I was leaning towards Collies and all your comments are confirming this. But I have an affinity for Collies because my parents had a very gentle one when I was a small child. I really appreciate this forum. Thank you all for you amazing advice.
We have kept chickens within an enclosed run and coop for years. We are considering getting a dog but my brother's experience is that all the dogs he has attacked his chickens if they ever got out of their pen. I know some owners say well-trained labs and even lab/pit mixes consider their hens...
If anyone is reading this or is subscribed, you should know that they are considering code changes about keeping chickens, potentially making it much more restrictive, this Wednesday, Dec 10, 2014, at the 6pm City Council Meeting.
Here's the agenda...
My fellow suburban farmer next door and I are both raising backyard chickens. I for over a year, she is on her third small flock in 6 months or so. One of her older hens went broody. She was very grouchy knocking other chickens out of the coop and trying to sit on their eggs. My friend and I...
Out of 10 chicks a farmer gave me and swore were hens, I ended up with four crowing roosters in suburbia. I had to learn how to kill them and eat them. It was tough, but after they were all crowing every morning inspiration did hit me.
Still just 2 out of 7. Anyone have any tips? I think only my 6 month old RIRS are laying. The rest aren't.
I have 2 older RIRS I traded in from a farmer that have some diarhea and perhaps one is molting or recovering from roosters. 1 older leghorn the farmer swears was laying for her...
I did this too, just a week ago, three older hens, none have laid yet, and one did have lots of lice. I treated them for lice and I don't see any live ones on them anymore. I think they might have some diarrhea though, how dangerous a sign is that. Should I return them completely?
It was a...
I started my flock with pretty birds like Light Brahma and Americana but as the MONTHS have dragged on and all the pretty bird do is eat feed and NOT lay eggs I've traded my non-laying pretty girls for more productive breeds.
I'd go for RIR and Delaware.
I got three chickens from a similarly wild flock and two of the hens were very beat up from roosters and lice. I made sure to get a hold of them in the coop when they were sleepy or just waking up to treat them with lice powder a few times. I will try seeds to help speed up the feather growth...
I feel like I've been waiting forever. I have 7 chickens, 4 of which were born late February (so almost 8 months old), and 3 that a farmer gave me swearing they were all laying and were around 1 year old. I am only getting 1 to 2 eggs a day from these 7 supposedly "laying" chickens. This is so...
I am really struggling with this first flock of mine. Only 1 - 2 eggs a day from 7 hens. All of which are 7 months old or older. Shouldn't they all be laying well by now?
If you brahma owners had an older RIR offered as a swap for a 6 month old Light Brahma, would you take it?
I have two light Brahmas, and I love how they run to the feeder. But I'm not sure if they are laying yet. I really want to up my laying rate. Another farmer is willing to trade me but her...