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I have old hens that do more to protect my flock than my roo. He's a total wus and first back in the run at any sign of danger. I've found randomly fertilized eggs a downside. I have family members that want to let one of my broody hens set so we can have even more chickens than the twice what...

I would have to say it is the recycled plastic construction. Much easier to keep clean and pest free than wood.

Nothing left but feathers says Fox to me. Foxes are MUCH harder to trap than racoons. They are very smart and cautious. I've read many accounts from successful Fox trappers of baiting the trap with the door locked open to acclimate them to the trap. Foxes also need a longer trap than a racoon...

That was a different class.

It's been over 20 years now, but I'll do my best. We were assigned a small flock of game bird chicks that would be fed the ration we formulated from the ingredients provided based on the basic nutritional needs of each species. The minimum percentage of protein, fat, ect. (think categories on a...

I know that I failed pretty miserably in formulating a chukar diet in my Animal Nutrition class in college. I had some of the puniest chukars in the class. We were required to formulate a "balanced" diet based on the basic dietary needs of the birds, but that clearly wasn't enough. My choice of...

From a metabolic standpoint, pretty much everything chickens eat is converted into component chemicals, such as amino acids and simple sugars before being built back into bones, feathers, meat and eggs. That being said, soy in itself should not be a concern and as said before, it provides key...

My flock would be long dead if they had to rely on me feeding them by hand. I have enough trouble keeping the automatic feeder and watering systems from going empty. I have seen no sign of either wild birds or squirrels getting into the hanging feeders inside my fully enclosed run. Mice could...

My Australorps are near impossible to kill. My hens have done well in nasty hot and humid summers and freezing winters. They just need shade and water. I find it's odd that your roos keep dying with no losses in your hens. The only thing that comes to mind is the possibility of kidney damage...

How did things turn out? We just got a young Barnevelder roo to go with our Australorp flock and figure chicks will happen someday.

Made a friend who favors Barnies and she gave me a roo that was getting beat up by some of her geese. Beautiful birds with a lot of plumage variations. I've had trouble finding a picture of a Barnevelder roo that looks like Thenardier (the missing tail feathers don't help). There are so many...

I've settled on Black Australorps. Great temperament and lots of delicious large light brown eggs. My first hens survived 7 years despite my many attempts to kill them through neglect and are still laying 2-3 eggs a week most of the year.

I built one like this for my first flock with crumbles, then layer pellets. Cheap and works great, no waste easy to adjust the the ideal height as they grew. The handle broke loose and I set it on top of an inverted bucket. It's been 7 years and I started a new flock. The old bucket now had a...

I'm surprised Australorps aren't on this list. I just started a new flock after having a mix of Italian Buttercups and Black Australorps. I love the big girls and they are still healthy and laying 2-3 eggs a week at 7+ years. Great temperament and egg production in a hardy bird that does well in...

Plus one for Australorps! My first flock was 3 Black Australorps and 3 Italian Buttercups. The Buttercups were pretty, but very flighty, laid a small number tiny eggs, would go tear into you if you wanted the eggs they were sitting on. My daughters wouldn't collect eggs if a buttercup was in...

I know this is an old thread, but I figured it couldn't hurt to chime in for the benefit of newer members. I've had Australorps ("Australian Orpington") for 7 years now. They are hard to beat for a dual purpose breed. Mine produce a lot of large to extra large brown eggs and are still laying...