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My aging red star(?) hen had some problems last year that looked like she had a mild stroke. I held her up to eat and protected her from other hens and she came back, though she's still mopey and walks off center. Now she has a place on her upper back that she picks at and I thought the others...

This morning when I let the girls out, one nest contained an egg less than an inch long. It was beautiful and absolutely perfect - no shell weirdness or funky shape. It seems a little heavy for its size, but it's too darn cute to crack open. These hens are Black Stars - their normal eggs...

One of my Black Star hens has what seems to be an infected butt. History: Way back last summer she had a lump of poo dried into her butt feathers. I tried to pull it off but it was stuck so hard I pulled a few feathers in the effort - gave up and cut the remaining feathers necessary to get...

Is there a name for those glass or china eggs folks (used to) put in a nest to encourage egg-laying? I'm almost positive I've heard a term for it, but all this time spent with my head in a small box full of chickens is interfering with my memory.

Last night I was clipping the babies' wings again, since one of them had flown out right in front of me in the afternoon. I had to wait until night because they are way too fast to catch, and it was too hot to chase them anyway. So this time, instead of disconnecting the igloo section from the...

I have been catching dozens and dozens of slugs with beer traps. When I empty them I keep thinking "This looks like organic feed." Do chickens eat slugs? :::gag::: I know ducks do, but when I emptied one of the traps onto the ground in the chicken pen, the birds came over, took a look/sniff...

Anyone have advice for preparing in the New England area? I think my outdoor coops - both structure and locations - are OK. They're sturdy and protected by a concrete garage. But are folks debating just bringing the whole flock into the basement for the duration? It's a major consideration...

One of my Black Stars got broody so I begged some fertile eggs from a lady who runs all sorts of hens and roosters together. Hence - they're all Mutt-Bastid crosses, currently about 10 wk old. One in particular has caught my eye - he (I think it's a roo) is mostly black with green sheen, but...

So it's time to treat the babies as chickens. After all, they look like small editions of the Ladies, they eat like pigs, and they can fly. That's why, at dusk last night, I was seated in the big pen, beside the babies' blocked-up-to-prevent-escape igloo, surrounded by the tools of torture...

Who'd a thunk I'd get so attached to chickens? One of my Black Star layers got broody and looked so sad I ran off and got her some fertile eggs. Shes now the incredibly proud mom of 5 almost-week-olds, and today I observed some marvelous behavior: The Hen-ladies all love sorrel, so today I...

Didn't see this thread - I think this question belongs here instead of in egglaying behaviors. I have a hen sitting on 11 eggs (fertile, but not hers). They are supposed to hatch Sunday or Monday. My question is - what happens afterward? 1. How long does mom care intensively for her babies...

I have a hen sitting on 11 eggs (fertile, but not hers). They are supposed to hatch Sunday or Monday. My question is - what happens afterward? 1. How long does mom care intensively for her babies? 2. Does mom defend her babies from the other adult hens? 3. When can babies be on their own...

I keep seeing this term - seems to imply that it's a necessary step in hatching. I have 11 eggs under a broody hen, who shares space with 3 other hens. Just before hatching I intend to move the family into a separate living area so the chicks can get in and out of the nest in a...

One of my hens got broody and seemed so sad I got her some fertile eggs from a local provider. Later it occurred to me - I have no idea of the health of the other person's flock. Can the eggs carry in disease? I was so paranoid that I wiped them all down briefly with peroxide and dried them...

My 4 Black Stars used to deposit quite a bit of - effluent - during the nights. This past week there seems to be very little under their roosting bar, and not much on the ground outside. They are still laying but not quite as regularly, and the eggs seem smaller. Could they have a dietary...