Met an older woman at the feed store in Salem last spring who completely changed how I handle sick birds. She saw me grabbing some random electrolyte powder and asked what was wrong with my hen. I told her one of my Barred Rocks had a swollen crop and I was just guessing at treatments. She spent 15 minutes showing me how to gently massage the crop and check for sour crop by smell. Then she walked me over to the herb section and pointed me toward dried oregano and garlic powder for the water. It was the most practical advice I ever got, no fluff or fancy products. Has anyone else had a random stranger at the feed store give them a game-changing tip?
Last Tuesday around 10 AM, my Rode Island Red rooster Bucky decided to charge the mailman like he was defending the castle. The mailman just raised his stack of envelopes and Bucky ran smack into them and fell over. He sat there looking confused for a good 30 seconds before walking off with his tail down. The mailman laughed and said he's been delivering here 8 years and never had a chicken surrender to junk mail. Anybody else have a bird that picks weird fights?
Bought a pack of 12 fancy foam nesting pads thinking my hens would love them. First week they pecked them to pieces. By day 10 they were shredded and covered in poop. Had to throw the whole lot out and switch back to pine shavings. Anyone else get burned by expensive nesting box gimmicks?
Old Frank next door kept telling me straw holds moisture and breeds mites. I figured he was just set in his ways. After three sick birds last winter I finally swapped to pine shavings. The smell difference alone was night and day. Has anyone else had luck switching bedding types mid-season?
Back in 2019 I paid $45 for 3 Australorp chicks and told my wife it was a waste. Fast forward to this spring, my 4 year old hen is still laying 5 eggs a week while my buddy's production reds from Tractor Supply burned out after 18 months. Got a neighbor who breeds Buckeyes and her flock barely gets sick compared to my old hybrid setup. Anyone else find the upfront cost worth it in the long run?
I picked up the Farm Innovators heated waterer from Tractor Supply back in November after losing a hen to freezing temps the year before. That thing kept water ice-free down to 15 degrees even when my extension cord was barely reaching. Has anyone else tried those metal rimmed bowls versus the plastic ones? I'm wondering if the metal lasts longer.
Temp dropped to 15 degrees here in Indiana and the coop floor was a solid block. I was using a standard round point shovel to chip away at it and the handle just snapped right at the grip. Had to go buy a metal handled one from Tractor Supply for $22. That plastic coated wood junk is worthless in the cold. Anyone else break tools trying to deal with winter coop cleanup?
I tried putting together a solar powered owl decoy from some scrap wood and a $12 solar light from Menards to keep hawks away from my Brahmas. Figured it would just be a fun project but my flock has been way calmer during the day since I set it up. Did anyone else have luck with homemade predator decoys or am I just getting lucky here?
Honestly, my neighbor Dave is this old-school farmer who keeps his birds in a basic tractor coop with zero frills. Last weekend he walked over to see my new setup I spent $400 on over two months - it's got a fancy automatic door, roosting bars at different heights, even a little herb planter on the roof. He just laughed and said 'you turned a chicken into a condo owner, that's a designer prison for birds that don't know any different.' At first I was ticked off, but he explained how his hens free range all day and come back to a bare box to sleep. Now I'm sitting here looking at my coop and wondering if I overcomplicated everything. Has anyone else had a farmer type make you rethink your whole approach?
I started soaking their layer crumbles in water for 24 hours back in March and within 2 weeks the yolks went from pale yellow to deep orange and the shells got way thicker, has anyone else noticed that big of a difference?
I keep three Australorps in a coop I built myself behind the garage. Last summer we had that crazy 10 day stretch where it hit 105 every single afternoon. Their egg production dropped from about 6 a week down to just 1 or 2 for a whole month afterwards. I tried adding electrolytes to their water and they perked up a little but not much. Has anyone else seen a big drop like that after hot weather and how long did it take them to get back to normal?
I went out to check on the girls after that big rain we had and found the run a muddy mess. The water was pooling right under the roosting bars because my gutter was aimed wrong. I spent like 2 hours redirecting it with some extra downspout parts I had sitting in the garage. Now the ground stays dry and I don't have to deal with soggy feathers or worse, foot issues. Has anyone else dealt with drainage problems after adding a covered run?
Last month I had to separate my rooster Rascal for a foot soak, and he refused to come near me for nearly three weeks after. He'd even lead the other hens away when I brought treats, like he was telling them I was untrustworthy. Has anyone else had a bird that holds a serious grudge like this?
Last spring my neighbor Sharon, who's had chickens for 20 years, came over to look at my setup and immediately pointed out my chickens had overgrown nails. She said 'you're gonna have a bird with a broken toe one day' and walked me through how to trim them with a pair of dog nail clippers and some cornstarch for bleeding. I had no idea chickens' nails even needed trimming, I thought they'd wear down naturally on the ground. Now I check every single bird in my flock of 12 once a month with a little flashlight. It takes me maybe 20 minutes total and I haven't had a single issue since. Has anyone else gotten that kind of wake-up call from a neighbor or vet about something you totally missed?
Read it in a poultry science journal my vet left on the counter, and sure enough my girls acted totally different toward her until she spoke, then they swarmed for treats - has anyone else seen this weird recognition thing with their flock?
I used to give my hens like 2 cups of layer feed each per day plus all the kitchen scraps they wanted. Karen said I was making them fat and lazy lol. Turns out she was right, I cut back to 1/4 cup per bird morning and night and they actually started foraging more in my backyard in Portland.
Bought one of those auto doors from an online shop six weeks ago and it already stopped working. The timer got all messed up and the door wouldn't close until 10am so my girls were stuck inside way too long. Called customer support and they said it was a sensor issue and basically told me to buy a new one. Went back to my old manual door setup today and I'm never trusting that tech again. Anyone else have bad luck with these auto doors or did I just pick a junk brand?
Ngl I was ready to rehome him after three sleepless nights, but swapping the white bulb for a red one calmed him right down. Anyone else tried lighting tricks to fix rooster noise?
My girls stopped laying for almost a month back in February. I checked their feed, changed the lighting, even took a fecal sample to the vet. $60 later they said everything was fine. Turns out they were just sick of their same old coop setup. I hung a cabbage on a string and threw in some scratch and boom, eggs the next morning. Has anyone else's flock gone on strike for no real reason?
I was dead set on keeping my automatic coop door after spending $80 on it. But last night around 3am I heard this awful squawking from my backyard in Denver. Ran out with a flashlight and found my rooster, Gus, trapped half in half out with the door clamped on his back. The sensor failed to detect him. I unplugged the whole thing right there and manual latched it. Now I'm back to closing the coop myself at dusk, which is annoying but way safer. Anyone have a brand that actually works without crushing birds?
A pack of kids ran through my yard chasing a ball and my whole flock vanished under the coop. Took me hours to coax them out with scratch grains and now I always keep a small fenced run attached. Anyone else deal with spooked birds taking forever to come back?
I stopped by Tractor Supply last weekend and looked at their $400 coop kits and the wood felt like balsa, hinges were already rusting, and the roof was just painted OSB that'll rot in one rainy season. Has anyone else had to completely rebuild one of those kits within the first year?
Used to keep a red heat lamp over my chicks but after a near miss with a dust fire I switched to a brooder plate. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed their chicks sleeping different?