There are two completely different sides to the stitch. Ome side is loops wrapped around the actual stitch. The other side is the stitch itself. Undo the end just a tiny bit and the whole thing just unravels. To the people that said I was AI a few ago. Ha. You're just jealous you can't do this and need a machete to open a bag of charcoal or feed.
My neighbor has a chicken coop. After a storm damaged the house last year, she moved in with some family because they couldn't afford the repairs. I feel bad for them, but they let the coop run wild. For awhile we had flocks roaming the street and getting in everyone's yards. They reinforced their fencing, but some still go out and about now and then.
About a week ago a rooster discovered the food we were leaving out for a stray cat. It's been living under the house in the day and sleeping perched on a patio chair at night ever since. Crapping on EVERYTHING. We tried shooing it away with a spray bottle but it always comes back. The city of Houston, TX does not care. People have reported the situation to them a few times and nothing has happened. Is there anyway to gently get this Rooster to move elsewhere? I know there is more than one over there now. I don't know much about chickens but I know that's a problem. Would love some advice!
Hatched June 8th. Thought was a rooster for awhile as it had some drooping iridescent feathers on the tail, was bigger than the two siblings, had a red face early and sharper looking neck feathers.
But now, everything seems to be mellowing out to more hen like.
Parents are an Ameraucana rooster and Delaware hen
Today our girl Scout laid her first egg! She’s our only legbar (we unfortunately had to cull our other one) and probably the sweetest, quietest chicken we have. I scampered into the house SO excited by this highly anticipated little butt nugget.
Protect your chickens properly will also protect the local wildlife.
One of my more prolific egg layers who is a 1-yr old olive egger (laid a good egg yesterday and 3 days ago) has now been trying to lay for the past two hours, and she is in her nesting box panting frequently looking behind her. I went to check on her and found a weird yolky mass near the nesting box and I have no idea what it is Noor why she keeps panting and acting weird. Is my chicken sick? Do I need to get help or will this pass? Their crushed oyster shell feeder has been empty for the past week but their feed has calcium supplement in it, so idk if it could be a calcium issue or if that would even be likely to come up that quick. Please help!
Adopted a few laying hens and one came with 3 babies! I’m leaning too with this one as it’s got thick legs but no clue what breed or age. Any thoughts! Just for fun???
A couple weeks ago, my retired ISA Brown Misty was battling an illness and dehydration.
I was administering her medicine, she suddenly squirmed, the syringe squirted in the wrong angle too hard, and Misty inhaled quite a bit of the liquid.
The typical aspiration signs followed. She was coughing, gurgling, gasping and sneezing for a few agonizing hours. I had not been this scared and mad at myself in a loooong time. Online search for help produced results very rich in keywords like "serious", "life threatening" "possible death" so I was absolutely freaked out.
But Misty was able to get a lot of the water out of her lungs with my help, willingly spent the day in my little cabin until she recuperated enough to rejoin the flock.
I immediately started her on Doxycycline to not even entertain the idea of pneumonia, every 12 hours for 6 days.
She seems to have fully recovered, and I think the antibiotic helped her deal with her other ailment too.
Win win win.
I am so happy and relieved my sweet little rescue girl has survived and is thriving again.
And that maybe she can offer a glimmer of hope to someone here who's also frantically browsing for aspiration info to save their hen.
EDIT: This is my nicest photo of her, taken on a different day, and she happens to be sneezing in it, haha. Just a fun derpy coincidence.
Hi
My silkie has fainted once Three weeks ago for a few seconds on the way from the coop to the run.
He looked fine, then it happened again three days ago. Then he started being less active and unsteady on his feet. Today i had to carry him out to the run, he can fall forward a few steps.
I have an appointment with the one chicken specialist in my region tomorrow. I asked that they look him over, because it's not guaranteed Marek's. It is technically a euthanasia appointment.
His eyes are Normal and both legs are equally affected, it seems to be the whole body. Except he seems in ok spirits (enjoyed some sweetcorn)
He's very thin but I've gone through more feed this summer than usual. Same feed as usual.
No other hens are unwell. He is the only silkie.
I hate that it's unknown, i don't want to euthanize him if there's hope he will be better, but i can't live with myself if he suffers over the weekend and dies in pain from Marek's.
I gave him aspirin two days ago with no effect, b vitamins. Today i gave him ivermectin but the vet is tomorrow
Vet said it's most likely Marek's (just statistically, she's not examined him) it is endemic here and he's an unvaccinated silkie.
Sorry for the long post im so devastated. Any advice or experiences appreciated
I almost wish he was more ill, it would make the choice easier. He can hobble around a few steps, and seems quite alert and grooms himself.
This gal has been purring nonstop for at least an hour. She’s happy right? And not part cat?
(Sorry about the background noise, that’s the rest of the flock kickin up grub)
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some candid, real-world feedback from experienced flock keepers, small breeders, and homesteaders.
My wife loves animals and wants to breed poultry full-time. I support having hobbies—even ones that cost money—provided there’s a steady income to balance things out. I’ve suggested she work a part-time job during the week so she can enjoy her birds on weekends without risking our household financial stability.
However, the scale of the operation keeps escalating into major financial losses, legal risks, and extreme logistics, and I'm looking for an honest reality check from people who actually raise birds.
Here are the main issues we are facing:
Bylaw Risks: Our town strictly limits residents to 5 egg-laying hens and zero roosters. She repeatedly exceeds the 5-hen limit and brings home roosters, keeping them temporarily until neighbors or city code enforcement notice.
Fragile Birds & Bad Timing: She heavily favors tiny, delicate species like quail and small broodies/bantams. She is importing and hatching them right now in late August—heading into a harsh northern winter—which leads to high heating bills, sickness, and cold-related deaths.
High-Cost Import Runs: She just drove across the border to New York to pick up a $2,000 USD shipment of birds, adding massive upfront costs and travel stress on top of our existing debt.
Extreme Travel for Tiny Returns: She will drive 5+ hours round-trip to deliver a $10–$20 small animal because she feels obligated to a buyer, spending far more on gas than the sale brings in.
Selling relies on distant weekend auctions that swallow up whole days.
Predator Losses on Remote Land: Sinking $2,000 cash into an unverified lease on remote, wooded land without daily oversight or heavy predator-proofing, resulting in wild predators repeatedly wiping out the birds.
For those with long-term experience with poultry and quail:
Bylaw & Neighbor Realities: How risky is it to consistently exceed local flock limits and keep illegal roosters in a town setting?
Quail & Late-Season Breeding: Is raising tiny, delicate birds like quail or hatching chicks in late August financially viable, or does winter heating and high mortality make it a guaranteed money pit?
The Business Math: Does spending thousands on imported stock or driving hours for $10 sales ever make financial sense for a small setup, or is this strictly a high-cost hobby?
Appreciate any candid perspectives, cost realities, or advice from people who keep birds.
Thanks!
My nieces class hatched these chickens and they told us they were silkie mixes but I’m not really confident on that. I think the black and white one is barred rock but does anyone know what the others are? Thank you!
Bringing home this gorgeous girl today and I am SO excited. Picking her up from the breeder this afternoon and wanted to share my excitement with people who might Get It.