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I use pine shavings in my coop. I have about 2-3 inches at the bottom of a raised coop so I cannot do deep litter. I was curious how often other people clean out their coop if they have one like mine. I put in half a bag of pine shavings which covers the floor 2 inches. I need to clean it out...

Does anyone have a trick to get chickens to do a dust bath in a particular spot? I have an enclosed run with lots of sand and other dust bath materials, but they keep doing it under the perches and getting pooped on. I don’t have room to put a tire. I do have a location specifically for them...

This hen has been losing feathers around her eyes slowly over several months. She doesn't appear to have bugs or anything else wrong that I can find. She is two years old and has never fully molted so I'm not sure if that's what this is. (I have 4 hens and only 1 fully molted last year) She...

Hi again! Curious on the success rate of others with a similar situation. I apologize for the wordiness. I have 4 hens (2 yrs old) and have been integrating 5 pullets for a a little over 3 weeks (started at 14 weeks old). I kept them separated during the day in a side-by-side pen and let them...

In the past I gave my hens sunflower seeds (the type for birds) but haven’t in quite a while. This plant volunteered in my yard this year. Can the chickens eat the seeds from this kind of sunflower and, if so, how much at a time? I’m assuming I shouldn’t just put the flower on the ground and...

I have a 4'x7' coop off the ground so probably 4' tall from floor to ceiling. In my smaller coop, I used poop boards but this coop is too long for me to do that without spilling the poop and knocking into things (there are 2 roosting bars and no way to know where they will roost each night so I...

One of my hens try to fly towards me in the yard earlier today, and landed very hard. Now she is limping and lying down quite a bit. We didn’t notice this thing on the bottom of her foot which we removed. We think it was a rock, or some thing else that formed on her foot overtime. There is one...

I’ve read that yellow poop isn’t a good thing. This was found in the run today and it’s one of 3 hens but not sure which. Looking on line it seems to be either just from too much protein or the hen is dying. Research can certainly be frustrating. Ideas?

I have one barred Plymouth rock hen that has almost always had weak eggs. She is nearly 2 years old and will have solid eggs for a week or two and then eggs that are easily chipped for another week or so. I have learned to deal with this and just eat her eggs rather than selling or giving them...

Best way to integrate a young rooster? Thank you in advance... I've received some awesome suggestions in this group and truly appreciate all of you! I have an accidental rooster named is Gizmo and he has started grabbing the back of my hand. The first time was around 8 weeks and didn't hurt but...

My chicks are 7 weeks old and I have one that’s been herding the others from week 2. I’ve wondered if perhaps she’s a he and yesterday I noticed the tail feathers and change in comb. This morning we crowed. It was actually quite cute because it startled everyone including himself. He along...

Does anyone else have issues with barred Plymouth Rock hens having dirty bottoms all the time? Mine have had this issue as pullets and still while hens. I have to clean them periodically or it builds up and the eggs are dirty. As far as I know they are not sick. I say that because this has...

My 6 chicks are 6 weeks old next week. They are in their own coop at the moment. I’ve read several thoughts on moving them in with the hens. Some say now or maybe 6-8 weeks old but to create an escape area. Sounds like it could work but what about their food? The hens have layer feed and...

Since about august one of my hens has been losing feathers and most of them are on her hips under the wings or around the back side. Basically she’s losing all of her small fluffy feathers. At the time I figured she was molting and I still have a feeling she will drop them all in the fall. She...

Frustrated and not sure if I should be. I have six 3 week old chicks. When it comes to eating their food, they have been reluctant or picky from the start. I changed food brands and that seem to help for a while, but fermenting it or getting it wet seems to be the best thing. Now they are back...

I just had a new coop delivered. It’s beautiful but it’s super hot in there! It has great ventilation but adding more. Have a fan blowing cross breeze. Looking for a way to add shade. Any ideas? Also, if you know where to buy something, you please let me know Thanks!!

Is this a tapeworm? My chicks are five days old and I just found this in the brooder. Is there a way to know which one it came from other than watching? Is it contagious?

Hi everyone! I have a Chicken who is limping. A few weeks ago and occasionally when she gets off the perch in the morning, she would sit down or stand on one leg. After a while, it got better. I thought perhaps maybe her foot was asleep, so to speak. It seemed to clear up, however, yesterday...

Hello! I have a Chicken that has had missing feathers below her vent for sometime. I thought it was part of the molting process. She seemed to have a very soft molt. She is a little over 1 1/2 years. Today I noticed the area is red and almost swollen looking. The picture I am providing is...

Hi! I have 2 barred Plymouth Rock and 2 black star hens at 16 months of age. In April I’m thinking to add 2-4 more and plan to start at the chick age (so in a brooder). Toying with getting bantam but not sure if they will integrate well. If I get chicks, at what age do I mix them with the...