Keeping Chickens In Warmer Weather
“I’m new to keeping chickens, as the weather starts to get warmer do I have to take any extra precautions?” ~ Justin Vosman Justin, thank you for your question. There are some precautions you’ll need to take, especially if you live in a hot, dry climate. The most important thing your chickens need in hot…
Crooked Beak In Hens & Poultry
“I just noticed that one of my Auracana Pullets has an “over bite”? Her bottom beak goes to the left and her upper beak goes to the right. She has grown normally and is the same size as the rest of the batch I received from the hatchery. I assume she should have no problem…
Keeping Chickens & Ducks Together
We get so many questions about compatibility between chickens and other animals. Most often I’m asked about ducks and rabbits so I thought I’d spend some time this week addressing those issues. Are chickens compatible with ducks? Chickens are compatible with ducks in that they probably won’t fight much more with ducks than they do…
Ratio Of Hens To Roosters
“I would like to know the maximum number of hens one should have in the coop per rooster. We have 62 hens and one 2-year-old rooster that is seemingly doing his job. But, we set some eggs in the incubator and only four hatched. We were thinking maybe he has too many hens. We do…
Caponizing a Rooster
“Will caponizing a rooster stop it from crowing?” ~ Mark Heinz Hi Mark, thanks for the question. In short, the answer is “No”. If you’re interested in a detailed post about keeping roosters quiet, see… Vol 1: Issue: 2 – Wednesday 3rd December 2008 of this newsletter. One idea for keeping a rooster from crowing…
Shy Hens – A Discussion On Hen Personalities
“I love the news letter! Great information delivered with a kind sense of humor. I have a question. 1 week ago I got 3 black Orpington bantam pullets (4 months old). I already have a hen and rooster that are both Porcelain D’Uccle bantams. They all have become comfortable with each other except for 1…
Dealing With Rats & Mice In a Hen House
“Any suggestions on dealing with rats in the hen house?” ~ Mary Ann Westendorf Hi Mary Anne, thanks for the question. Here’s the thing about rodents, they don’t have any bones. The frame of a rodent is supported rather by cartilage. This allows the rodent to fit into spaces we would never assume they would…
