Recent content by californiagirl

I just went out and thought they'd all sprouted bloody noses - their faces were all brown and crusty looking. But it turns out it was just orange juice mixed with dirt that had dried on them! Freaked me out! When I started collecting the fallen oranges and throwing them over the fence, the...

You don't say how old your SS is, but here are some pictures of mine that might help you: This is my Speckled Sussex cockerel, Lincoln, at three and a half weeks. His comb is already red/pink and he's developing wattles. However, he has virtually no tail feathers and less body feathers than...

We have three huge, overgrown orange trees in our back yard which is also our chicken's habitat. We're pretty good about picking up the windfalls, but this past week they've been dropping all day long and often split because of the impact. My older hens have never had any interest in the...

We just figured out that our Speckled Sussex is a cockerel, not a pullet, so I have been researching the ideal rooster breed as well. From what I've read, lots of people have had good luck with them. And they're beautiful too!

We use our chickens to turn our compost as well. We have an open bin made out of three pallets screwed together. The fourth pallet forms the door and is attached with two hinges so we can swing the door open to let the girls in. They throw it all over the place and have a ball! At the end of...

I have a thin layer of sand in my 6x8 coop, and I just scoop it every morning. Once a week I use a little rake and mix it all up to keep it fresh. I don't have any problem with odor and the small bits just break down eventually. I have 8 hens and they free range during the day, so all I have...

Still no tail feather growth AT ALL, so we have come to terms with the fact that she is really a he. His new name is Lincoln Rooster, a play on the name of the singer Lincoln Brewster. I got a lot of good rooster info over on the Managing Your Flock board. Hoping that we can raise a gentleman...

Hello, my name is Prajna, and I'm a chicken addict. {Hi Prajna!} We're up to 16 now...and I love it!

I just want to thank the OP and all who have responded to this thread. This thread has helped me see that my Speckled Sussex cockerel, Lincoln Rooster, is behaving in a perfectly natural way which should be respected. When taken outside he is constantly on alert, glancing at the sky, making...

I had a Black Star who learned to angle herself sideways and beat one wing harder so she could get out of her pen! The others all gave up after a few tries, but not her. I ended up trimming both wings. The only thing I don't like about trimmed wings is the feathers are sharp at the tip and...