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Hi! I have a 6 year old barred rock hen. Just this morning, I noticed she is sneezing every now and again and sounds like she has mucous in her throat (not just the normal sneezing from dust). Other than this, she seems to be okay. Eating, drinking, red comb/wattles, no discharge from eyes/nose...

I am going to look at this sweet, crazy-eyed paint filly on Saturday. She has been traded around from auction to auction in her short lifetime, and is currently with a rescue organization. She is halter broke and is being sold for $350. I'm buying her as a project for my dad (who has trained...

The single biggest pain-in-the-butt illness in raising chickens for me has been bumblefoot. Lots of Staph must be in the soil around here, I don't know. I've done numbers of bumblefoot "surgeries" in the past, and the recovery rate from that is usually only around 50%. Also, the bumblefoot...

Hi all. I have an emergency here. Yesterday, I noticed some swelling on the earlobe of my production red hen. I observed closer and it was a pus-filled abcess the size of a grape, with a large scab on it. I assume she scratched her earlobe (the gnats are so bad around here), opened the skin, and...

Bought 4 ducklings yesterday for a dollar apiece at TSC. Any advice for a duck greenhorn?

Technically this is not an emergency or a disease, but does relate to chicken health... Monday morning our whole property (including the house and all outbuildings) were put underwater in a flash flood. Got the laying flock out just in time to the only place not feet underwater--the road. I have...

The title says it all y'all! My chickens are being plagued with biting midges aka no see ums. I've never seen anything like it in my life. We have lived on our property for 5 years and NEVER had this before. Swarms of them rise from the grass and feast their little guts on my flock day and...

So maybe you bought it because of the attractive price. Or maybe you got it as a gift from a kind relative. Or perhaps you got it online without reading the reviews! Either way, you may have realized now you have an incubator "everyone loves to hate." Yes, that's right, I'm talking about...

I've kept several rabbits over the years as pets. My last rabbit, Lily Mae, died spring 2013, 3 years ago. I am going to pick up a young buck and doe tomorrow. I'm planning on breeding them and raising their offspring for meat. Any tips you could give me or websites you could direct me to would...

Am trying the "mama heating pad" brooding method for the first time. Is it safe to leave a heating pad on for that long, and have it contacting metal (the wire frame to hold the pad in a cave shape)? Was reading about the dangers of heating pads and read some pretty scary stuff. Would rather not...

Is it true that you should set the incubator after lockdown to a lower temperature (98-99 degrees F)? I thought I had read that somewhere. Has anyone tried this, and does it improve hatching rates?

I am setting a couple mixed breed eggs tomorrow---about this time of year I really need my chick fix! Is anyone else planning on setting eggs tomorrow, Jan 15th, so we can "hatch along" together?

What would a Buff Silkie cross a Mottled Cochin bantam look like? Has anyone hatched any Silkie/Cochin mixes?

I got the 2016 BYC calendar as a Christmas gift--I LOVE IT!!! Thanks to all the members whose pictures are in it-those are some fabulous looking fowl :) Hope all y'all have had a great Christmas!

I have been seeing stuff about this for awhile, and I'm super curious--is it really true that you can hatch eggs from trader joes??

Hi BYCers! Quick question here: I have a flock of nearly 40 8-week-old pullets, and, due to the excess of mosquitoes in my area, it is time to vaccinate for the ever-present fowlpox. However, the last time I vaccinated the previous flock of chickens (these were probably around 10-14 weeks old)...

I got this no-name incubator a few days ago in the mail as a surprise birthday gift from my uncle and aunt. Since it didn't have any name on it, or on the unusually translated and vague instructions, I did some research and it looks like some version of a JN8-48--a chinese incubator. I turned it...

Went to the relatives for 3 days this thanksgiving. I did not want to leave my farm in the care of the neighbor, but had no other choice so I tried to train him best I could. He has a good heart, and does the best he can, but is not at all experienced. I have the bulk of my flock in a portable...

I just re-read the "Terms of Service" (https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/terms-of-service) today and realized what a great site this is. A huge thank you to the moderators and administrators (y'all are the best). This is the only social site I use, simply because it's the best one dedicated to...

I just got 164' of Premier 1's Poultry Net 42 inch, with double spike posts. I also got an energizer kit with it. Does anyone have any tips for using Electric Net fencing? This is my first time using any kind of electric fencing at all. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks :)