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Tax!

I've tried all sort of ways of eating, some of that was trying to disguise an eating disorder, and some of it was trying to resolve digestive and hormonal health issues. I've been vegetarian, gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, all of the above at once, keto, paleo.... for over 15 years of my...

Well, Ginger Bonnet did not hatch any chicks. Such a shame, really not sure what happened. I have a suspicion Kowalski the head rooster isn't providing the best genetic material anymore. With that suspicion in mind I set eggs under the next broody from hens I knew were being mated by the...

Well in some good news for the thread, my hen and chicks are still doing great, I've got 2 more hens on 2 more clutches, and all is well with the cockerel and the rooster! It's not every week that things in the flock go well! You're all welcome to live springtime vicariously through me (at...

The little house on the prairie books are actually pretty informative, although you have to wade through them a bit. What sort of 'old days' are you referring to? There's a book called 'The Farming Ladder' and another called '10 Acres Enough' that have a lot of how-to information from the late...

I've been absent from BYC for a few weeks, did a brief catch up but apologies if I've missed something important! Fret's chicks are huge! They grow so fast. Sorry to hear about the covid @Shadrach - I got it earlier this year (again), well I assume so it sure felt like it and was the same good...

It's very early to tell, but I'm not seeing any barring so I'm not sure if you've actually got barred rocks. But sometimes the barring isn't apparent on wing tips. Although mine have barring on their wings at this age.

Marrows are what zucchini turns into, the monstrous marrows you find when you've skipped checking for a day or two! I had one that was as big as the bottom of my wheelbarrow last season 🤣 I grate and dehydrate zucchini and use it as a vegetable bulker in soups and sauces and meat mixes all...

Very interesting. From that summary none of that really applied to my hen who died, except possible genetic susceptibility. They all eat the same feed which I wouldn't say is excessive from an energy standpoint, it is high in carbs I guess being grain based but it's wholegrain based so those...

So gorgeous 😍

Definitely. Pullet eggs are the most delicious and have the best colour. My blue and green eggs are significantly better than all the others. My old hens and my leghorn hen lay the 'lamest' eggs. All of them lay eggs that are miles better than the 'best' eggs you can buy though so I'm thrilled...

Ah it certainly could have been fatty liver disease. I didn’t do a necropsy. I did a brief search on risk factors, and see that selenium deficiency appears to be a factor. That's very interesting as we have significantly low levels of selenium in New Zealand soils. I figured their feed, plus the...

My chicks eat what everyone else eats. Approximately 50/50 split between unmedicated chick starter and soaked/fermented unground whole grain/peas mix, plus added meat and bone meal with some seaweed meal currently. I've had excellent results thus far.

Phew just caught up on the thread. Fret and all the allotment crew look so happy. It's so lovely to see them all. My cockerel boys have finally decided to grow up. I've got one who has started to crow (badly) and one who has forgone the crowing in order to fly under the radar and just get the...

Hi all, I thought you might enjoy this humorous take on chicken math and how that has worked out in my flock over the years. Chicken Math is all about using creative accounting to keep the 'on paper' number of chickens in your backyard or homestead flock to a 'normal person' number. Chicken Math...

I 'cull' all my surplus cockerels. They go to local families to eat. One day I will eat them myself but I'm not there yet. I would prefer to do it myself and not have them leave the property but I can't kill them. They live out their goofy wonderful lives in my yard and become somebody's dinner...

Oh what a shame. I'm not sure that hens can accurately count. It seems that they have number categories like 'a few' and 'a lot'. Or 'not enough' and 'enough'. I had a weak single chick survive a brood, there was something not right about him and he wasn't very vocal at all. His mother would...

I let mine roost where they will. I've tried, and succeeded, in the past to change where they're roost but it was a lot of work. However, I do not have significant predator pressures. That is a major factor. My only predator risk is a dog coming onto the property (I am fully fenced), or a...

She could make either choice. Hens are a rule unto themselves. Generally most of my hens return to their nestboxes. If the nestbox is too high for chicks to get back into easily they will often choose another spot. I've got several little nestbox hutches dotted around my yard and they often pick...

I'll tell you how I do it, and you can take that how you wish! I've hatched many many clutches with many many broodies under many many circumstances :). Since you already have the eggs, and she has already committed to a nest site, I would leave her there until she has hatched her chicks. Try...