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I also feed pellets 'cause they produce less waste. I am feeding kalmbach flock raiser rn but once everyone is laying they'll get nutrena naturewise 21% layer feed

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, you just wound up with chicks that were frailer than usual and they got too stressed. You just got plain unlucky this year. Just keep on doing what you've been doing and hope the sickly ones make it. Ik it's not easy, but don't give up!

The reason battery hens are culled at a year and a half to 2 years old is they're past their peak production. Pretty much all hens will lay less after that point. Production breeds in particular tend to drop off quite a bit 'cause they're bred to lay a lot of eggs. That's not to say they can't...

Generally flocks like to roost together, it certainly *can* work in some flocks but for most flocks it won't work particularly well 'cause they'll want to be in the same coop

I'm generally more willing to give mean hens a chance to shape up, but if there are kids, especially toddlers involved, she needs to removed like yesterday. In general though, when integrating chicks, what's acceptable is a chick gets in an adult's space, adult pecks, chick runs off and that's...

I would get the coop sorted first and then get day olds. Up to you whether you brood inside or outside but I would make sure the coop is 100% predator proof regardless and I would also suggest making a larger coop than you think you'll need as you'll probably want more birds later and will have...

I think there is hope for the guy I talked to as him asking me that was part of a larger conversation as he actually wants to have his family eventually be self-sufficient so I told him about some of the finer details of livestock management. We all start somewhere, I just brought it up to point...

I agree with you, I think those who are able to raise at least a few egg birds should at least consider it. Ik i'm preaching to the choir here, but chickens are easy once you have the right infrastructure up, and are cool animals to be around. I also think people are too disconnected from where...

Considering there's no telling how long she may live and you'll have to give her away eventually anyways I'd find someone to take her in. 5 certainly is older but with luck she may have a few more good years left in her and it wouldn't be good for her to spend those years alone

In my extended family? No, not at all. In my immediate family? Yes. My parents never had chickens but several other relatives keep chickens

100% check for mites and up protein just because that's good to do anyways, but chicks go through several molts and I suspect that's what's going on here. My 12 week olds are going through a juvenile molt and it looks like they're having pillow fights when i'm not looking lol

That run sounds plenty big enough for 7 birds, individual temperment varies but I think they'll be perfectly happy even if you can't free range

Rehome them if you wanna, but i would give them a chance first. They could mellow out as they get older or otherwise show their worth. Sure, they can be a little flighty but the americanas i've had the pleasure of meeting were polite flock members and having a slightly flighty bird isn't a bad...

3 years, after that management was so far down the toilet I quit for my own sanity

Both of these seem to be implying use in feeds intended for commercial operations rather than feeds available to the everyday consumer. Feeds intended for commercial operations indeed do contain questionable material sometimes but I am speaking of the meat bird feed the average poultry owner can...

Can you link to any feeds that contain fermway? None of the feeds I checked contained that, the ones I checked had mainly soybeans and their byproducts, grains and their byproducts, probiotics and vitamins. The only meat I saw was some porcine (pork) byproducts that was in one of them. I can't...

What are your long term plans for the chick? If you plan on keeping it you'll need to give it some friends, otherwise, see if someone with chicks will take it in. For now, I would do what everyone else suggested They're certainly a cutie either way :3

What feed uses manure? The poultry by product meal doesn't worry me as chickens are omnivores but none of the feed bags I read use any of that stuff. I imagine they're looking into that more for commercial birds which absolutely, feed for factory farmed animals can sometimes contain questionable...

Males usually have earlier comb and wattle development and will generally have bigger and redder combs and wattles at this age. Some boys will even be crowing. Those are the main early signs

I have feral cats around my place and they have never bothered my birds. If anything the cats are slightly afraid of my birds. Just keep young chicks away and you'll be fine