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I have a newborn chick that can't seem to get up off its hocks or straighten its legs properly. It is strong and active otherwise. Not sure if this one may need to be culled.

I have a good Pekin broody that I have been slipping chicks to over 7 days. It is now day 8. Would it be risky to try adding one more? The 7 day old is a tiny bantam, this one the same breed and colour as the large fowl chicks recently added.

Very keen to locate a breeder of Speckled Sussex bantams. Happy to travel.

I don't want my hens to get worn out by cockerel attentions and am wondering about the best way of separating them? It seems mean, but would you have the cockerel in a solitary pen alongside?

I have found a beheaded chick in my coop this morning. The coop has 3/4" mesh so I am wondering if this could be a young rat or other animal? It must have happened yesterday and I'm not sure how I missed it.

Amongst all the joy of healthy chicks, I've unfortunately had one loss recently of a chick that I think must have been crushed. Pekin mother was scratching very avidly having just got up from her two days sitting on new born chicks. Does this happen sometimes? Can anything be done to prevent...

My broody has pooed on an egg she was sitting on and I'm wondering the best way to clean a half-incubated egg?

Joanna, my lovely two-year-old speckled sussex bantam suddenly has a leg she can't move at all. I've taken her to the BHWT vet and she thinks it may be dislocated or have a small break at the top. She has suggested bringing her back tomorrow for x-ray, which requires a gen anaesthetic. I am...

I've had a chick I had to help out of the egg as it was making no progress but seemed strong. It finally pushed its way out in my hand but a tiny piece of shell that was left on its bottom has bled a lot when I lighty removed it. Not sure what to do.

I have an egg in a small Brinsea incubator which has had a tiny raised bit of shell for the last 36 hours but it has made no progress. I can hear it cheeping, but not tapping the shell. I'm wondering whether to move it to a broody hen that has been sitting for 20 days or whether to try to...

The Faverolles bantams are born with a very long, fine down. I have a chick which has got half way around the egg and no further. The membrane has shrunk away from the shell and is sticking firmly to the chick down so it is impossible for the chick to hatch. Any suggestions? I've moistened...

I have a hatch of Faverolles happening. Unfortunately one chick pipped halfway around the egg then to my surprise I returned and found it had died without hatching. Now I have another chick trying to hatch which looks as though the membrane could be dry/stiff. They are at 65% humidity. I have...

I have one or two birds not in lay that have not laid all winter. They look well, but just wonder if this is normal? One is a two year old light sussex hybrid that I would have expected to come into lay by now.

I just wonder if anyone has tried the grass seed adapted for poultry? It seems to have added things like clover and parsley, but my birds don't seem keen on these things so I wonder whether straightforward ryegrass might be better.

I have a 3-day old chick with legs too wide apart (still not worked out how to compress and upload photos!), but which is running around. I've tried bracing with rubber band, sports tape etc, but it manages to get out of these quickly. Will the issue gradually right itself as it takes more...

I have a 4 year old trio of sablepoots. Just one egg has hatched out of 20. Fortunately, I have another chick to keep it company, but I wonder if the cockerel might be a bit too old, or whether it is perhaps too early in the year? Most of the eggs candled fertile but didn't get out of their...

I have a couple of eggs that I have candled after 8 days. They look very watery inside and the fluid sort of turns with the egg as you move it. I can't see the air sac. Are these infertile, or did they start to grow and die?

I wonder if anyone keeps Sablepoots? I have kept silver millefleurs for a year and am puzzled about their legs. I have taken mine to an 'expert' breeder last night because my cockerel has red patches on his legs and I wondered what it was. Apparently there is nothing wrong with my bird and...

Unfortunately my nice-natured young sablepoot cockerel is doing rather a lot of damage to the heads of my hens. Do you suppose he could grow out of this? He is leaving his favourites with big bald patches and has chewed bits off the rosecomb of others. I am wondering whether I can keep him.

One of my birds has a very swollen eye. The whole of one cheek is swollen and the eye swollen and is partially closed. She seems well in herself and the other eye is fine. I wonder what I should best do?