In April 2021 I returned to the UK having spent the last ten years living with and studying various groups of chickens on a small holding In Catalonia Spain.
Some of you may have read some of my posts and seen pictures of what I call The Tribes, in my house and free ranging on the land. I’ve...
For a great many chicken health topics we get our information from research done by or with the chicken egg and meat producing companies.
Most of the hens I know of that go through a particularly heavy moult do so in their second year and most battery hens are killed at this age because egg...
I've just read this article by Perris.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/raising-a-blind-or-partially-sighted-chicken.75986/
When I got to the end I wanted to rate the article but couldn't find the Rate Article button.
I found it eventually at the top of the page. I assume the button...
There are 19 different pictures in this post. When I scroll through them some pictures repeat and sometimes the last 5 pictures don't display.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fluffy-butt-acres-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-22273415
Just wondering if anyone else has seen this behaviour.
There is a very large concrete basin full of water close to the duck houses. The design of the ducks houses means the ducks sleep on the floor; not ideal I know.
I try to clean them out twice a week. Each time I clean the ducks houses and...
Annual Outstanding BYC Member Award.
It seems BYC loves it’s badges and awards. One of the great things about BYC is the data available by which, if one wanted, one could assess the contributions made by individual members.
There are rounds of applause and merit given to maximum post counts...
The next National Park North of where I live use net guns to catch injured birds.
Someone else I know on the next mountain uses a net gun for their flock of semi feral chickens.
Has anyone had any experience using these and what were their impressions?
https://thenetgunstore.com/
Ask what determines a hens egg laying cycle on most forums and you will most likely be told that it is governed by light levels. What exactly does this mean?
Some will state it’s a matter of the length of light hours.
Some suggest it’s the intensity of the light.
Some suggest that it’s a change...
I read a lot of posts where people say they keep chickens so they can supply meat and eggs for their families.
Take a family of four. I’m going to take an arbitrary minimum of one chicken per person per week as the point where one can still call oneself a regular eater of meat. This if managed...
Some of the chickens I look after are growing old. I recently had a hen die at about 11 years old and I have a few in the 7 to 10 years old range. My policy here has been to provide a home for the elderly whether they still lay eggs, or not, until they either die of old age, or contract medical...
I checked these three chicks over late evening yesterday; mouths, bums and coordination. They had clean bums, were eating drinking and active.
This morning this poor chick was dead. So in less than 12 hours enough poop had gathered and set to prevent tthe chick pooping and poison it. This seems...
This is Bracket.
She's a bantam hen just over a year old.
Four nights ago she didn't return to her coop. I thought it likely she had a nest and was sitting.
It took me two night to find her and her nest.
When I found her she was sitting roughly in the position you can see in the photograph.
I...
I've been offered a male and female pair of Ghan Reza Asil game fowl.
Essentially these are the descendants of fighting stock.
An old man on the next mountain used to breed game fowl and recently died. His son contacted me and asked if I would be interested in taking a pair. The property is to...
Apart from the occasional rescue, I keep a closed flock.
I started off with two breeds, Marans and Old English Game Bantams.
I now have 4 separate groups, the members of each group are related to one another. Any cross breeding between the groups finished about eight years ago.
I’m five...
I wondered if anyone has any tips for tube feeding when you only have one pair of hands.:D
I have a very uncooperative semi feral old lady (9 or 10 years old) who is not used to being handled.
She has some stones in her crop that are not moving down to her gizzard. This seems to have put her off...