http://www.raising-chickens.org/raising-chickens-blog.html The Raising Chickens Blog keeps you up-to-date with all the additions and changes to the raising-chickens.org web site. Subscribe here. en-us raising chickens Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:46:55 GMT Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:46:55 GMT raising-chickens.org http://www.raising-chickens.org/excessive-pecking-of-other-chickens.html I have a flock of nine chickens and I am having a great deal of trouble with the chickens pecking each other. I seem to remember there was something you Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:46:50 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/feather-loss-on-the-back.html I have a small flock of chickens, eight in all. No roosters. The hens have all lost feathers on their backs above the tails. It does not affect their appetite Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:31:35 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/my-rooster-looks-sunburned.html His legs look like some of the feathers have been rubbed off, and he is bright red in those spots..any ideas? Response: Are you trying to hatch eggs? Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:23:07 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/warts-on-legs.html Some of our hens and our rooster have these wart like growths on their legs. Some have it so bad that they limp. None have died from this and it doesn't Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:19:27 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/unexplainable-deaths-in-my-broilers.html My broilers just drop dead. They have black droppings. The droppings are also formy. What could be the problem? Response: Sorry to hear about this terrible Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:06:21 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-has-the-runs.html My ex-bat which I have had for just over a year is drinking plenty of water, tucking into her greek yogurt and pear. I isolated her last night and brought Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:00:09 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-eating-own-eggs.html Hi there - one of my six chickens has taken to going into the hen house and eating the freshly laid eggs. How do I stop it? Response: I have never personally Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:53:19 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/ear-infections.html My chicken seems to have an ear infection on the right hand side which is all blown up and puffy. What can I do to cure it? Response: This will probably Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:29:13 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/is-it-a-he-or-she-or-she-or-he-or-what.html We got five Ameraucanas and five Barred Plymouth Rocks sold as pullets, May 12 of this year. We got them one day old. One of the rocks has turned out Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:26:00 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/when-do-roosters-develop-spurs.html At what age do roosters start developing spurs? I have a Cuckoo Maran that I am becoming more and more convinced is a male, but he hasn't started developing Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:17:16 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/out-in-rain.html Can we let our hen out in the rain? Response: You can, but she may not want to go! Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:07:32 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/hot-weather-and-egg-production.html I live in central Florida and its been really hot this summer. I've taken all the precautions I can to keep my banty hens comfortable, but their egg production Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:03:25 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/feed-and-water-in-the-hen-house.html I'm in the process of building a chicken coop. The coop will be 5 ft. x 12 ft. open area with hanging feeder and water. In addition, there will be a hen Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:59:57 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/limp-neck.html We live in Greece. We put a duck down yesterday because she could not lift her head off the ground - her neck had no rigidity at all so she lay on the Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:53:34 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/did-my-chicken-have-salmonella.html My beautiful chicken just recently died and the vet thought she may have contracted salmonella. She was really fit and healthy even though she was about Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:44:04 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/pekin-swollen-breast.html I have a small Pekin who's breast has got very large. It is almost unable to walk. What could this be? Any help would be gratefully received. Response: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:32:45 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/chick-losing-feathers-in-september.html I have a small chick ( less than one month)and it keeps losing its feathers. It doesn't seem like its sick- it jumps and runs around and plays with the Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:14:42 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/blue-cochin-becoming-paralyzed.html My blue three month old Blue Cochin has been exhibiting lack of balance. Today her legs are straight in front of her and stiff and she is paralyzed. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:58:58 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/concerns-regarding-one-of-my-hens.html One of my best layers has stopped laying suddenly - she doen't look happy and her wattles have turned white. Does anyone have an idea what she is suffering Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:48:48 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/diet-of-no-wheat-corn-or-soy.html I have a market for my eggs to users who request that I DO NOT feed any wheat, corn, or soy to the hens. I give them rolled oats, milo, flax seed, molasses, Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:33:10 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/rhode-island-red-ailing.html I've got one Rhode Island Red in a flock that has trouble walking. She kind of drags herself along using her wings. She has been this way for over a Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:11:14 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/rooster-limping.html My rooster is limping, lathargic, his face is pale, tail is down, losing weight, etc. I am really worried about him. We took him to a vet but they didn't Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:59:50 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken.html I have recently got four chickens. They have been fine all week, but today a couple seem to have lost their balance. They seem to be stumbling when they Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:52:19 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/stumbling-hen.html Hi, one of my young hens has progressively started to stumble around and have great trouble walking properly. It seems she has lost coordination with her Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:42:35 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/our-rooster.html Our rooster's fecal matter is not white like the chickens. It is beige in color. Is this normal? And we have not heard him crow lately. Response: This Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:24:58 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/alternatives-to-antibiotics.html I have a small flock of five hens. One of them got sick with a respiratory disease and the vet is having me give the whole flock tetracycline. I know Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:18:23 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/sleepy-time.html What are some things I can do to make my baby chick go to sleep through the whole night? He/She is only four days old. I only have one chick. Is that okay? Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:03:43 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/laying-hens.html When do I stop feeding medicated feed to my laying hens? I have three Buffs and three NH Reds? They are 12 weeks old now. Response: If you are feeding Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:55:15 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/hens-hatching-chicks-naturally.html What is the process or how long does it take for chicks to hatch while hen is setting? What to look for in bad eggs to avoid stink bombs? What do I need Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:49:37 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/how-many-days-for-eggs-to-hatch.html How many days does it take for eggs to hatch? Response: Eggs should begin hatching on day 21. By day 25 or 26 you can get rid of the leftover eggs because Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:44:53 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/winter-weather.html How do I protect chickens from cold, winter weather? Response: The best thing to do is to be sure that they have a warm, safe coop. Be sure that you have Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:39:26 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/letting-them-out-and-getting-them-back-in.html Hi, we've just bought six, six week old chicks which we have had for one week now. They are living happily in their hen house and are starting to show Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:22:08 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-coop1.html How can I construct chicken coop with minimum cost that holds 600-800 chicken? Response: Wow! That's a lot of chickens! The most cost effective way may Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:07:46 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/new-chickens.html My children and I started with four chickens, then we got eight more. We just got 15 more that did not come from a very good home. I keep them separate Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:36:10 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/hatching-from-a-setting-hen.html We have a Silkie that is sitting on a clutch of eggs. We are expecting them to start hatching in a few days, but have no experience with this. All the Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:20:29 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/breeding-chickens1.html How long is a rooster breeding good for? Response: Typically about three weeks. See this entry for further explanation. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:10:32 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/euthanizing.html I have a chicken with a bum leg having a hard time getting around. Any way of humanely putting her out of her misery? Response: This is a touchy subject. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:02:01 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/how-long-are-eggs-fertile-after-the-rooster-is-removed.html How long will a hen lay fertile eggs after my rooster is moved to another group? Response: Good question Willie. For chickens, this is typically up to Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:51:42 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/sexing-minorca-chickens.html We have two Minorcas that are about four months old. We are going to show them at our 4H fair and need to be able to tell if they are male or female! Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:47:03 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/family-chicks.html We recently built a chicken coop in the hopes of getting chicks that would grow into chickens and be friendly and give us eggs. Our first batch of chickens Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:39:05 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/sex-of-chicks.html How can I tell if my four week old chicks are male or female? Response: Please refer to the feed page. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:29:48 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/how-to-free-range.html This spring I raised nine sweet little fluff balls into adult hens (and one loud rooster)and love them! Within just a few months they have turned their Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:17:04 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/perches-what-can-they-be-made-of.html Can perches be made of branches with the bark on? Response: They can be made of almost anything, as long as they are the correct dimensions for your birds. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:02:20 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/rooster.html Do you need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs? Response: Refer here for the answer. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:53:41 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/sexing-baby-chicks.html How do you tell male from female in two and three week old chicks? Response: Check out how on our sexing chicks page. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:38:18 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/coop-size.html I am new to raising chickens and I only want about six; is a 48 deep X 96 long coop big enough? Response: It sounds like it should be enough space, but Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:47:00 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/interested-in-changing-careers.html I have worked in corporate America for over twenty years. I would like to look at what is involved in raising chickens for a living. What is involved Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:29:17 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/sexing-half-grown-chickens.html I have three chickens about a third to halfway grown. The store who sold them to me couldn't say if they were male or female. I'm trying to figure it out Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:24:47 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/rooster-or-hen-question.html My son got a baby chick for his birthday, but we are trying to figure out if it is a hen or rooster. At what age do they start to form the giblet or whatever Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:19:33 GMT http://www.raising-chickens.org/chickens-killed.html I had some chickens killed by two pit bulls on the 4th. The cops took the dogs to the pound and the people at the pound know the owner of the dogs. I Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:13:25 GMT