Search results for query: *

Two of my girls were trying to brood a nest together, and sure enough, when I gave them some babies, they are raising them together as well. Co-mommies. Foghorn looks on, astonished at the drinking manners, certain a deeper problem exists.. Mommies are Martha, Blue Ameracuana, and Brahma...

I finally discovered what is living beneath my coop, having caused no hen harm in many months. Mrs. Skunk. I also have my chicks in a coop tractor in the chicken yard, and twas there I spied Mrs. Skunk at 4 am. She could fish a paw beneath the tractor and scoop out the babies (because...

From whom can I order chicks that will lay really blue eggs? I ordered 8 straight run Ameracauna chicks from Taylor Hobby Farms. 5 were roosters. My blue girls have finally started laying.... green eggs. I want seriously BLUE eggs. Who knows where to find them?

I call her Hawk. My best guess is brown Leghorn.

I have learned it takes 5 minutes for ducks to dirty a baby pool. In my new home, I have a good sized penned area. I am considering digging a pond, installing a drain, lining it with chicken wire, and pouring concrete. I like the idea of no electricity to pump thru expensive filters and...

This seems to be an age-old topic. All my new pullets are the same age. This picture is several weeks old. I noticed today, Dolly has full wattles and a rather large comb. Please tell me I am NOT going to have fertilized eggs!!! I only have one of her kind. L to R: Sacajawea (EE), Dolly...

My precious, darling, Akela, loves all the little animals. Well, at least he did until he was sprayed by a skunk. The next night, we went walking, and I heard Aekla growling and chasing something in the corn field. Oh no, not another tomato bath! When I called him, he came bounding across...

I just started with chickens and ducks. They are free-ranging lawn ornaments and pets. I live in a circa 1760 farmhouse that could SO use some peacocks strutting on the lawns. My father-in-law says our local predators (fox, coon, hawks) do not go after peas They are loud and obnoxious, right...

My darlings free range. I do see them eating bugs, and the ducks dig for things in the ground. Recently, I turned over a board in the mud to reveal wiggly worms. Penny Henny acted like she did not recognize the creatures. Veggies I toss in the yard often go untouched. They all beg...

I wake to screaming hawks each day. They generally hit my treetops in the afternoon and/or evening too. I once counted 8 in the air at one time and was told they were chicken hawks. So why do my free-ranging ducks and chickens seem completely unaffected? Why have I never seen a hawk dive at...

I am about to hang feeders in my duck / chicken abode. Suddenly, I am picturing a lovely duck neck wrapped in rope. Should I use chain? Are there length requirements? How can I be sure my hanging feeders do not become nooses to the ducks and chickens?

At first, I was horrified at both the way the drakes fight, and also how they breed my darling little Mallard girls. Every day, I look for missing feathers, marks - any sign of injury, but alas, everyone looks great. The Mallard drakes pinch each others necks, and pull feathers, and dance...

I have a tough time getting my free-rangers into their house. They are in lock-down now - all except Milly Mallard that decided to hang with the chickens. I have noticed then when I do trap the ducks in their new house, they get very quiet - except when I talk to them - then they talk quietly...

Someone brought me 2 chickens yesterday - to keep or hold until the person was more settled. I showed her I only really had room for my 4. She said I could keep them anyway. They would roost in a tree, and after all, my ducks usually sleep in the fenced yard and have not yet been nabbed by a...

I only have 4 chickens - feed store Easter babies from 2011. The Barred Rock and Buff Orpington are round, fluffy, and colorful. The 2 Rhode Island Reds are much leaner. One of them has always had a pale pink / white comb color while all 3 other chickens have bright red combs. What does this...

My ducks free-range on dry land all day. I am about to start housing them at night. While I realize I may have to bribe them indoors at night with food, I really don't want to feed them before bed because of the extra mess - and I don't mean spilled food. I plan to hang some sort of waterer...

I see that cats are way low on the list of predators and pests. I also see several posts where folks are concerned about neighbor cats. Some even admit to relocating cats that appear on their property. My question is this - have you ever had a cat prey on your chickens? Scaring chickens in a...

My (in-progress) duck house stands in a high traffic area, and I plan to put solar lights around it. If I put some gravel down a few inches in front of the walls, will that stop foxes and coons from digging under the walls? What about larger rocks? So far, no predator has dared enter my back...

What kind of person builds stuff from free wooden pallets? I am fat and old with no fine motor skills and ADHD. I squeeze a nickle so hard, you can hear the buffalo squeak. I started with 8 free pallets and hardware from Restore to make this octagon. It is not plumb. It is not level. It...

The Easter Bunny put baby ducks in Akela's Easter basket I served duck and chicken every evening in my dining room. Then I moved the doghouse and pool into the fenced yard. Why don't ducks sleep where I intend? Akela is hoping to get 3 wishes from the goddesses: Never dine alone...