flock management

Hello, Can anyone share some insight on the benefits and downsides of having a mixed flock (not hybrids, but an eclectic mix of different breeds) as opposed to a pure bred flock please! I don’t have a tonne of space available, so do need to keep my chicken maths quite sensible!! I don’t want to...

Hello, all. I think my question / thread belongs here, as it's about flock management. A friend of mine has roughly 9 chickens- 1 rooster(?), and the rest hens. I can't discern what breed they all are, so sorry for the lack of information on that end. She expressed wanting to get rid of them--...

Good morning lovely chicken peeps! I am running in to a bit of a pickle. I have 6 hens and 2 roosters. All are around 3 months. As of yet, the roosters are not attacking each other but I've caught both of them attacking my hens. I started to post them but it seems EVERYONE is currently...

Hi. I’m pretty sure what has killed off most of the flock is Mericks. If I’m left with only one chicken with Mericks is it possible to add a Mericks vaccinated chicken so the one is not lonely and by itself, without the new ones getting sick? I’m not gonna butcher the remaining one so not an...

I know it's usually not necessary to heat a coop in winter, but were getting a sudden drop in temp. Should I give them a little heat since they may not be acclimated yet? (I have a flat panel heater with high/low settings to use instead of a heat lamp) We've been in the mid 70s in day and 40s...

What could possibly go wrong? We currently have eleven fast-growing chicks! Plus, a charming old ramshackle 5x6 coop waiting for them outside that we need to rehab, with no attached run or anything like that, just a basic coop. DH said he wants to reinforce the coop for night-time and let...

I'm having an issue with my neighbors flock storming my run and eating like they're starving whenever I let my girls out to supervise free range. It wasn't always like this: a few of the neighbor's hens who were always getting bullied would come down and snack/hang out (I also saved one from...

So my Creves are giving me trouble. First my rooster has a defect or two I'm not sure I want to pass on. Now one of my two Creve hens is dead. Probably raccoon since her head was gone and she was all eaten. Or a mink. So now I have one good Creve hen and an aggressive less than perfect rooster...

I've been working on an application to help me keep track of my own flock, and would love to hear any input or suggestions for what other chicken/poultry farmers would like to see in such an application. Since I'm not developing this commercially, I'd make it freely available to anyone that's...

Well, I had to dispose of my beautiful boy, Pride. True to typical production bird males, he became less pleasant. :( He began to stalk me after the day he jumped at my hand from behind. Then started rushing at me and jumping at me until it was no longer safe to go out in the yard without...

Anyone have tips to share on integrating new chicks into an existing flock? We have a flock of 'teenagers'- 2 naked necks (one is a roo), 5 Australorp (all are 8 months old) and a 2 year old RIR hen,who is the boss. We have new chicks-another 8-who are about 9 weeks old (5 brahmas,2 silver laced...

We are not builders, so we bought this storage unit to house the 7-week old chicklets until they are ready to integrate with the Big Girls in the "real" hen house. The top slides back so we can open it and they won't overheat while we keep them confined while they grow accustomed to it. I am SO...

I have a beautiful Brahma rooster that we have had for 2 years. A very good rooster, watches over his flock, and isn't mean. However we have noticed a problem. We introduced a new flock last year of hens and noticed 3 of them looked more rooster like, but they are indeed hens, as they lay eggs...

I have currently 11 pullets altogether all different types of breeds 1 Isa Brown 14 wks 1 GLW 14 Wks 1 BSL/Copper Maran/IDK 14wks 1 Easter Egger 14wks 1 Ameraucana/EE/IDK 14wks 1 White Leghorn 14wks 2 Sapphire Gems 15wks 1 Isa Brown 16wks 1 Silkie 15 wks 1 Cornish Cross 15 wks (not sure...

Hi everyone! We have 13 hens of various breeds at our house and a Silkie rooster. We thought we had a BCM hen but turns out he's a rooster. Would these 2 roosters be ok together or is it best to just sell one?

First, I noticed some tiny orange spots on one of my muscovy hen's caruncles. She is acting fine. She is molting, but so are the others and none of them have these spots. I will try to get a pic, but I am doubting my success of getting a good shot. :D The only thing I read was about orange on...

Hi everyone! I've had chickens for about 5 years, currently have two 5year old RIRs. One of them is a bit of a bully. I purchased 3 chicks this summer, but 2 died, sadly, of different causes, we think. (I dropped the 2nd one off for necropsy). So now, i have 1 lone aericauna pullet left...

Hi All ~ I'm new to raising chickens, so I've got a conundrum I need help with from veteran chicken people. I picked out 6 chicks in April, straight run, and ... all 6 are roosters! Pretty disappointing. So, my birds are going on 4 months old. I want chickens primarily for eggs ~ I don't eat...