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I have a two year old Australorp who began sitting on the nest box yesterday and stayed on for several hours. I wondered if she was egg bound although she really didn't show any other symptoms and gave her a warm bath. She ate heartily after this and produced a large poop but immediately after...

And when I say outside, I mean totally separate from the coop? I have six hens who are eating eggs and I have tried many solutions to no avail. I'm wondering if getting metal, front collection rolling nest boxes and putting them in the run will work. The run is fully enclosed chain link...

I have six chickens who are approaching two years of age and when they began to lay again this last January they began eating their eggs. I have tried many solutions but nothing has worked so far, included rolling nest box inserts (which don't fit the existing nest boxes well), mustard eggs and...

Has anyone heard of this? Last year I had a vet who specializes in chickens tell me that flake hay can cause lung problems. At least, I think this is what she told me but she hasn't answered my last email asking for clarification. Has anyone heard of this or experienced it first hand? Or can...

I've been waging war on the rats coming into the chicken run and some are so bold as to even be out in late afternoon. I've used snap traps, plaster balls, an electronic trap and a live trap with varyiing results. I don't leave food out in the run and I mix chili powder with their food in the...

I was at Target today and they had a small size dog waterer with a one gallon gravity drip system that goes into a large bowl. I looked it up on line and they also have 5 gallon ones available. Has anyone ever used this and if so, how did it work for you? I'm using large dog bowls right now...

About a month ago I had a vet out to the house to look at my six hens, one of whom had a respiratory problem. She examined each one and said they were all on the thin side, based on how prominent their keel bones were. Within two days I switched from Blue Seal organic layer food to regular...

About four months ago I read on here about someone with a live trap cage that worked great. I ordered one but didn't really think about the whole disposal part. I only caught one baby rat and I just couldn't kill it and ended up letting it out in our yard. Well, this strategy came back to...

I really hope someone can tell me what's wrong with this hen. I've only had her a week and she seems quite sweet natured but I'm worried about this constant itching. 1) What type of bird , age and weight. Bantam cochin hen, approximately a year old, don't know weight 2) What is the behavior...

I am adding a hen to our small flock of six girls because it is a breed my daughter has wanted badly. I have several questions about the quarantine. First, can one chicken be happy for a month in isolation? Should I put another hen in with her after three weeks for company? We intend to keep...

I have a chance to add a year old cochin hen to my nearly year-old flock of six girls. My only hesitation is how she will be received as the only feather-footed hen. Does anyone have any experience with mixing cochins with non-cochins?

My six chickens all are developing what I think are frost bite marks on their combs. I put vaseline on them today but I'm wondering if I should take their roosting pole down and provide small hay bales for them to roost on at night. Currently their 2 X 4 roosting pole is about a foot below the...

I've got an 8 month old SLW who started a mini-moult last week, mostly on her neck. It has changed her behavior significantly and now she is the peck-ee, not the peck-er, as before. But what worries me is that her feet (especially between the claws) and legs are suddenly displaying this...

I've got an automatic door that runs off a 12 volt battery that we installed in late spring. We've had a run of days with highs in the low 30's and the battery barely has enough (even after a recharge) to open the door in the cold. Has anyone else with an automatic door experienced this...

Last night I went out to shut the pop door and check that everyone was in. When I looked on the roost, Trouble, our white easter egger, was straining with her vent towards me and something pinkish and organ-like appearing at the vent opening. I ran back in to check on this forum what a...

Every Thanksgiving it's one of our traditions to decorate one of those already baked but put-it-together yourself gingerbread houses. My daughter loves our six chickens and thought to make the house for them this year using Cheerios, shredded wheat cereal and bird seed in lieu of the candy. My...

I have six chickens, this will be our first winter here in Connecticut and I have read all I could find on the forum on heated waterers. I dislike my current three gallon plastic waterer as it has too many crevices to scrub but I was thinking of using it with a heated metal base and a stepping...

Two days ago we were sitting in the yard watching our chickens when a bird resembling a merlin swooped to within three feet of one of our birds. People say merlins won't go after anything as big as a chicken but this one certainly looked menacing and came back the next day. I want to run some...

A few days ago I went out to the coop and did some touch up paint work (using an exterior satin latex) on the vent coverings we just installed. The areas did not seem to be accessible to the chickens but somehow our white EE, aptly named Trouble, managed to get green paint on a few of her...

I just purchased a combination thermometer/humidity gauge and am wondering if it should go at the mid-point inside the coop or higher or lower? I have venting close to the roof line on all four sides (above the roost) but would it be better to measure near the floor?