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Continuing my quest to reduce the strain on my back I have been looking at a way of poo picking the enclosures without bending down. There are dog poo pickers available and horse poo pickers available. I've used a horse poo picker (just a dustpan and brush on a stick) and it's hard work as they...

I'm posting this question having pulled my back again, after moving the 'bell' type of plastic drinker into one of our low runs. We have them in every run and most have coloured plastic balls inside to show the water level at a glance from a distance. Most are also 9 litres capacity so quite...

We have a rather strange situation with egg eating. We have two Brown English Bantams laying at the moment. One of them is Bluebell, the youngest at 16 months and very much top hen (she replaced Snowdrop). The other is Daisy, now three. We have a single nest box fitted with a curtain. Laying can...

Cock with no tongue? At least that's what it looked like, even after close inspection. Merlin is a 4 year old Blue Laced Wyandotte. He has been struggling with his breathing. He also has an unidentified infection and is on antibiotics, showing some improvement but still struggling with...

I am completely out of my depth really. We have a Spanish semi-auto incubator. Last year the heater stopped working and I could see a burned component on the board. Brinsea have been very helpful and a suitable replacement board is available at £45 plus delivery (to France). When I took the unit...

We have something weird going on here. All the Orpingtons and some Wyandottes have swollen eyelids. Our pet Orpington cock 'Bottom' has the same. Close inspection reveals what appears to be a build-up of fat at the edge of the eyelids. Another issue is they are very slow to start laying again...

Our pet cockerel has just started doing what I can only describe as 'explosive poo'. A big watery splat containing undigested pellets, grit and anything else just eaten. Covers quite an area as well. I think his digestive system is reacting to one of his recent treats -he does love bananas. The...

We had two Blue Laced Wyandottes showing the same symptoms. Solid crop, not eating or drinking, no poos other than a tiny trickle which smelt terrible and some loss of weight. They were both moulting. Tried treating for crop impaction without success. They were both being bullied and hiding in...

I've been experimenting with a DIY process for drying unseasoned timber to use in the wood burner. It must be lower than 20% humidity otherwise the flue soots up. 25% of the water content is 'cellular entrapment', which means you have to break the cells open to get the water out. This is...

We had a very minor infestation in one coop (couple of thousand max). They appeared second generation as they were all very small so their parents arrived a couple of weeks ago I would say. The coop they were in was creosoted internally 18 months ago, but was still partially effective as the...

We have a spanish semi-automatic incubator from Ascott which, because we used it without a surge protector socket, had the thermostat circuitry melt down. It's a good solid unit and has had many successful hatches. We replaced it with a Covatuttu24 (€170 -ouch!), another good unit, until I could...

Our pet (animal domestique over here) cockerel Bottom, a 6 year old Buff Orpington, has been ill almost constantly for the last 9 months. He started with an ILT flareup caused by the stress of the move. Then respiratory problems due to damp. Then Carbon monoxide poisoning. Then a massive rapid...

I know this appears unlikely to happen but it did. Most common with gas brooder lamps it actually happened to our pet Buff Orpington cock whilst ill in the house. The tolerance of chickens is similar to humans, which surprised me as I thought they would react a bit like Canaries and just keel...

Well given the name you wouldn't expect it in the South of France. When we got here in September there were no little birds. Now the woodland is inundated with them. The Blue Tits arrived in December followed by Sparrows and Blackbirds. With them came Northern Fowl Mite which infested the Bantam...

Does anyone have experience of ticks on chickens, or even heard of it. Landlord's dog has been infected by a disease carrying tick and is under medication. The area our chickens are now ranging on had the occasional deer cross over it. My understanding is that deer and sheep are the carriers...

Thought it would be worthwhile summarising the apparently successful treatment of Elisa's prolapse. Elisa is a 14 month old Black TNN. She weighs about 2.5Kg and lays 65 gramme eggs almost daily. Big egg for a small bird. Her vent is tiny. Couple of blood smeared eggs resulted in her being...

I've posted this in this section for a good reason. The first two of our TNN's went this week- upsetting because one was very friendly but being picked on. Major disruption as I have to go back to UK and I really really hate it (going back to UK and dispatching chickens). We've decided to not...

Our pet cock Bottom has been ill since we got here. Started with the moult in the UK. Then he was upset with all the furniture moving and the fox problem stopping him free ranging with his girls. Another ILT flareup when he got here led to an infection which took a long time to get under...

Apart from the landlord's dogs, the Chasse dogs, stray dogs, foxes and Wild Boar we have two new predators eyeing up their next meal! Had something chew through the temporary enclosure plastic screening. Didn't bother using the same hole, just kept chewing more. Then spotted a large hole in the...

We intended to go on a long walk today, before the showers set in. We didn't get very far though because we came across a large Alsation Cross seemingly guarding the pathway by some fishing ponds. On closer inspection I noticed what initially looked like a tin can by its back foot. Even closer...