What a great introduction!
I would love to see some pictures the chickens you care for as they sound really unique.
Welcome, and so glad you joined us!
The eggs would probably be fertle, and probably be hatchable. One mating makes all eggs by that hen fertile for a month or more. A hen wiil hide a nest, take several days to fill the nest with the desired amount of eggs. Then the day she begins to brood, all the eggs start developing the same...
I'm so sorry for your loss!
Heartbreaking
I am not real familiar with preditors in Texas, but wonder if you have anything in the mink, weasel, stout family?
This preditor type will kill by biting the head and neck. It shuts the prey up quickly as distress sounds can bring in competitive...
I absolutely love aunties! Best guardian dog I ever had was an aussie.
I think your birds are just teenagers and this sparing thing is just a phase.
It should pass soon. I also think your cheeky bird is a hen.
Welcome to BYC! and the start of your chicken adventure!
My all time favorite chicken book, one that I started out with and read over and over as a reference us called "Chickens In Your Backyard" by Rick and Gail Luttman. All the beginner stuff is in there written with alot of humor and...
Yes, an egg that floats should not be used.
It means that the air bubble inside the egg has expanded. The older the egg, the larger the air displacemant.
Refrigeration will keep your eggs fresher longer.
I recommend when selling eggs, you gather every day, or multiple times a day.
refrigerate...
Well, how many chickens?
How easy/difficult is roost placement going to effect cleaning?
Depending on breed of chickens also will effect their ease of accessing the roosts.
Pictures may help.
I suggest you break your hens broodyness. The best way is to get them outside. I use a dog kennel and remove the bottom tray. Set the cage in the grass and force the hen to be outside in the fresh air and daylight. Food and water avaliable.
Be mindful of the temp and sun and placement, so your...
Wondering what kind of feeder you have or if you have some sort of situation where chickens may be reaching on somewhere (fencing?) And rubbing off feather with repeatition?
If it was just the hens I would say mating damage. But the rooster may mean it's something else.
If only one died and the other 6 are ok, I think the one just ate something he should not have.
I had a perfectly healthy adult goose once just die for no apparent reason. And an old sage neighbor of mine told me that she had geese die from bee stings. The geese would eat the bee and die...
They just eat the small tiny leaves. The stems are left behind, and I rake it up and put it outside. Then the wild rabbits come at night and eat that! Seems nothing goes to waste.
I am in northern michigan and winter here keeps the flock cooped. I feed a small flake of alfalfa hay. this gives them hours of scratching fun, and the tiny alfalfa leaves are packed with needed nutrients.
I also buy a large bag of deer carrots that is sold here in the fall. I will through 3 or...