Recent content by GreenHaven

The only reason I’ve kept him is he was so gentle. Never has he even pecked me. But I’m dismayed by his response to the new hens. He has only 6 so I thought he’d be a happy boy. Guess you never know. I could separate him - I actually didn’t think of that. Thank you!

I have (had) two flocks each with a rooster. One became human aggressive, and he is in the freezer. That was a very small (4 hens) flock). I am trying to integrate them into my other flock and the rooster is not having it. They were side by side for a long while, and each have their own feeders...

Thank you!

So if I have a flock of 15 - what size treadle feeder would I need - I’m fighting with them as well.

What’s a zap trap?

An http site is just a regular site. An https site is a secure site - it you pay for something online you may want to check for that. But I think all basic sites start with http - its just typically left off because it's understood in the software - which is why it may look a bit foreign to you...

Muddy feet in the winter, mainly. This was my first winter here - and I chose the location in the field for the laying coop badly. (There was a puddle in front of the ramp.) We are in the process of crowning the field a little better so the puddles won't be there next year. We don't get much...

I tried that and it does seem to work - but they get pretty grungy looking after awhile, and the porcelain ones don't clean up at all - so I took them out. When I take them out for cleaning (like now) - they seem to revert in their behavior. I wonder if it's an instinctual urge to create a...

They are funny. I find some eggs in the grass under the laying house. The wait for "the nest" got too long. But they do get along pretty well.

They do know. I’m just amused by their antics. If I had a 100 nests I bet I’d still find them all in the same one!

This is becoming a regular occurrence. I must not have enough nests (because 5 is not enough for 8 hens), so I added a few impromptu nest on the floor of the laying coop. They seem to like them - just rubber pans. Problem solved - cozy communal nest. The actual nest boxes are no longer used. I'm...

Well this is a very old post but long winded is just what I needed. And this is exactly what I need for next winter. We only get a few cold spells (below 30) but we had one for over a week and I wrapped the birds in tarps - too much space to help with warmth although it kept the wind out. So...

Stumbled on this thread looking for a breed that might be spurless. I have read (Hutt: Genetics of the Fowl) that there is a gene (recessive and likely sex-linked) for spurlessness. He also says that the interest in cockfighting throughout the years likely led to people wanting spurs on the...

That was my experience! They trolled the girls pen unless I fenced them out. And my EE's would just fly out unless I clipped their wings...