“I have been “chickenless” for many years but in May I bought 4 Silkies after about a year of planning. My fear is that 3 of them are roosters. My first question is can roosters be kept together? These were to really just to be pets and get a few small eggs as a bonus. ...…
"I am a first time chicken farmer and appreciate the advice I've been receiving in your newsletter. I've noticed that the color of my hens beaks seem to be getting lighter. They seem to be fine otherwise, they are eating and drinking and giving lots of eggs. They've been laying for a few months now. ...…
"I know you've addressed this topic before but I'd like to know how long a chicken will stay broody. I've got one that's going on six weeks. There's no roosters. Just eleven hens. I most always let them out to wander the backyard at night for an hour or two before sunset. I've been throwing ...…
"Hi. I enjoy your newsletter very much. I am a fairly new chicken owner. I have 2 Rhode Island Red Hens. I don't know if it is their breed and I understand chickens "scratch" the ground, but my girls dig holes. They dig along the edges of their coop. They are in a huge coop ...…
"I have a question: Not coming from a chicken oriented background, I've had very poor luck in getting a broody hen to keep other hens from laying in her nest, so the nesting goes on - like - forever, and I even had a banty hen starve to death while setting, trying to get the ...…
"I would like to know if there is a certain age that a hen will start setting on eggs if she is going to be a broody? What would be the youngest age that she would start setting if she were going to? Thank you for any information that you might be able to give ...…
"We acquired a Blue Heeler puppy last July 2009, thinking that she would grow up with chickens and not hurt them. Now she enjoys chasing them. At nine months old, we think she killed one hen today. The head was completely bitten off. These hens are normally protected in their run, but we let the ...…
"I always enjoy receiving and reading your weekly newsletter, so thank you very much for that. I actually have two questions. First, what would make a rooster turn on a hen? We have a mixed bagged of 14 chickens of varying ages and 2 roosters. Our older rooster has turned on an older chicken. He ...…