 each...

We had 2 dogs come on our property and kill 2 of our chickens and injure a 3rd. Fortunately 3 other chickens survived fine. These dogs went on to attack a sheep at our neighbors and fatally wound 3 pigs at another farm. Anyway, the chicken they injured is a Buff Orp. about 7 months old. She...

I have (had) 6 laying hens who I free range on my property. We live on a farm with about 135 acres and the chickens always stick near the house or barn, especially now with the ground covered with snow. My dogs were outside but I called them in since I thought they were barking at our goat. A...

We will be moving at the end of September (about 1.5 hours from where we are now). My hens will be around 5 months old and I'm wondering how to make the transition as stress free as possible for them. One of the crazy challenges is that my husband wants to move their coop with us (a little...

Hi everyone. My girls are about just over 16 weeks now and I know we're nearing the time when they might start laying. The problem is, I don't think they like their nesting boxes. I tried putting my GC and BR in them just so they would know where they are but they get spooked and immediately...

Quick question. My feed store was out of Organic Grow Layer Pellets and I got a bag of Organic Broiler Grower Crumbles. My chicks are about 8 weeks old. Protein content is 19.00, calcium (min/max) is .85-1.15, Lysine 1.0. Is it okay to feed this to my chicks?

My chicks are 4 weeks old and are doing very well in their brooder box. Naturally they're growing really fast and I think they're slowly running out of room. Hubby is busy finishing the coop, but I still think it's going to take a bit of time! Okay, so here's my question. My chicks are...

So, my 6 chicks are 5 weeks old now and they're doing great. They're only getting organic chick mash since I can't find grit anywhere! I went yesterday to a farm store and they sold me dolomitic limestone and said I could use that as chick grit. Came home and read on the internet that that...

We got our first chicks last week. We got 6 (1 each - BA, GC, BO, BR and 2 EEs). My husband built a great brooding box and right now they're living in our bathroom. They've been so easy to care for, I'm cleaning out their food and water 2x a day. I try to handle them at night when I clean...

I was wondering what sort of things I need to be worried about with my kids (2.5 yr old twins and 7 month old) and the chickens, namely handling and possibility of zoonotic diseases. The chicks will be in our kitchen bathroom for the first week (still to cold at night to go into the garage...

I'm getting my first flock of chickens (6 per city ordinances). I have a couple questions: 1. Do you have a mixed flock? If so, how mixed (2 different kinds or 1 of each, etc.) 2. If you have 1 of each, do the chickens all get along? 3. What's your favorite breed in your flock? 4. What did you...

I've been spending most free moments on this forum learning all I can in preparation for our first time raising chicks. We have the coop designed and hubby just got some building supplies today. We're getting 2 Buff Orphs, 2 Black Aust., and 2 Light Brahmas. I'm feeling a little confused...

Hi everyone! What a great resource. I'm really excited that this year we've decided to finally add some chickens to our family. We live in a small town and are looking forward to having a backyard flock. We're building a coop with a large run (around 10x8 run) since the chickens can't be...