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I have four Golden Comet hens in one coop, and six in another coop a hundred feet away. They've never met. I've recently let the four out to free range, and it's worked out well, so now I'd like to let the six out as well. When they inevitably meet one another out in the field, do you suppose...

I apologize if this is the wrong forum, but I couldn't find an obvious correct place! I have searched here and via Google to find two related things, and I can't come up with them. Maybe someone here has a suggestion. I would like a detailed diagram of the INTERIOR anatomy of a chicken...

I'm a squeamish backyard amateur. One of my hens suffered a serious injury this morning and it may be necessary for me to put her out of her misery (I hope not!). Somehow (I can't imagine how) she got a string so tightly wrapped around her leg that it dug in and cut off the circulation for...

Hi all. I have two dozen pullets just beginning to lay (and one suspected roo). The first egg appeared a week ago, and I've had about 8 since then. To keep them from sleeping/pooping in their nest boxes, I refrained from putting them up until the first egg appeared. I put up three (I have...

Please excuse an ignorant question. I've kept three hens in a tiny backyard coop for many years, but I'm still a newbie in many ways. Last fall I bought two dozen pullet chicks of assorted breeds. They are now of an age that a few are starting to lay thinly. But this morning, when I went...

I've searched this forum and found numerous posting extolling the virtues of pine shavings, sand, straw, and just PDZ. But is there a single article somewhere that puts them all together into a single thoughtful summary? This is relevant to me because I just converted a 16x16 shed into a coop...

I am strongly considering converting a shed on my property to a chicken coop by adding nest boxes and roosting bars. However, I know that small rodents like mice and chipmunks will find their way in when they smell grain. I'm especially concerned because I would like to brood some chicks in...

I read some threads here about introducing newbies to a flock, and I also read Chicken Chick's excellent playpen-method article. But I have a special situation on which I'd love an opinion. I have 6 young adult pullets in a coop large enough for several dozen. I want to add to the flock. My...

Hi all. I love chickens and just increased my flock from the three whose eggs feed my family to more than we can possibly eat. My plan is to donate the considerable quantity of excess eggs to our local food pantry, which is always in need. But I wonder what happens if someone gets sick from...

My 5-week-old Golden Comets go through grit like crazy. I had been free feeding it in a dish next to the feeder, but now I've taken to filling the grit bowl just once every three days. They empty the bowl in a few hours! Technically they don't even need grit now, because I feed them...

Hi all. I just finished building my new coop (https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/timms-medium-coop). My girls are just a month old, but it's not too soon to think about what goes inside the nest box. I built mine with no lips to make it easy to clean them (just scrape the stuff into the main...

Hi all. I just finished building a 4' by 8' coop and I am in the process of documenting it with measured plans to help anyone who might want to duplicate it. I wonder about the best way to do this to make the upload to your site easiest. My photos are all JPG. Should I also export the...

How much roost length per hen should I have per average size hen? Thanks! Tim

I have a question with no right or wrong answer, but I would value the opinions of experienced keepers here. I just built a 4' by 8' coop in which I plan to keep eight Hubbard Golden Comets (two weeks old in a brooding pen right now). The pen will open onto several hundred square feet of...

Hi all. I just got 15 Hubbard Golden Comet day-old pullets from Mount Healthy, and they are sure healthy and happy! But I need an opinion (or more likely opinions!) on an issue that might not even be important. My little bag of chick grit says to begin making grit available at two weeks of...

Hi all. I have a little (3' by 4') coop in which I keep three hens. Now that they got old and I gave them to a neighbor, I just ordered 15 (minimum order) chicks that I'm going to try to brood. (I'll give away the excess as they grow.) I've read a lot about the process, and I'm equipped. I...

Hi all. I seem to check in here about once every few months with a question, and I am SOOO grateful to you generous experts for always having an answer (or 20) for me! I built a little coop a few years ago (https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/timms-member-page) and I've had success with three...

I haven't been around in a few years because my three Goldens thrived, thanks to you wonderful folks! Now that they've gone to that big coop in the sky, I'm getting brave and planning to buy 3 or 4 chicks and brood them-probably RI Red or Golden Sex Linked. I have a tight little coop, 3' x 4'...

Hi all. I read several existing threads on this topic, but I'm still seeking more info, so my apologies for the near repetition of the question. I got three small hens a few weeks ago, about 1-2 years old and laying well. I free feed them Agway's top-line layer pellets, which according to...

Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a hanging waterer with a heater? My coop is just 3' by 4' with three Golden Buffs, so it needs to be small. I'm using a bowl on the floor now, but they mess it up real fast! So I want to hang it. But every heated waterer I've seen sits on the...