Recent content by plantguy90

I realize a lot of people use tractor coops to move chickens around, but I have a enclosed run that is relatively big that I was considering splitting into 2-3 parts so I can try to grow some greens for them to forage. I even put wheels on the coop to shuttle it back and forth, but realized if...

Oops, yeah, nesting boxes. Having a lot of cracked eggs this season. Have oyster shells, and the new hens just started laying for a few weeks now. They started laying around 5 months instead of six.

I tried the hay, and pine shavings, but they toss them out faster than I can replace them, so I was wondering about using some leftover acorn bark mulch, its relatively soft, and comes in 1" size nuggets - I guess all I can do is try...

Darn it, should tried a 4 nipple setup, my 3 nipples are in a triangle so #4 would be in the middle, not sure if that improves things at all or I hafta get a new bucket. One thing I have noticed is they don't drink as much from nipples as they do if a bowl of water is offered. Is that a...

Right now have 3 nipples in a 5gal bucket, but now have 16 hens, so here's the question: would adding new nipples to the same bucket be effectively adding new watering options? or is it too crowded there anyways? How much space does a hen need to use the nipple? If I add 3 more to the same...

Right now I only have 3 hens left from last year, had a neighbor dog attack that decimated my flock. This year I ordered from MeyerHatchery and they had a 15 chick minimum. The chicks are about 5 weeks now and corwding out of my little brooder, its an about a 2'x3' a-frame. The a-frame sits in...

Forgot to mention, I gave her a brown sugar + water solution with a dropper, and I thought she perked up, but only for a few minutes... its really a wait and see.

Hi, Just got my 2013 shipment from a (new to us) hatchery, and had one DOA. But after a hour or so noticed one is probably not going to make it, tried to give her sugar water, but she is weak, not eating, barely has her eyes open, and the other chicks are stepping all over her. Once in a...

Last week had a coyote raid on my coop and lost some hens. Just checked mypetchickens and none available until Apr 1, cant wait that long... I'm in a warm part of the country, does anyone sell chicks online that are available now (Dec 11)? I havent checked my local contacts yet.

Don't think they are flying over and pooping in it, bucket is standard 5gal metal auto feeder attached to a bigger dish on the bottom. How in the world are they balancing on it enough to poop as much as they do? i guess the only way is to cover it

The new group of soon to be layers (born mid-April) all seem to have flying skills, they perch at night about 7ft high on bars in the small converted greenhouse, and even though the feeder bucket is suspended, there is a ton of poop in there these days. They must be an acrobatic bunch. What...

I would like to do the wire covered growing bed thing to grow grasses and other greens the hens can eat. Where can you get a small and decent assortment of things like barley and alfalfa and other nutritious green things? Too many predators here, cant free range. EDIT: I just ordered the...

ok thanks, the big name brand (Heinz) ACV isnt good to use? or its ok

Must have been the 1" pvc... Switched to a Home Depot bucket and the nipples are working just fine. Got all hung up thinking I had to go with pvc tube, doh!

I left a jug of ACV outside in the greenhouse where my hens are, and stopped using it awhile ago when I noticed the ACV reacted with the galvanized metal water can I was using. But now I finally switched to the nipples in a bucket, and would like to use the ACV, but noticed after a year in the...