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Hello and welcome. I know the Midlands area quite well and there is no problem with the environment. Summers are the biggest problem because chickens need shade and good ventilation to keep cool, but you won't reach their limit of 37C, as we do here. Two important points. Always start with...

After 3 days separation she is seen as an outsider and will remain so, which isn't unusual as I've seen hens raised together from hatching attack each other after 24 hours. She will have to be introduced as if she was a completely new chicken to the flock, which is going to be difficult. Note...

Lovely feathery feet and she's quite young- still say Brahma.

Might be Brahma? Would need more photos showing the individuals clearly.

Some good points there, but unfortunately some that should be disregarded. Points 3 and 4- hens want to lay somewhere fit to hatch chicks basically. To add security to the nest boxes we fit curtains made from rubber car pats cut to create strips which are thin enough to be parted easily. These...

I forgot to mention another problem we had there. A power 'spike' blew one of the components on the control board, so the heater stopped working, fortunately during the day. This could happen in the UK as well. A dash to town to buy the only incubator they had in stock and the hatch was saved...

It doesn't sound to me like you need a new incubator, because you have resolved the problem without one. However it is always a good idea to have a backup unit ready at hand to switch on. I remember when we had the misfortune to live in the Dordogne for a year and try hatching eggs there. The...

I have only had experience of an electronic mole deterrent. The previous owner of the house had one. It emitted a high pitched sound every minute or so which was very annoying. There were no wild birds in the garden at all, but they returned about a month after we moved in, because thankfully...

As Josh said, it's a good idea to have a means of checking the electronic readings on the incubator, because very often they are wrong. Both our incubators have mercury thermometers and the humidity is controlled by filling a water trough (or both for piping and hatching), so nothing fancy at...

That's a difficult thing to do Josh. How difficult will depend on their available space because they may well be attacked as intruders and won't be able to escape. Normally you would put them within sight of the oldies, but in a separate coop and run. After several weeks you might attempt to mix...

The short answer Baby Ruth is they can't swim so will drown quickly. The reason is their feathering, which doesn't contain enough oil for submersion because they can't produce enough. So it's like you trying to swim in Winter clothes. I did hear a very sad story once of a chicken used as a...

It used to be as simple as that Jelly, but it takes a lot of experience with such a weak light source to know what you are seeing. You are right on both points, it must not be too bright or very hot. There are some simple candling torches for sale, but avoid bright LED's, because the eyes of the...

Certainly doesn't encourage hens to lay more in my experience and I think you are right Asimov- to some extent it does put them off. One effect I have noticed is a tendency for hens to go broody more often, presumably because they now know their eggs are fertile? Unless you want to breed and you...

I've had the same problem recently and was unable to resolve it. After me being injured several times, he fortunately died of natural causes one morning. He was the only one (of a dozen or so) that we have had an aggression problem with and if we are in that situation again it will be despatched...

Unfortunately I don't know of any easy way to remove the concrete, which is why I don't use the stuff any more. Our posts are now knocked into a shallow hole and then packed all round with heavy clay soil. Not very accurate and they do move a bit over time, but can be adjusted if necessary.

That's a very tricky one Icemaiden. Is it possible to cut the post just up from ground level, dig out the stump and fit a metal post foot. Once set remove the rest of the post and fit a new one? Alternative is to build a new run entirely and move them with the coop before dismantling the old...

Hello Audrey and welcome to the forum. We had a Design student called Daniel Hibbert signed in back in 2011. He came round to our UK place for coop design information and his final year project turned out very well. In fact the coops i was designing to bring to France were pretty much identical...

Welcome to the forum Hellochuck. First thought glancing at the photos was a tick, but it may be nothing more than a build up of mud/ poo? Her feet look to be in generally poor condition with perhaps something lodged underneath between the pad and one toe. We have that painful condition (they...

At that age they will all be coming to end-of-lay JoshB, but it is unusual that they would all finish abruptly at the same time. Possible reasons as follows. They feel insecure for some reason- perhaps a predator nearby? At that age they will only lay in conditions they see fit to rear chicks...

It's the wet feed which goes mouldy very quickly and poisons them. The swollen abdomens are caused by a gas buildup in their digestive system. Where did you get the idea of feeding fermented pellets- that sounds deadly? The golden rule is 'never give them wet or damp feed'. Having said that we...