Went out this morning just to fix a loose latch on the chicken run.
Somehow that turned into cleaning the waterers, refilling the feeder, fixing a section of fence, and pulling weeds around the coop.
Came back inside and realized I never fixed the latch.
I boiled this egg like normal, but when I peeled it, I found what looked like another egg inside. There was a smaller, darker, egg shaped structure surrounded by the egg white. At first I thought it might just be an unusually shaped yolk, but it looked way too much like a tiny egg. It honestly felt like I had discovered an egg inside an egg.
The shell looked completely normal before cooking, and I've never seen anything like this before. Is this egg still safe to eat after boiling, or should I throw it away?
I recently took some photos of this rooster, and I couldn't get over how unusual he looked. The bright red comb, pale gold and gray feathers, and that long, flowing tail really made him stand out.
While I was photographing him, he kept strutting around like he knew he looked good, so he definitely had plenty of personality too.
Does anyone know what breed he might be, or whether he could be a mix?
Hey everyone! One of my hens has recently started standing in front of a brick wall and staring at it for hours. She looks like she's either rebooting or trying to communicate with aliens.
She barely moves or blinks, and sometimes she doesn't even react when I call her name. She seems normal otherwise, but this behavior is starting to worry me. Is she just being a weird chicken, or could this be a sign that something's wrong? Has anyone else's hen done this before?
Normal eggs for scale. It honestly looks like a tiny gourd too, what happened here?
Started keeping backyard chickens a few years ago mainly for my kids - eggs in the morning, feeding them, that whole little homestead thing.
First blow was a fox getting in overnight. I patched up what I thought were the weak spots... then a damn raccoon figured out the door latch a few months later and tore up the coop anyway. That second raid honestly stung worse because I genuinely thought I’d outsmarted them. Since then, the remaining flock is so stressed their egg production has plummeted, and what used to be a relaxing hobby has turned into this constant cycle of paranoia, midnight checking, and fixing things.
I’ve been looking at different directions — some people go fully DIY reinforced setups with hardware cloth and buried fencing, others go with prebuilt coops like Omlet or OverEZ, and then there are the more budget Amazon-style kits like GARVEE, PawHut, and similar ones. I’m just not sure what actually holds up long term once you’re dealing with real fox/raccoon pressure.
For those who’ve dealt with serious fox/raccoon pressure long-term - what actually made the biggest difference for you? What finally stopped repeat break-ins for good?
He was terrified of the neighbors complaining, so he crafted this masterpiece. Holes were cut for safety/breathing.
This was only a 5-minute experiment and he took it off immediately after the photo! He loves this rooster. It just looked so ridiculous like a tiny bank robber, I had to share! 😂
I never expected there would be an egg yolk inside! This is the first time I've ever seen this.
Hi everyone! Meet my new baby.
Look at that power stance! The wide feet, the puffed-out chest, the "come at me bro" energy... I’m 90% convinced I accidentally hatched a tiny Emperor Penguin. Do you think she’s trying to tell me she wants a seafood dinner instead of crumbles?