We didn’t bury wire, we just laid about 18’’ out from the bottom so nothing could dig in. So far one Bald Eagle and three owls have penetrated the nets but no other ground-dwelling creatures,
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Figure it’s a good time to bump this up, how are everyone’s chickens doing?
I started grinding my own feed January 25th I believe, and I’m really happy with it. Birds are doing very well and it’s super satisfying to know what’s in there and that it’s fresh. Only down side is there are a lot of days where I just do not want to measure/grind/mix feed, but must.
I’m finally getting fertility from my breeding pen of old birds, I’m going to be setting eggs every 3 days for the foreseeable future to hopefully get a large enough batch to really evaluate later on.
It is miserably hot here, I’m cleaning and swapping waters every evening after work and have fans running. I wish there was more I could do but not a whole lot will make that much difference. Been spraying down part of the outdoor coop’s dirt run too, they seem to enjoy that.
I have plans to build a pair of 4x4 summer coops so I can have my breeders outside but haven’t made much progress past supply purchasing, hopefully soon.
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My current hens are happily supplying my egg customers and laying just as usual despite the extreme heat we are having. I did add an electrolyte/ probiotic powder to their water just in case.
I have a batch of 25 chicks arriving this week from cackle hatchery. Because they are so close to me they mail them on one day and I get them the next morning. So we are going to set up my dedicated chick pen so all is ready when they arrive.
I chose the hatchery “choice” option on large layers since everything I wanted had no hatch date way back in the early Spring. Curious to see what they are!
I have lost a few hens here and there over the last year. They look perfectly fine the day before ( just keel over suddenly) but that is life with chickens.
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I’m new to the chicken world as of this spring.
Back in March, I made plans for 5 pullet chicks from a local feed store’s hatchery shipment. I showed up to pick them up the day they came in and they had sold my chicks from the order!
In a spiral of disappointment, I found a local guy on FB selling pretty much what I had planned to get from the hatchery. So I bought 3 Prairie Bluebell Egger pullet chicks and 2 Buff Orpington pullet chicks.
It’s been about 19 weeks since I brought them home. One of my orpingtons is a roo, the other is a “mystery” - definitely not an Orpington or a PBE, but also doesn’t look like any of the other breeds he had available. She looks a bit like a Golden Comet.
Only one hen has started laying so far, a Prairie Bluebell. Her eggs are a dark olive brown. 
I don’t care, but when you are expecting pale blue and get dark olive, that’s a surprise!
So, I didn’t exactly get what I was expecting, but I am enjoying my little flock!
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Ooh she sounds lovely, I’d not heard of the Prairie Bluebell before and had to look it up.
I’m just here to report that we recently rehomed our Silverudd Isbar hen. She made the most god-awful noises - ALL OF THE TIME - but especially if she thought she saw a human that might possibly let her out of the chicken run.
A suburban backyard didn’t seem the most appropriate place for her so we finally came to terms with the idea of finding her a more suitable home, and got very lucky as the lovely individual that took our Copper Marans a few mos ago was happy to take her too. I don’t want to overgeneralize, so perhaps someone else with Isbars can chime in and either confirm or deny that they shriek like the devil?
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I’ve kept chickens for about thirty years now. I’ve learned a lot about keeping them, but there are always new disasters, somehow.
I’ve had quite a chicken year. I raised 18 pullets in the cellar, and for what seems like the first time, I did not lose a single one. I sold all but six, put them outside in a dog kennel run and a fox got over the top and ate three one night, as well as killing three of my seven hens. Since one hen was broody, I suddenly had a lot fewer eggs.
I got much more vigilant about my electrified netting, and put a cyclone fence roof on the dog kennel, and the fox didn’t make any more scores.
I had to scramble, because I had planned to go into the winter with twelve. So I found some pullets on craigslist, same age as mine. I have never once had good luck buying local chickens. Same this time. They were insanely fearful and if you parted their wings, they had no feathers at all on their backs. These were not flighty breeds either, Australorps and Gold Laced Wyandottes. Like always, mentioning these facts to the seller only elicited a blather of defensiveness.
The Australorps have come around, but the Wyes are still unnaturally shy. Hedging my bets, I bought some day olds from a hatchery (Meyer, which I find very reliable) to be delivered on my broody’s 21st day of setting, and ta da, she adopted them instantly. Very gratifying. I got a few each of Easter Eggers (I’m beginning to get into colored eggs) and my probably most favorite breed, Speckled Sussex.
If they all live, I’ll be coming into fall with around nineteen chickens which is about twice what I can really use … the golden periods when all your hens are laying and you have neither too many nor too few and none are sick, damaged, or otherwise incapacitated are so brief! I treasure them when they arrive, knowing they’ll soon be gone.
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Somebody started laying blue eggs today, so I suspect the dark eggs are actually from the mystery breed hen.
My mystery hen isn’t the most friendly, but loves food, so she will follow you anywhere for a snack. Two of the three bluebells are very friendly and will let you handle them. The third bluebell is very cautious- not scared or flighty, just super street smart. I can pick her up if necessary but generally she disappears if you even think about it.
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My flock hardly deserves the name 
Currently 4 hens & a rooster.
Barred Rock is the oldest hen, rooster came with her as 1 of 6 pullets around 5yrs ago.
3 of those were roosters 
I kept the wussiest, sent the other 2 to auction when testosterone kicked in & they began sparring.
Hen is Barb for Barred Rock Bitch, because she is to the other hens 
Rooster is PT/Petey for Pretty Tail.
Next oldest is an Easter Egger - Bunny - who was reliably giving me pale blue eggs… Until a slowdown & now possible Full Stop?
Wyandotte - Laura for a friend who likes her Chardonnay 
- is the only one laying now. Her light brown eggs have darker speckles.
Friends gifted me a 3yo black Cochin - Coach < their name, not mine - who went broody & got over that about a week ago.
I told friends once she decided motherhood was not for her, she became a Union Buster & indoctrinated the others.
That’s why I’m getting only Laura’s eggs & those about every other day.
Petey is married to Coach 
, dances for her, roosts next to her…
Fair is this week & I might wander to the Poultry barn & see if anyone has non-show pullets for sale.
I’d like at least 2 more.
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Isn’t that just the pits??? Couple years ago I had a really bad time, we filled in a pond where I work, which is across from my farm basically, and I had I suspect a mink for the first time. Since I never saw it technically it could have been a weasel, but I had seen the mink at work, so… Never had a problem before then, but it wiped out more than half of my growouts, absolutely devastating. I never managed to trap the marauder, but tightened up security enough that it moved on and luckily hasn’t returned. I even got a tube trap, nothing.
I have the most issues with raccoons and opossums, despite the fact that the FB warriors refuse to accept that a dear opossum would ever hurt a chicken. I do pretty well now with fencing and judicious trapping, after losing a pullet that came all the way from Ohio, in the middle of January when I was sure they were safe at 3pm in broad daylight. That one hurt. That’s when I bought my own rifle.
I’m getting quite a few eggs, considering the heat, but I’m about to change that. I have 5 Starlight Easter Eggers that were supposed to be Cinnamon Queens and two of them are laying really cruddy eggs, often with healed cracks, and I’m slowly isolating them to see who the culprits are. They will go on dumpling duty once sussed. Also gonna send my younger crossed-lines rooster and his sister, I don’t really need him now and all he’s doing is stressing out my old cock, Ben. I also have 3 Sapphire Gems and one lone pure-line Barred Rock hen that are all 2 years old, along with the Starlights.
I think I’m going to start molting everyone on purpose in a couple weeks, those layers and my pen of old Barred Rock breeders. The breeders haven’t really had a proper molt in way too long since I was keeping them inside under lights, and the layers could really use one too. I’ve known that intentional molting was “a thing” for quite awhile but never really understood the whole purpose until I watched a poultry round table that really explained it. Molting is actually fascinating! It’s not just dropping feathers, it’s supposed to let them burn off all their stored fat deposits and let their ovaries/testes shrink and “reset,” for lack of a better term. I have a ration now so I’m going to start backing their light timers down gradually and then get them on the feed and get that done. Should take a couple months for the layers and about 85 days for the breeders. That will work out anyway since I seem to have more egg demand in the late fall and winter anyway. I just gotta figure out some different living arrangements for the young Leghorn pullets.
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I’ve got a small backyard flock that I absolutely adore. I started with just a few chickens, but it’s easy to see how they become more than just a hobby—they’re like little feathery family members! Right now, I have a mix of Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, and a couple of Silkies. Each breed brings something unique to the flock. The Reds are great for egg production, the Barred Rocks are solid and hardy, and the Silkies—well, they’re just fluffy bundles of personality!
As for what I do with them, they provide fresh eggs for our household, which is a real treat. There’s nothing like collecting warm eggs in the morning and knowing exactly what went into them. Beyond the eggs, I also enjoy the companionship they offer—they’re surprisingly calming to be around. I’ve even gotten into a bit of gardening because their droppings make fantastic compost, which has really boosted my veggie patch. Plus, there’s something fulfilling about knowing I’m contributing to a more sustainable way of living, even in this small way.
Every day with chickens brings something new, whether it’s figuring out their quirky behaviors or just enjoying watching them scratch around the yard. They’ve definitely added a lot of joy to my life!
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Welcome to COTH! Yes, chickens are a necessary for anyone who has a place for them. Everybody with space needs to have a few. Kitchen scraps are always appreciated too. The ultimate in recycling. And cute too!!!
Since we live quite rural, we’ve had some tragedies with our chickens. The last one was a mink I think, it was small enough to get into the coop, and killed all chickens overnight. Carnage in the morning. And sadness. But I got some more chickens this spring (after beefing up security in the chicken pen), and they’ve become comfortable with us, become pets with benefits. I have one who always wants to fly up onto my arm like a tame eagle whenever I enter the yard. Very amusing. Little tyranosaurus rexes, all of them.
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There is something cathartic about watching them forage, even more so than watching happy horses graze.
I thought I was immune from chicken math, but after a year I’m +1 chicken after starting with 5, rehoming a mean roo then hatching 2 more.
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I’m still overrun 
Have some good looking adolescents growing but they’re far too lean. My other line, which is too meaty, is refusing to reproduce. I’m about to isolate the rooster in a crate for a little bit to see if that doesn’t get his interest up. Also have a side project of broiler-type New Hampshires that I’m working on breeding too.
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I’m new to chicken keeping and I hope you all can share some wisdom with me. In May I purchased a couple baby chicks of various breeds (copper marans, ameraucana and cream crest legbar).
The legbar we call Elvis (poofy hair!) is just about 3 months old now and I’m a bit worried. He’s quiet the last couple of days, resting with his eyes closed. Nothing seems wrong other than he is ‘sick’?? Still seems to be eating, drinking and hanging out with his friends … but just quieter and not as chipper as his buddies. Suggestions on what to do/how to help? Nothing traumatic looking on him, friends aren’t picking on him and everyone else seems good.
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Has it been wet lately? I always assume coccidiosis first when they just look sick. I’d get a bottle of liquid Corid (in the cattle meds) and dose him with an oral syringe and see how he does. A lot of times you get certain birds being more hearty than others, so the weakest link will look sick first. Let me know if that doesn’t work or if something changes.
Yes, we have had rain and rain and rain!
Thank you, I think you’re onto something. I will get that into their water and hopefully it will turn them around!
That can do it! Dose him by mouth with like .25ml and dose up their drinking water with whatever the recommended is, there are charts all over out there for it.
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That is so sad, so sorry, NancyM.
A number of years ago our neighbours’ dogs came over and decimated our small flock… it was horrible - and worse knowing that as dogs, they probably had a great time terrorizing and tearing our sweet girls apart. Only one rooster survived, and he was badly injured.
We didn’t get any more chickens for years after that, I blamed myself for failing to protect them properly. Because any time anything goes wrong I always blame myself too.
The rooster lived for years after, and was a great pet, and funny old guy.
A few years ago, I thought I would try again, and right now we have 6, a barred rock, a Chanticlere, 2 barnyard mixes, and 2 young lavender Orpingtons. Our friendliest birds were Red Sussex and I think maybe next year will get a couple of them.
I love chickens, love their mannerisms, the funny way they run … the eggs are a bonus.
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Glad to find this thread revived 
I posted my news in another Menagerie thread about getting 4 late season chicks from TSC.
2 Ameraucana, 2 Sapphire Sky (BR/Blue Rock X)
They’re getting This Close to being fully feathered & big enough to mingle with the 2 hens & rooster. 
Also getting friendlier, no more hysterical cheeping when I have to enter their sectioned-off part of the coop.
Or rescue 1 who’s fallen from their Roost of Choice - the section of their partition with wire squares around 2".
They get themselves up about 3’ & halfway out the openings & roost overnight.
Now they’re getting too big to manage to back out of this roost. I have to help them through by giving them a finger to perch on, or picking them off the floor outside the partition
Hoping to have eggs by next Spring 
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