What do chickens do

They come running and follow him to the chicken house. He gives them a treat and they go right in. We have seven chickens. Amazing that these creatures that are descended from dinosaurs, have a range of real emotions similar or even identical to ours! One of my hens was attacked by a raccoon. My dog saved her and killed the raccoon. She was dragging her leg, and I thought it might be paralyzed. I kept her inside for about 10 days.

I massaged it daily, and soaked it in warm water for about 3 weeks. She is completely healed now. She has recuperated, and I love her more than ever! But be sure to use not only warm water to kill bacteriae in wounds. We have just set up one of your coops inside a large fully enclosed vegetable garden which we turned into the run.

Looks fantastic, little bit of landscaping, but not much. We picked up our four 6 week old chickens, on Monday they are 2 Isa Browns,1 Australorpe and 1 Leghorn. Spent the week watching them, and trying to get to know them. Need to have them a bit longer before I will be game enough to pick one up. Am so glad we joined this site because there is so Much information and comments to read and learn.

We are in South Australia but I am sure a chicken is a chicken wherever it may and the help I get from this site will still supply. So Hi to you all. I loved the story and am sure my chickens have a larger vocabulary then 30 as my hens are always talking to me and sometimes I think they know what I am saying to them.

My chickens are free range and love it. I have a variety. I love my chickens and love to talk about them. Some people have chickens just for the eggs so they miss out on all the entertainment they have to offer. To bad for them. Chickens are an absolute hoot! They keep us entertained. I like watching them follow my husband when he mows our four acres with his gas push mower.

He stirs up bugs and they chase after him to get them. An Auracauna chicken just appeared in my yard 4 days ago, i watch him covertly w binoculars go to roost in a tree at dusk, and when he comes down in the morning. He needs a house. If you adopt a cat, you will buy things for him and go to the vet for him, and buy food. And you feed him terribly by the way. Corn and dried worms are treats, not food. Please, take care of animals with responsability. For a cat, you buy cat food, for chicken you have to feed them like a chicken should eat.

Oatmeal is not enough. We were left in a unique position where we were unfortunately subject to numerous fox attacks — resulting in one of our chickens insisting to come into the kitchen and become broody.

As we had no Cockeral — i ordered some fertilized eggs on ebay — and placed them with her. We were in the unique position to see on a daily basis the changes she underwent — they say a chicken doesnt know if she is hatching fertilized eggs — but she knew — and this was apparent as time went on. Closer to the hatching date she left the eggs less and less they dont poo in the hatching nest so she must have been crossing her legs more and more. Obviously as she was in the kitchen — she got well fed and watered!!!!

When the chicks were born we got to learn the different clucks for diffferent things — ie this is food, dont go too far , your old enough to start exploring!! A fox vs. Family in France had self locking door on coop. Ladies entered coop at bedtime. Fox entered coop. Door shuts and locks. Chickens attack and kill fox. Chickens live happily ever after hopefully!

In some cases they make the difference, through, and expel the non fertilized ones, keeping the other ones. Wood shavings can be dangerous, it depends if some chemicals have been used on the wood if you bought it in a store, there are chemicals… , the size of the particles, and the species of wood some are toxic when inhalated.

Straw is better for keeping the warmth, but should be kept very clean. It can be dangerous if a chicken eat it, or if you have high moisture levels, it can rot easily or attract insects.

Straw will hold chicken mites in it also. Mix a little bit of cedar shavings in with it and you should be good to go. As of the day before halloween, I had 7 wonderful chickens. However they were attacked by coyotes and now only Stormy and Stormfly are alive.

It takes time, sorry to hear about your chickens. We lost a silkie this year and I was so heartbroken. But we have her sister penne and she is12 years old. Protect your coop. If someone or something attacks my children, it means my coop is not safe enough. Rework it. Chickens can be safe in a well designed environment. Someone in a chicken forum said that the top chicken assigns a name to their owner that the rest of the chickens also use to refer to them.

I miss my best friend. Every day when I came outside or got off the bus, he was there, clucking and dancing around. He was my rooster, Custard. He was the sweetest chicken I have ever encountered in my life. I brought him to school events and he put smiles on many faces. He recently passed away, which shattered me. His passing was completely unexpected and pains me every day. Enjoyed all your posts. I had chickens for 15 years. Started when a graduating student saw his hens helping us start the veggy garden.

He said he could not keep them, did us want them? You love it, you visit it often, but how much do you really know about your local Costco food court? When the garage has been open she has gone in there and laid eggs.

I have 4. She also scratched my flower bed mulch all over the walkways. I have no idea where to start with her. I do not want to spend a lot of money to have her move on.

I would like some ideas as to how to feed and shelter for practically nothing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please, give your chicken to someone who is better with animals than you are. Please, give your animal to someone who is able to be loving and fair with him or her. Taking care of children take time and money. They are not objects, they are living beings, like cats, dogs or horses are. You need to feed them, to go to the vet, to buy medicines for them. They do recognize dogs.

My neighbors chickens come over the fence everyday, and they know which dogs will kill them, and which dogs are safer to approach. They also know their schedules, and where which dog will be at any given time, as I move them around the yard and house.

Chickens are smart. I have one hen who looks car park from window every day. She will make sounds when she saw people walk in the car park. She also like dogs makes noise when my friends come visit me.

She lays egg 5 or 6 times per week since last Nov. She is a great pet. If you thread a piece of meat through apiece of wire inside a plastic bottle. Hang upside down in your coop and the maggots formed from the meat will fall out.

Chickens love it.????? Maggots if they are not killed in the beak of children can eat their flesh. Chickens can eat many insects, like mealworms, crickets, etc, but maggot is really the unhealthy choice here.

I have witnessed one of our rescue chickens eat 3!!! Baby chick wrens!! I am so embarrassed by this appalling behaviour!! We are here to protect and help them. So many great details about chickens! Ive had my hen for 2 yrs now and she surprises me everyday.

Shes smart and playful and even understand human speech like when I yell at her for going to my vegetable garden. I love how she follows me around the backyard and if I leave the patio door open, she follows me inside the house too.

They are great pets! We had seven chickens about 9 months old. Now, our 6 months old none was named one got some kinda chicken stroke and one was hit by a car,the remaining 5 are alive. The thing about the pecking order is actually not true. There is no such thing that one always gets everything first. Eini You are really wrong. I am building my first coop and run and have never raised chickens before.

She is about 8 days old. Any help would be greatly appreciated. In general all other requirements being fulfilled, such as a rooster , a hen will be more likely to produce fertile eggs if she is healthy and has good nutrition.

Breeder feed is recommended when the hen is laying eggs for hatching; or second best, provide layer feed for hens that have started laying eggs. For more advice, see:. What a great site! We used to raise chickens when I was a kid in Illinois, but I don't remember hardly anything. Now, I live in North Texas and want to build me a li'l ol' chicken coop, with a big flock of 3 or 4!

I want them to lay through the winter, but the summers can be brutal here. What breed would y'all suggest? Hi Rusty, Welcome! Readers have reported good results. I have a rooster that apparently hurt his leg and has been limping for several weeks now, now he has been doing nothing but sleeping and staying in the coop, his tail is down and he doesn't even crow anymore, can you help me and give me some suggestions???

Thanks Jim. Another question sorry but I just saw a garden snake entering the coup! Small only about 2 ft. But can they be a problem? And they haven't been sleeping in there coup was thinking it was the heat. But could it be the snake or all the flies?? What is to cooled for chickens. I have 3 adult chickens. Thanks for what u do. I have a problem with a attack chicken. I've raised them from babies but now 1 is literally coming after me pecking, then she does her little squat and shake?

What's going on? You've probably been so kind that this hen thinks she's above you in the pecking order. Never let her attack or chase you or she is showing her dominance. You chase her around. Then you can gently hold her down and force her to bow.

Or, you can also hold her upside down. Flip her around, and carry her around for 15 to 30 minutes in front of the other girls. Thank you I can report today was the first day with no attack! Everything she tried I picked her up and send her flying so far so good thanks much We are in the Great North East.

First, we have chickens need more for colder climate. Good layers and good meat. During winter, they lay better. We shore up their runs and coops with bales of hay and each coop has an infrared heat lamp, on timer. Summer they want in high heat, but we make sure they have fresh, cold water daily. Winter, we make sure water didn't freeze a. And p. We have never had issues. But all chickens are different! Hello, If possible I'm looking into a small, cheap as possible chicken project.

I'm looking into maybe getting 4 hens for egg production. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Also, Can you please tell me of a chicken that can take the heat pretty well?

Also, what is the difference between white and brown eggs? Hi to all, with eggs prices these days I am thinking to get a couple of chickens and commit to them but I live in far west texas in the middle of the desert, here is very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter not like new york.

Does you guys have any recommendation for me? I just got 20 young chicks and 4 days later I lost one and 3 others are acting strang what should I do I don't want to lost all. Make sure aloes they have water and food available. To reduce mortality very important add special vitamins to the water, you can by them in any pet store. I just got 20 young chicks and 4 days later I lost one and 3 others are acting strang what should I do I don't want to loose them all.

Our neighbors raise chickens…I love chickens, I love their sounds, and I love their eggs. Their tunneling is destroying the brick patio and back fence line flower bed. How can we get through to our neighbors that they need to make a change? Please HELP!! You can have rat problems without chickens. The best way to handle rats is to put out some fresh coke in a container where they can get to it.

Rats love the sugar in coke and will be attracted to it. They can't burp, so the carbonation in the coke expands in their intestines and explodes, killing them. They won't have time to dig holes. They come, drink and die. By the way, rats are very prolific and produce hundreds of little ones each year. So if you have rat holes you likely have nests of rats in the ground. The coke will attract and kill all of them. But, you can expect to pick up dead rats all over your yard until they have been eliminated.

I have two hens and one rooster In a 5'-5' coop. I am not wanting to eat the eggs I am wanting babies. One of the hens laid 3 eggs and after the third day I noticed the hens ate the eggs. What should I do?? Well a couple of things. First, if you want your hens to hatch out their eggs, you need a hen that is "broody". Not all hens are broody and a lot of breeds are bred to be non-broody. A broody hen has a behavioral tendency to sit on a clutch of eggs to incubate them.

She will be very defensive, refuse to leave the nest, often she pulls feathers from her breast to line the nest and keep the eggs warmer. They will not eat or drink while exhibiting broodiness.

If you don't have a broody hen you wont have chicks. Once hens start eating their eggs, they are very hard to stop. If you want to hatch your own chicks, you will need to get rid of your current hens since they are now eating eggs, and find a hen that is broody.

Easier yet, buy an incubator and hatch the eggs yourself. I would also increase the number of hens that you have to at least six. An aggressive rooster will really tear up just a few hens. Totally new here. Just researching raising chickens and am so glad I found you. Told my husband when we get home, I want some! We live in north east Indiana and have no idea where to start. My biggest concern is predators and weather. I have no idea where to start and love your input. Last Spring I started my own meal worm farm for my birds and have also read that they are a fav for chickens.

Cannot wait to start this new hobby. My chickens got into paint chips none lead and mortar chips. Is there any way to help cleanse them? I have just begun to raise chickens and bought I began using the MMS therapy we use for our own health which goes into their water. The MMS will quickly disappear in sunlight, so it must be given daily for a while. It kills parasites and bacteria. It is excellent for overcoming almost all diseases in humans, so I'm sure it will work with the chickens, just don't make the MMS too strong.

I am using it to make sure any disease residing in the chickens is destroyed along with removing any heavy metals such as you find in paint. It also reduces the damage done by feeding them feeds that contain GMO which is in most commercial feed unless you specifically purchase non GMO feeds which run a little more expensive. I will not feed my chickens or pets anything containing GMO. I just got 6 chicks. My very first chickens. Enjoying them. When do you introduce grit?

Right now I give them only unmedicated starter. I would add chick grit after the first 3 days. Sprinkle it on food like salt or pepper. It helps with digestion and "pasty butt".

I have never used this stuff, but the name Chlorine Dioxide made me think twice. Read all of the reviews before using this stuff MMS or any other suppliments. Thats all I'm sayin. You eat what you feed your chickens! Another quest for advice.

How long do the hens remain fertile after the roo is removed from access to them? I purchased 3 hens which were exposed to a rooster. I want them to breed with my own rooster. How long should it take before I can be sure the fertilized eggs I am getting are by my own rooster? I would like to hatch some eggs from my hens. I was told to gather the fertilized eggs a couple of times per day, bringing them inside and keeping them at room temperature until I have the amount I want to hatch.

Also told that the fertilized eggs will remain viable for 10 days or so as long as they don't get real cold, such as refrigeration, or staying in the nest for too many hours without a hen.

Is this true? How long can they set and a chick still be able to hatch under proper incubator conditions? What is the best average rooster to hen ratio? I am just about to inherit my buddies chickens and need to know if any more chickens need to be bought He has 2 red jungle fowl and a rhode island red rooster. What is the average lifespan of laying hens which are healthy and well kept? Thanks in advance. I was given 13 hens and 1 roo.. They could be molting or you may just need to be patient.

One of my hens had that problem when I purchased her and the old feathers had obviously been broken off. I started using MMS in my water and her feathers are growing back. But the thing I would caution you and all chicken owners is to be careful about commercial feeds. Most contain genetically modified organisms GMO which is very detrimental to any animal that eats them regardless of how much the information put out by the chemical companies praises them.

Their chemists are paid to lie. GMO has been proven by independent scientists to be deficient in the nutrients the grains should have so your chickens are not getting the nutrition you think. It costs a little more, but nothing containing GMO will ever be fed to my chickens. My chicken coop at home which my husband and a friend built is almost done. Can't wait to buy my own chickens. Do you have any suggestion on how many to buy? As beginners we wanted to just take it easy and we are looking into raising chickens as a hobby.

Do you have any suggestions on what breeds to buy? Thankyou will really appreciate any insights and recommendations. The question of how many chickens to buy depends on how many eggs you want assuming you're raising chickens for eggs. You'll get, on average, 2 eggs a day from 3 hens. So, if you want a dozen eggs a day, buy 18 hens. Thank you for your reply.. We are raising hens just for a hobby so might as well settle for 3- 5 chickens considering us being a newbie in chicken raising.

I Will surely check the link you provided. Be sure to check for city ordinances limiting the size of your flock; and don't forget about the HOA home owner's association. Good luck with your new hobby! We had chickens when I was younger and 4 was a good number for us.

We got an egg from each of them each day so you end up with 2 dozen a week. They had access to our entire backyard during the day and they put themselves to bed at night, they had an old cubby house that we modified a little bit for them and locked them in at night. They would live to approx. Also, for anyone with kids or a large piece of land - we whistled when we fed them and it takes weeks but they train well to respond to a whistle.

They will come to you when you whistle very reliably and it comes in handy or can be a good party trick for the kids! I'm not sure if its a hen or roo. I'm nervous its a roo because we have 2 hens ans we dont want baby chicks. Is there a way i can tell if its a hen or roo? It's hard to tell a male from a female.

The rooster will try to crow about 2 months though it could be later. I'm new to this but recently bought 4 chicks from the local feed store. One was a bit more outgoing and curious as a kitten. Its comb grew faster, wider and redder than the others and it started to "dance" in front of the others. It's been almost 6wks. I'm no pro but Id say I have a roo! If you collect your eggs daily, you will never have to worry about having baby chicks.

A rooster can be a great asset to your little flock. Just got some baby chicks - 3 days old. I have them in a large dog crate 5 of them on newspaper with some water and their food. I just stuck a few pieces of fresh hay into the cage and they loved it. Is this OK? The birds will need a place to spread their wings, so to speak: a 20x5-foot chicken run, thanks Regards best part of this post is Chickens are sociable, so plan to keep four to six birds.

I have eight month old chickens they haven't started laying yet my other chicks were always laying by 6 monthes what are they missing indiet. I currently am giving them corn and oats and eggmash. Eight months isn't too old for some chicken breeds. Are they free-range?

Chickens do best eating naturally--with grass, bugs, and other foraged material. You sound as you have a good mix of nutrition. We've never fed eggs to our chickens. We use soybeans, worms, and yogurt mixed with whole grains not corn.

We have two hens that are two years. A Blessing from our daughter. One of the hens is leaving a very loose stool. This morning a very soft shelled egg was found. What are they missing in their diet? Is is grit or ouster? It sounds as if they need more calcium and vitamins. Try mixing oyster and egg shell into their feed. Also, add one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per gallon of water so that they can drink it. This will help the hens absorb the calcium in their system. We are starting up with 12 chickens and a nice size coop.

My question is I have a 20 ft x 40 ft garden all nicely fenced in and critter proof. Could I place my chicken coop to attach to the garden for the hens to run around in? Would they damage my plants?

Or would you recommend a separate run for the chickens to range around in? It's great to see that you want your chickens out and about, it's so good for them and you as they will be much healthier birds. They will tear up your garden, so I dont recommend that you let them range there. I would set up a separate area for them using electric poultry netting and a charger. How much noise do they generate? My neighbors are very fussy and I do not want to create a stir every morning. Glad to read you do not need roosters around to get eggs.

Chickens do make some noise, but not necessarily any more than dogs. Only roosters crows, but hens will make noise when laying. Shrubs and insulation can help muffle the noise. It might be worth visiting a chicken coop to get a sense of the noise level and what you think will be acceptable. Odor can also be an issue. Keep well ventilated.

What great advise! My husband and I recently moved onto 10 acres, we have been wanting to raise chickens for years. He loves eggs and I love to bake. We converted an old two stall horse barn, it's perfect for our 6 peeps coming on Wednesday and the two ducklings that I couldnt pass up last week from our wonderful local grange.

Not to sure about duck eggs though. Last year I got a puppy chi-wawa, she has become the ducklings new mama. She got in the bath tub with them last night. Can we do too much trying to make them social? Are we overthinking them? New duck and peep mom looking for advise. I had chickens growing up and loved raising them for 4H. We will be moving back to the country very soon where we can garden and enjoy home canning.

I insisted to my husband that we order chickens and begin raising them. It will give me a great deal of peace knowing that between the garden and the chickens my family will always be well fed no matter what the economy does.

We moved back to the country 10 years ago. We had a large corner lot in the city and my neighbors all called my hillbilly because my back yard was full of container vegetables and a raised bed for corn. We got rabbits, as I showed and raised those for 4H. I am thinking about chickens and ducks now.

I got miniature goats for dairy and make cheese too. Chickens can survive both hot and cold weather, and will be fine outside with temperatures as low as 15 degrees, but their laying patterns will change with the seasons. Be sure to be vigilant about cleaning your chicken coop every two weeks and cleaning your hands and shoes after handling chickens and their eggs. A report from the Center for Disease Control this summer traced a seven-year salmonella outbreak to a hatchery that shipped chicks to consumers around the country.

The outbreak has since ended, but the report emphasizes the importance of good hygiene when handling your chickens. Different breeds come with different personalities and different rates of egg-laying—and you can combine breeds in one flock for variety. Depending on where you live, there are several ways to get your chickens. Some chicken keepers choose to raise their chickens from chicks. This requires providing the chicks with additional heat and special feed; chicks can be found at local feed stores and farms.

You may also be able to find older chickens locally— old enough to be outside without extra heat, but not yet laying eggs. According to the Humane Society of the United States, many chickens with years of egg-laying ahead of them are brought to shelters and farm sanctuaries, and while they may not produce eggs at the rate of younger hens, they may be a perfect match for families who want to raise humanely treated chickens and save an adult chicken from slaughter.

Most hens start laying eggs at about six months old and will lay with the greatest frequency for that first year—giving you about four to seven eggs each week, though it may vary with the seasons. Different people will make different decisions about what to do with a chicken at the end of her productive egg-laying period.

For many, backyard chickens are seen as pets, and their owners will choose to continue to care for them for the duration of their natural lives. Others will butcher their older hens, using them as an additional source of food.

Because of the increased numbers of hens being given to shelters and sanctuaries, the US Humane Society asks that people not drop off their non-productive chickens. Water is life. Some of us drink it straight from our faucet without a second thought.

Others go to great lengths to buy enough jugs or bottles from the store to always have on hand. Green America's website is sponsored by Green America members and.