I'm just here securing a layer of hardware cloth to make another section of the run rodent proof and wondering if anyone out there is making adjustments too.

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Hello, I have just got 5 bantams in a 1.2x2.75m (ish) run. The run currently is filled with pea gravel that extends maybe 1.5-2ft deep. Previously I had 4 Indian runner ducks that would only very occasionally use this run; so I would just pressure wash the muck down and that worked well for about a year with minimal to no smell.

However now that there are permanent residents on the run I was thinking this might not be the best long term and could lead to a lot of smell. Just wondering if you have a any alternatives that are cheap.

The run is mostly roofed and I am based in southern england.

Also just to add do bantams use ramps? The hen house is based at the top so they need to use a long ramp from ground to roost.

Thank you :)

I guess my girls decided January was a month to just relax and have fun. Not one egg for Jan. I searched in hiding places, etc. Nada. They are gloriously glossy feathered, energetic, happy, so no apparent health reason.

Yesterday, Feb 3, there it was! An egg. I was almost as excited as when that first $1000 egg showed up!

The irony is that most of Jan was temperate, in the 50s-60s F, sunny, Had one little rain storm at the beginning of the month. Since Feb started, colder but mostly in low 50s, rainy, even under flood watch for the last several days.

Maybe that's it. They went in the coop to get out of the rain and one decided to lay!

A day to remember! Hehe

Foreground: George, George, George & George.

Background: Lucky Duck

They were impatiently waiting for breakfast!

I seen a add for chickens locally. They looked pretty. Thought I'd ask how much they would charge for 3. They call them "Gallos Gallinas American Fowl" They want $400/3.

Just hard boiled some of my girls eggs and I found this bit in the egg white.

I'm still gonna eat it. Just wondering what it is. I washed it just before boiling it. Cant remember which chicken it came from.

The person I want to buy banties from, won't give me his business address. Or cash app info until the day I can actually pay. Is that sketchy? Or am I paranoid

My husband and I are buying our first home on 0.13 acres. I was thinking 4-6 chickens to start off, but am fairly clueless to most backyard chicken etiquette. I grew up with 24 chickens on 5 acres so it was very different, and a long time ago. Does anyone have coop, breed, and care recs for this sized yard ?

11 week old “colorful egg layer” mystery chicken!

But would this be healthy for them? if I put a fully grown tray in the run would they eat just this? if so, would that be a nutrition problem?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Agriculture/comments/1idvm2e/hydroponic_fodder_for_cows/

I'm still on the search for banties. I thought I had found a place with reasonable prices. So I asked for their physical mailing address an their cash app info. How ever the declined to send it until I'm ready to purchase. Are they being sketchy, or am I paranoid ?

First to guess the breed gets an upvote.

Thinking about getting six laying hens which would forage in our enclosed backyard when not in the coop and small chicken run. The entire yard is covered in large oak trees and I understand that consuming too many acorns is toxic to chickens. I've also heard that if I give my hens plenty of feed and variety they will avoid the acorns because they are bitter. Does anyone have experience with this? I don't want to adopt birds just to accidentally poison them.

I have an newer Omlet door on my janky chicken coop. I’ve absolutely loved it and it’s worked beautifully. I’ve changed the batteries once before and it picked up where it left off. No issues. I changed the batteries tonight and I feel like my Omlet has broken up with me. (Its was working perfectly before the battery change.) It’s not showing updated battery level on the all, the door didn’t close, it won’t allow me to reset on the app or the panel — and I can’t find anything on line with Omlet or otherwise about how to get my beloved Omlet to talk to me again. (I have resisted a factory reset because I really just want my old Omlet back. 😉). Help! Signed, Heartbroken Henkeeper.

Here’s my situation: I have two roosters and 25 hens. My smaller/weaker rooster (Kerfuffle) has a flock of two hens. For whatever reason, no matter who gets added to my crew, those 3 are their own flock. But Kerfuffle mounts those two girls SO MUCH. I currently have his two girls in a large kennel in my bathroom, since one has a completely naked back. I’ve tried every type of protection/apron, but the back of their heads & shoulders still take a beating. They need full-body cloaks!

I don’t want to rehome anyone. Is there ANYTHING I can to prevent him from jumping on them so much? I don’t want to do pinless peepers, because he needs to protect himself from my larger roo.

First time caring for chickens. I did obsessive research for the past two months into all things chickens in hopes I could keep them all safe and happy. I get attached to animals quickly, so did everything I could to make sure they had the safest, healthiest set up possible. Experienced owners have told me I have a good brooder set up. It’s in my living room where we monitor them constantly.

I picked 7 babies up two days ago, all between 1-2ish weeks old, and all seemed healthy and energetic. We’ve been careful not to handle them any more than necessary, only picking them up to make sure vents are clean. I’m feeding them scratch and peck organic mash.

The tiniest one (sapphire splash) quickly became my favorite, as she was very confident and curious. After checking in on them several times throughout the day, making sure water was clean and whatnot, suddenly my feisty little girl was on her side, still warm, seeming to have dropped dead out of nowhere. She was acting totally normal about an hour before, when I last peeked in. I watched her eat, drink, and run around with the other babies all yesterday and today. No signs of lethargy or anything.

I know there’s no way to diagnose without necropsy, and that sometimes little babies just don’t make it, but I wanted to reach out to some experienced owners and ask for any tips for catching symptoms of sickness a newbie might not notice.

TL;DR: seemingly healthy, energetic week old chick dropped dead suddenly. What signs/symptoms of illness should I look out for that a newbie is likely to miss?

My boi Big Red started having this color change a few weeks ago. Is this something that needs to be addressed or normal for the winter season?

I've been reading about the avian flu vaccine for chickens. Why aren't we all vaccinating our flocks? Anyone done this?

My boyfriends family gets eggs from a local farmer and I want the chicken that lays it 😂 I’m hoping one of my hens go broody soon so I can snatch a few and hatch them out

I’ve got a few ladies with a coop in a covered run. They’ve just started laying a month or so ago and I’ve been wanting to let them free range more. We’re in a high predator area so limited to times I can be outside with them and it’s been storming so it’s only happened twice now.

How are you supposed to get them back into the run when their time to range is up? I’ve been bribing with mealworms but had to have another person help corner and ease them back in on top of those both times. It took ages and used a lot more worms than I wanted. Their free range space is a bit less than half an acre.

I’d appreciate any tips and tricks.

Winter 10 eggs a day isn't bad .

I guess he's digging to China 😂