Recent content by kodster

Not unusual for the pullets to not lay over the winter when it's their first season. I had an American Bresse pullet that would've been old enough to start laying before winter set in last November... but didn't lay an egg at all. She was the first one to start laying last month, and the rest...

I bought a 20-gallon metal can with a snug-fitting lid at TSC, and it holds two 50# bags of feed easily. I keep it in the coop itself (it's an 8x12 shed, so plenty of room to stand up in and storage space, too), so I don't have to go far to feed the flock.

It's dogs for me. Have never had any predators from any other animals where I live, and the way their run is built, predator birds can't get in or out by swooping down on them so they don't even try. The top is open to the sky, not enclosed by fencing, so the predators 'could' come in that...

Just give them a dry, out of the wind, shelter, and they'll survive just fine in your area, without supplemental heat. Those feathers are like a down coat, so they fluff the feathers up, and the downy feathers underneath the outer feathers trap the air, which insulates them well and keeps them...

My policy is no refunds, no replacements. Once the eggs leave your possession, it's USPS (and if you're shipping Priority Mail, USPS has an insurance policy that will cover damage due to their mishandling, and they DO pay out) and your customer's responsibility. You cannot guarantee...

They'll be fine in Caneyville, KY. You're used to the temps in Orlando, so that's a drastic change, in your mind. It's not. Use the metal shed, as is. It's perfect. Depending on how much window (air circulation, sunlight penetration) availability, you might want to consider adding some, if...

I get that.... when I wrote the comment, I didn't realize that they were already 6 years old, but depending on conditions, they could still be laying, just not as much as new layers. I won't do it, myself. Not because they're not producing, but because I'm human... would you want to be...

That's what I'm thinking... they may be freeloaders until spring, so I wouldn't hold out any hope for eggs right away.

He was just trying to establish his place in the roo pecking order. They have a pecking order, too, like the hens do. He was new to the flock, and they already had an established pecking order, which is why they were peaceful with each other, until he came along. That's why he was being...

Don't thin! They're not laying because they're spending their energy on staying warm, surviving the winter. The daylight hours they need, to keep laying, have shortened. It's seasonal, completely natural for them to not lay during the season where it would not be best for chicks to survive...

Yes, I'm aware of that. I have latches on the sides that lock in at different levels of opening, so we're good. No worry about the window falling and shattering.

Or 'Help Me, Rhonda'! My nemesis for 50+ years, since the Beach Boys came out with their song in 1965. I was born in 1957. Anyone who finds out my name, wants to sing the song to me. I just grimace and bear it.

Actually, I LIKE that idea! I'm going to have to replace the windows in my coop... and I may just do that! Thanks for planting that idea!

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but chickens walk around with their own down coats during the winter. All that down under their outer layer of feathers, which they fluff up when they get cold enough, to trap air, which is what keeps them warm. Their body temperatures run 99.5 degrees...

Very true. The spurs are for cock-fighting, whether it's sports-related, or just fighting with other roosters for dominance of the flock... their own 'pecking order' within the flock. The spurs have nothing to do with mating of hens, other than a hen may accidentally get scratched by the spur...