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  1. Possum-Pie

    Recommendation for large waterers

    I have had a 4 gallon waterer for 4 years. it is of the "locking base" variety similar to this but larger. The trouble is, after many refills with well water, the calcium deposits on the base make it more difficult to twist off. This winter, when twisting it off, it cracked. I sealed it with...
  2. Possum-Pie

    Hens/Rooster getting more vocal

    I've had chickens for 5 years. I've learned to distinguish between the "yay! one of my friends just laid an egg!" call, the "I just saw a hawk!" scream, and the other normal noises. I just introduced four new 11-wk pullets to the old flock, and they all adapted well after some normal pecking...
  3. Possum-Pie

    Rooster mating getting aggressive

    Recently our rooster seems more "aggressive" with his mating. I began noticing neck/shoulder feather damage on several of our hens. We have 6 hens and 1 rooster. They have all been together for over 2 years. He is a great roo-first out of the coop in the AM, calls them when he finds food, etc...
  4. Possum-Pie

    Garden scraps

    It's almost August and stuff is coming in fast and furious in our garden. I end up with tons of scraps that used to be thrown in the compost bin but I began experimenting with feeding some to the hens. I know any nightshade (potato/tomato) vines are not to be given to them, but most other things...
  5. Possum-Pie

    ONGOING U.S. heat wave...

    So awhile back we were discussing heat and chickens. The eastern U.S. (and most of the rest of the U.S. has had HOT conditions this summer. We have had 40+ daysover 90 and many of those were 95+. I generally say don't worry, keep them hydrated with clean water and maybe some watermelon, and...
  6. Possum-Pie

    Seating order

    I have a coop cam to make sure all the chickens get in before sunset and the door comes down. I've been watching them lately and there is a drama to "finding their spot" on the roost. Rooster is almost always first in and goes right for his spot on the upper roost. Others wander in randomly and...
  7. Possum-Pie

    Fussy (not broody) hen

    I have a hen who is always "fussy". The best that I can describe it is the sound a whiney toddler makes when he doesn't get his own way. "awwwww, awwww" It sounds like she is pouting. She isn't low in the pecking order, not broody, not injured or sick, and is laying just fine. She doesn't do it...
  8. Possum-Pie

    Chicken feed

    This topic comes up every so often but I'm wondering what feed you give your laying hens. I was using Dumore from Rural King and getting a fair amount of eggs. Last Summer I was out of feed and stopped at Tractor Supply and all they had was Producer's Pride. It was awful. Egg production went...
  9. Possum-Pie

    Actual time it takes to push an egg out?

    Every search for "how long does it take to lay an egg" gives results telling time from birth. I'm looking for how much time from a hen to hop up in a nesting box until the egg is laid. I have a hen who is beginning to experiment with egg-eating. I've been keeping a close eye on the nesting...
  10. Possum-Pie

    Flock integration

    9 weeks ago we got 4 hens (about 2 years old) from someone who was giving up her chickens. I know nothing about their lives before they came to us except that there were 16 total in that flock. They have not integrated at all with my established flock (2 hens and a rooster about 2 yrs old)...
  11. Possum-Pie

    Excessive scratching...

    We got 4 new hens 2 months ago. One was a bit raggedy but I saw no infestations. I had no real way to isolate them at the time so put them in with our original 3. The raggedy SLW looked like she was finishing a molt, but I began noticing that she "preened" more than the others. Couldn't tell...
  12. Possum-Pie

    Feedback on observations of breeds...

    We got a Buff Orpington, a Barrd Rock, and two black Austrolorps 2 1/2 years ago. We recently introduced 4 new 2-year-old hens adopted from someone who couldn't keep them. Another Barrd Rock, another black Austrolorp, an easter egger, and a Silver Laced Wyandotte. We have 1 Rooster, a...
  13. Possum-Pie

    Need help to verify new hens breeds

    Someone had to get rid of their chickens and gave us 4 hens...a Bard Rock, a Austrolorp, and these two. I'm thinking the white one is an Ameraucana though the lady insisted it was an "Easter Egger" I know these breeds can get mixed up and interbred... The black and white one looks sort of like...
  14. Possum-Pie

    Sudden death of seemingly healthy chicken...necropsy

    I am a nurse practitioner so am familiar with surgery and autopsies. My Austrolorp died suddenly at some point in the night. I wanted to assure myself that it wasn't a spreadable disease so I figured that if I could find a "smoking gun" cause by cutting her open I wouldn't worry about the rest...
  15. Possum-Pie

    Broody failure

    My Orpington was allowed to be broody this spring. She had 2 eggs, I placed another 3 under her from other hens and marked them all with an "X". After 10 days there was an unbroken egg on the floor with my big "X" on it so I guess she threw it out. On day 10 I candled them and two were unfertile...
  16. Possum-Pie

    Chicken moving eggs from one raised nesting box to another???

    I have a broody B.O. who we decided to allow to hatch out a few eggs. She was in the center of 3 nesting boxes 14 inches off the floor of the coop with 3 eggs under her. This morning I went out and our bard rock was in that box while the buff was in the next box over. I didn't want the bard to...
  17. Possum-Pie

    Hard-boiling eggs

    I've tried EVERY trick on the internet, but no matter what EVERY egg from my coop is ruined when hard-boiled. Peeling the shells ends up cracking, gouging, and ruining the egg. I've tried using "old" eggs, the batch I did today have been in the fridge for a month. I"ve tried fresh eggs, no luck...
  18. Possum-Pie

    21 month old hens not layed in 4 months

    Background: 4 hens 2 Austrolorps, 1 Bard Rock, 1 Orpington, 1 Rooster. Born Feb 2021. Began laying in June 2021 and gave me 3 eggs/day on average that whole summer and autumn. Slowed to maybe 2 eggs/day last winter (a string of Christmas lights added light to equal 12hrs/day). Back to 3/day...
  19. Possum-Pie

    Smart rooster, dumb hens?

    I've noticed this a lot- our rooster sees a fox,cat, etc., and begins his LOUD cry of alarm. I come running from the house (sometimes just in time to see the predator running away) and the hens are casually pecking the ground around him. I thought having a rooster would help hens evade predators...
  20. Possum-Pie

    New bullying, egg eating

    Hi, all! I have 4 hens (and a rooster). The hens have been together since birth and always got along. About 10 days ago The Buff Orpington started behaving like she was broody. Sat on the nest all day unless I pushed her off. But when she went outside the Barred Rock bullied her pecking and...
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