Chickens Pecking Each Other To Death

“Hi Wendy, My chickens have been pecking each other along the sides of their bodies for several months. During that time several of the chickens have had wounds that bled. I was advised to used corn starch to dry the wounds. This morning I went into the coop and one of my chickens was dead.…

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How Much Room Do My Hens Need To Roam?

“I was curious how much room my hens need to roam and still be happy. I was letting them roam the entire yard but spring is near and I would like to give the young blooms and flowers a fighting chance to grow. Thanks for your time!” ~ Diana Hi Diana, Thanks for the question.…

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A Hen That Crows Like A Rooster?

“Hi! Love your newsletter! I have four Banty Hens and a Rooster. Mr. Ricardo crows when I cone home in the morning. Lately, Lucy, one of my hens has been crowing after the rooster crows! It was an awkward crow at first, but now she’s a little louder, and she definitely crows. The locals here…

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Reintroducing a Recovered Hen Back Into The Flock

“I had a chicken last weekend who when I went to put them to bed, couldn’t walk/ jump/ fly and was rolling her head, I picked her off of the bottom of the floor level coop (not her coop) and brought her inside, alarm bells obviously raised thinking it was Marek’s or Newcastle disease with…

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Chicken Reproduction – Sperm & Eggs

“Does the rooster have to cover the hen each time a egg is formed for it to be fertile? I understand, and perhaps I misunderstand, that the sperm of the rooster is stored in the hens body until a egg passes by and then it is fertilized? So does a rooster deposit sperm that effects…

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Forced Molting In Hens

“I’ve heard that large egg producers will cause their hens to molt early. How do they do this and what is their reasoning? Why would they want their hens to go out of production? Aren’t they in the business of selling eggs?” ~ David Horton, Marana, Arizona Thanks for the question David. You can induce…

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“Should I Be Worried If My Hens Don’t Molt?”

“I have a lovely flock of 21 hens and 3 roosters. 14 are standard sized and 10 are bantam. My standard sized flock are all good / very good layers. The bantams are fair layers. Its actually been pretty cold, its definitely been at least cool since October. Not ONE has gone through a molt…

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Watching What Your Chickens Consume

I had another question I planned to answer this week but received an e-mail today that I think takes precedence over my original plan. You see, we received word of a chicken that had died because it had apparently eaten a CD that was hung for it’s entertainment as per advice from me. My first…

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