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i know butchering my roosters and nonlaying hens is the practical choice but that doesn't make it any easier. I keep thinking that perhaps she will start to lay again in the spring, but spring comes and she doesn't. Then just when I decide she must go I find she has laid an egg. One...

Our main coop has had an Add-A-Motor opener with our wooden door, a solar panel and 12v battery since we built it years ago. It functions well enough that I decided I wanted to replicate it for the other two smaller coops I built over the summer. The trouble was I didn't want to buy and...

i purchased 12 Blue/Black/Splash Ameraucana shipped eggs and by the time I finally got them from my post office they were four days past "delivery date." None were broken so I decided to go ahead and set them and try the dry hatch method. The eggs are dark blue and difficult to candle, but I...

I have a RIR and a Splash Marian who went broody around the same time. I tried to break them to no avail. So I let them both sit on my flock eggs for 21 plus days without success. But I'm not surprised by that because the only rooster I have is 5 years old and has been molting and not mojoing...

I first built a wire brooder that went inside the main coop. I used an upside down table I had built that we no longer needed and added some wood with wire. When that took up too much floor space I decided I wanted to move it outside but it would need to be weather proofed. So I moved it...

I have one Partridge Silkie who is now almost five years old. She's been a great broody when I needed one and when she's not broody she lays adorable little off white colored eggs. It occurred to me that I should get a few more Silkie girls to take up the broody role in the future. I have a...

okay I'm sure this is a pipe dream, but I'm wondering if anyone has had success merging day olds with a proven broody Silkie who already has had her latest brood for almost three weeks. Let me explain. My partridge Silkie went broody. She's always been a great momma and welcomes chicks...

I have updated my old coop/run configuration since my Lab/ACD mix puppy (now 49.5lbs, 9 months old) started digging under the wire and got/killed one of my chickens trying to play I guess. Old configuration. Note the then 7 month old puppy looking at the chickens. The broken concrete rocks...

Not happy with one of my RIR girls. She has been mounting several of the other hens since I processed my rooster two months ago. Prior to processing the roo this girl was his top fav and a great layer. She's still laying, but now it's eggs and hens! I'm considering processing her too but...

I've put the new roll out nest box in place & slapped up two doors before it got dark out. I noticed there is a 1/4" gap on the exterior between where the doors and the hinges are located. What do I do about that? Is it necessary to put a weather stripping there? Also what's is the best way...

I finally butchered my four silky roosters and Maran rooster. I have two gallon baggies with some breast meat in them and a piece of leg meat from the Maran, I washed them and dried them, and they've been in the fridge since Saturday in the same bags...

We only have a small property, slightly less than an acre of land. I've been letting my 15 chickens freerange and now there is poop everywhere! With summer coming and the backyard being for everyone - how can I have the layers I love without everyone getting upset over stepping in poop! How...

I want to make sure I did everything I could to help her heal. I found my silkie has two cuts, one on both sides of her back, where the LF rooster has dug his nails in while mating her. I noticed it today when I picked her up to put her back in the run and noticed what looked like blood on my...

These pics aren't very clear - but something/someone has been visiting our coop in the evening or morning hours. I noticed fresh prints after the snow but couldn't take pics until today. We lost a 12 week old Silky chick the other week and I suspect one of the visitors took her. Most of the...

It is now 28 weeks old. Some days I think - definitely pullet - other days I think definitely roo. But the lack of eggs or crowing is causing me to wonder which she/he might be. Why is the time between birth to sexing so long for Silkies! My other Silkies either crowed or laid by this time...

I get so frustrated with this! I'm just going to have to finally build the rollout boxes and hopefully then they won't want to hang out in them all the time. I've got silkies who hang out in there every night and broodies who hop up to stay for a month! All leave some level of poop in...

The question: Will following the OTs methods of management work to get my flock into the best health possible? I love my girls & boys. They're a great bunch of chickens and I want to take better care of them without resorting to chemicals. I plan to keep just one of the roosters once I know...

For the past couple of nights I've been finding a bunch of white feathers surrounding the area were my 66 week old White Leghorn Snow White hangs out on the roost. It looks like she exploded in there! I watched her race away from the coop and drop a load of feathers as she went. So either...

Just had to share... Went out to clean the coop and was looking around for the broody and her babies. I spotted Topsy with her little Cocoa, but I didn't see Frosty anywhere. I started to panic when she suddenly popped up out of the dirt. I missed the really cool shot of her covered in...

I cleaned the manure box this morning and found a bunch of what look like dried worms in one area of the box. One had a grey feather attached to it. Could these be some sort of worm and if so what kind? I tried to take pictures of them and look under the microscope at them - but I...