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Hi! I've seen a few threads here and there that discuss how random red splotches, particularly on the shoulders, indicate that an EE is male. Why is this? What causes it? Would anyone like to weigh in on whether this appears to be the case with my bird? "She" is only 3 weeks old and has some...

Hi! Brand new baby chicks arrived and I'm wondering if this lady is a Cuckoo Marans or Blue Cuckoo Marans (which was my back-up). She seems grayer than I thought a Cuckoo Marans chick would be.

Hi! Our day-old chicks are arriving in a couple days and I'd love thoughts on our game plan: We have a pop-up pen set up inside our sitting room and are using a brooder plate. The room temperature is usually around 65-68, but I can turn the heat up to around low 70s if need be. I haven't...

Folks... It's with much sadness that I announce the death of my chicken. The first one to die. She was a Lt. Brahma named Nellie. I suspect she had a heart attack, maybe brought about the heat, which she always hated. She'd been having off and on thin shells too, so I think she just had some...

Hi BYC! After a bit of a hiatus (Covid striking all 5 household members, our tradition of spending way too much time setting up elaborate Halloween decorations, Thanksgiving, and now Christmas... phew!), I'm back with a last-minute gift idea! I borrowed this book from our local library recently...

Hi, I posted on a different forum wanting confirmation that my Swedish Flower Hen, Helga, is molting. She does indeed seem to be, but is having additional symptoms. I'm not sure if they're related to molting or if something else is going on here. I should note that where we...

Hello! I have a one-year-old Swedish Flower hen who I suspect is molting. For the past month or so, her production has gone way, way down (from about 3 eggs/week to 1/week at most). I suspect molting because I see many of her feathers around the run and she's looking a bit disheveled. She's a...

Hey everyone! I've just entered my coop in the annual Coop Page Contest. It's found under Articles -> Chicken Coops (if you sort by Date Published, Descending, you'll see it). https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-cod-estate-our-charming-and-eleggant-family-coop.77803/ It's been so...

Hi, everyone! If, like me, you use the deep bedding method (often called "Deep Litter"--to be honest, I never know what to call it), and you've been having issues... Don't give up! I was at my wit's end about a month ago. We had a layer of pine shavings and hemp several inches deep in our coop...

Hi, BYC! Have you ever had a hen go broody but refuse to use nesting boxes to lay her eggs? My Speckled Sussex (1 year old) has been laying in various spots throughout the coop for the past few weeks (started under the roosting bar, now it's in the corner near the nesting boxes). She gets...

Out of sheer curiosity, does anyone know if broodiness can be predicted? In other words, are there clues or subtle signs that a chicken may go broody in the next weeks or months? With springtime kicking in here (MA), I'm wondering if any of my 11-month old girls will go broody this year. I know...

HELP! I just found 2 soft-shelled eggs in the coop. Roughly the same size and color. I'm guessing it's one bird who laid them, as they look so similar and were in the same spot under the roosting bar. I'm not sure who did this. I've been seeing regular egg laying lately (4-6 eggs/day from my 6...

Hi everyone! I have seen a wonky egg for the past 2 days (see attached of one; the other cracked so I threw it out). I have 6 pullets (9 months old) that lay regularly. They're all eating and drinking and pooping normally. These two eggs are from the same bird (based on color). For context...

Hello, everyone! I'm about to embark on a project to honor my flock's first eggs! All 6 are laying now and I've been saving each of their first eggs and blowing them out, so I'm left with nice (mainly) intact egg shells. I'm thinking of creating a shadowbox or something similar to hang in my...

Hi everyone, Just when I thought I'd reached the peak of my anxiety/sadness/$#@*&$! with Covid, now I hear about Avian Flu spreading throughout the U.S. :( I'm in Massachusetts and the closest case has been recorded in NH. I'm sure it's inevitable that it will reach MA if it hasn't already. I...

Our coop is located on a slope. The run is fairly level, but as a result of its placement, it has been prone to flooding. Particularly, the issue seems to be caused by freeze/thaw cycles exacerbated by rain. The run being covered helps greatly with overhead precipitation but does nothing for the...

Once again, I come here seeking the wisdom of BYC. So... my 6 pullets (6-7 months) have lice. Only around their vents and not terrible. In fact, one has nothing... so far. I see mainly nits around a few feather shafts. One bird had a couple live lice crawling around. They aren't free ranged...

Hi, I can't seem to find a consensus on this: How long after observation of an open, moist vent will a pullet start laying? I have a couple whose vents are like this who haven't laid (they're not free-ranging, so no hidden nests that I can tell). One has had her vent look like this for about...

Hi everyone. I have a pullet with a minor beak injury. Right where her beak meets her face. It's just a small amount of blood (1-2mm wide), not actively bleeding. I noticed it just now (it's starting to get dark so I don't have pictures). She's otherwise fine. I wiped off the blood and some...

Hi! My sweet little Mystic Marans is about 20-22 weeks old and still has an almost entirely black face, comb, and barely-there wattles. There is the tiiiiniest bit of pinkish tinge to her earlobes and pseudowattles 😁 No real change since we got her at 12-14 weeks. She is healthy and happy, as...