Recent content by ZenHens

I think you'd have to be careful with them up in Canada. They're Mediterranean birds and seem to relish the heat. Mine don't seem particularly tolerant of the cold. It could be because we're in Florida, but definitely do research about managing them in a cold climate. They're fragile, almost...

I have six pullets, all roughly the same age. Two Barred Rocks, two Delawares, and two White-Faced Black Spanish. The BR and Delawares have been together awhile, with some tradeouts because I received three roosters of my original four week-old chicks. So they've endured change rather politely...

Can you make some investments into the property? You can kill and trap foxes all day long, but if you don't have a controlled population they'll just be back, won't they? It sounds like the chickens need a safe run, the dogs could use a fence (that doesn't sound like much of a life for an active...

^---yeah, that. I think (if I'm understanding you right) that adding 400 chicks to a hen house would be incredibly stressful to the hens and dangerous for the chicks. You'll certainly lose some.

We have a large black crow who lives in our yard. I'd stand out and watch it warily whenever we'd let the girls out of the run and into the fenced yard. Then I started really observing it. I was nervous, because all six of our pullets are still fairly young. But he'd just sit there and watch...

Agh, freaked out. I left the porch door cracked last night when I was setting up feed for the morning outside. I came back and was about to go into the house when I saw a long tail skittering across the porch windowsill. (The porch is where we leave our treats and brooder). Like any girl, I...

Thanks again. I'm going to order a sample issue of the Poultry Press and really peruse the ads. I'm sure there are probably more breeders in Florida--they may just not have a big internet presence. We had a beautiful young Delaware rooster that seemed to fit the standard really well, but we're...

Like others have said, please don't blame yourself. There is no malice in wanting to have a nice lawn. You didn't let them range on it on purpose. You didn't forsee this happening. It's a sad lesson, sure, but nothing you should feel guilty about. You have the right to a pretty field of grass...

Thank you, Sonoran. That's exactly it. This is Cloverbuds, not an older group. It's perfectly acceptable for me to assist a five year-old with his chicken. One of the reasons we got chickens is to foster a sense of responsibility around livestock and as a family project. He loves feeding and he...

I can only reiterate what others are saying. I have two eight week-old Delaware pullets (my sweet, sweet girls) and they are both white with light speckling of black on one and even less on the other. I've had them since they were pretty fresh out of the eggs and they never had a drop of brown...

I'm going to be leading a poultry 4-H group in the fall and part of the curriculum is showing. I'd like to raise a chicken for my son to show at the fair, but I'm pretty sure my Barred Rocks are hatchery quality and MAYBE one of my Delawares might be serviceable. The other is somewhat speckled...

Oh, thank you! That's very informative and explains a lot. These little girls cecal all day long, lol.

My emotions reading this thread went from great empathy and sadness to a "Wowzers." pretty fast. I love my chickens. Very much. As such, I've taken every precaution possible to protect them. If a dog got loose and ran into my yard, they'd be safe. Hardwire mesh to five feet and 2x3" above...

Sorry for the indelicate nature of this post, LOL. I currently have two six week-old White-Faced Black Spanish in a modified brooder on my back porch. I bought them and one had significant feather loss from an aggressive cockerel in the breeder's WFBS run. So, in an attempt to quarantine and...

My awesome little Delaware (almost nine weeks) has sprouted a bright red comb, waddles, and is strutting around like he is large and in charge. Big ol' legs with ginormous claws. He has to be a cockerel. This chicken is so social and is just such a neat, gorgeous bird. I live in a town where...