Search results for query: *

Really? Cats use litter boxes. You are far more likely to encounter unwanted waste with dogs. Just say it. You are a cat hater.

Have not read all replies, but the way I exclude rats from digging under the coop is by laying metal flashing on top of the ground all around the coop. (Flashing is much better than hardware cloth because rats can't get their jaws around an individual piece of wire.) It is much easier than...

I adore my vivacious, adorable and wacky Polish hens who have so much personality and make me laugh every day. They are always a big favorite with visitors and just watching their bobbing pompadours brightens my day. They are poor to nonexistent layers which doesn't matter to me since they are...

Great decision to separate the aggressor. :D I just love my Polish girls who surprisingly are on the upper end of the pecking order. They make me laugh every day just watching their bobbing pompadours. I think Polish stands for personality. They are just inherently comical.

He sounds very unstable and appears to be a huge detriment to group welfare. I always put myself in the place of the victims and would cull him. There are civilized good roosters out there.

After having 2 vicious wyandottes who were major head peckers--despite having plenty of room in a very large run-- I now have a zero tolerance policy for nasty hens who are making another chicken's life miserable. They get a one way trip to the vet. My moral duty is to protect the victim and...

I sympathize with your concern about too many eggs causing health problems. I have had implants put in hens with reproductive tract issues. It works but is very expensive and needs to be done every six months. I think that, as a practical matter, you have to roll with the genetics of your...

I would very much agree with Cluckerfamily's suggestion to segregate the aggressive hen. The more an animal practices an undesirable behavior, the more entrenched the behavior becomes. So interrupting/preventing the behavior is important. Also, segregating the aggressive/dominant hen has...

It sounds like she may be egg bound which is very painful. 😥

I very much agree with decision to cull for the good of the group. I had an EE pullet who was an obsessive head pecker. That pullet's behavior reminded me of 2 murderous head pecking Wyandottes who I culled after they severely injured 2 gentle hens. I now have a strict policy of culling any...

I have no experience with pheasants, but I imagine that they are much less domesticated than chickens. I have found that with chickens, coercive contact--ie picking them up against their will--only freaks them out and makes them more fearful. My most successful socialization protocol with...

Awesome and suspenseful tale as a prior poster commented! Miss Cookie is one tough and lucky cookie. Dona, you are one fabulous chicken mama. Kudos to you for all your hard work!

Being "soft" is being kind to animals.

RIR beak issue looks very minor. My vet showed me how to clip and then file a cross beak on one of my hens. When you look at the beak in the light you just want to file down the translucent portion which does not have blood supply. Your beloved boy should be just fine.

I am unable to help re sexing. But now that I have two Polish hens I am totally gaga over their big hair, and their equally big personalities. All of my chicken addiction will likely be directed to getting more Polish. They are so sweet natured that I am guessing your roos will likely be...

Love the jungle gym for both entertainment and the ability to escape or avoid. I want to put up roosting bars in my runs so everybody has a way to avoid bullying. I also think it's an excellent strategy to have multiple "hidden" food bowls. Thanks for all the great ideas!

No to pizza or to salad with dressing. My vet even yells at me for feeding my chickens too many mealworms as she considers them to have too much fat. I have read on multiple occasions never to feed your chickens any food you wouldn't eat yourself, i.e., no spoiled food. If you're looking for...

I am a chicken newbie with only 1 bantam cochin rescue rooster who was several years old when I got him. (My second rooster died at only four months old but I still learned something from him in that short time.) But I very much agree with folks who don't recommend pushing your rooster down...

I am writing to stick up for feather-footed chickens--but most importantly for Polish girls! I too thought I would dislike feather-foots for sanitary reasons, but as somebody else pointed out--chicken feet--whether feathered or bare--are not the most sanitary objects in the world. And I love my...

I am a crazy cat lady who rescues feral cats. We have had very rare instances of overstimulation biting when my husband didn't know when to stop petting. Cat bites, even teeny tiny ones that are almost invisible, are extremely dangerous and can cause blood poisoning--as my husband discovered...