Recent content by chrismahon

Rosie has hung CD,s from steel posts and branches @Icemaiden which seems to have kept the kestrel at bay. Lots of flashing light reflection which is off-putting to us and the chickens so hopefully the kestrel. The raven hasn't been back, but I did spot it sitting in a big oak in the corner of...

As Icemaiden says, it is best to let the hens naturally stop laying for a while, rather than force them to lay. Their health will benefit from the break. We did try artificial lighting in the coop to extend the daylight hours. Of course this means putting food and water in there, so it needs a...

How many of those are pullets @Lucas ? Bantams need just as much space as large fowl, with the exception of the perches, the length of which can be reduced. The nest boxes will still be the deciding factor.

We use chopped onions to treat minor throat cankers, but in moderation of course. They love it and it works well. No adverse affects visible in the poos either, so it can't be bad for them.

Another attack yesterday in the bottom enclosure. This time it was a kestrel dive at a little hybrid and fortunately it missed, but it scared the hell out of them and they all ran into a spare coop and spent nearly an hour alarm calling. Tried calming them down several times, without effect...

She was indeed a very sweet little chicken and so fortunate to have had a loving carer. It's always upsetting when they leave us and I often wish chickens had a longer lifespan. We have had many over the years and many I still miss. All we can do is our best for them and I'm sure for that they...

We lost one of our hens this afternoon, just moments before I went up to the top enclosure to clean the coop out. The cockerel (Archie) was alarm calling, but that's not unusual for him because anything out of the ordinary and he starts. Usually I go up and it's a feral cat just passing by. The...

The RSPCA are a pretty irresponsible organisation all round I think and I never had any time for them. Releasing town foxes into the countryside instead of destroying them and making them someone else's problem, prosecuting someone who 'inhumanely' drowned a grey squirrel instead of 'humanely'...

They generally know what not to eat, but not always. They can eat grass that is too long and impact their digestion. Ours will eat lizards given the chance but then are poisoned and ill for days. Bugs in compost heaps are anaerobic and cause botulism- paralysis and death. Same with maggots from...

Their first aid kit is in ours, but the things we use most are gauze, microporous tape (12 and 25mm), antiseptic cream. Also use an emery file (for beaks), nail clippers (for claws), scalpel and have a very small sharp pair of scissors. We have coagulant powder for serious bleeds, like combs and...

The alternative is simply he is moulting, but I understand your concern about going pale which could perhaps be due to blood loss. Worth checking in the coop for red mite. There is plenty of information available about them. Another possibility is Northern Fowl Mite which tend to attack...

He looks perfectly healthy, but may well be in shock if his eyes remain dilated like that outside. His tail feathers have either fallen out because he is moulting or, more likely, they were pulled out in the same fox attack. We have had a cockerel lost all his tail feathers and was knocked out...

Taking each element in turn:- The roosts would be good for 24 at 9" of perch each. The run would be good for 33 maximum based on 2 square metres minimum each, so lets say no more than 30 and 20 would be far better. The floor space of the coop doesn't mean much in practice as they just need room...

Still in France Icemaiden and once again we are all suffering from the heat. Been a silly hot and very dry Summer which started beginning of June. As a result pretty much all our veg planting failed and I've taken the decision to stop wasting time and money in there. Maximum temperature this...

Using creosote we've found it is best diluted 50:50 with paraffin because it soaks in and dries more quickly. But it is dangerous stuff which will burn in skin contact, so never use it on the top of perches. Be very careful when applying because just breathing the fumes will make you very ill (I...