They will open their mouths and stretch their necks/crops sometimes to move the food around. I take it her crop is nice and full at evening and properly empty in the morning before they eat? The other thing is open her beak wide and peer down the back of her throat/tongue to check there isn't any cr...

He looks like a boy to me

Welsummers are one of the breeds it is possible to s.ex at hatch, so you should easily get a guaranteed female. They lay a lovely large terracotta matt finish egg, but they are somewhat shy layers. Often giving a good performance for a week or two before going off for no reason. They can be a bit &q...

Thought you might all like to see some piccies of the latest addition to "Chickenopolis" I now have some speckled hens to match my speckled eggs http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx135/ssc_photos/AppenzellerBreedingGroup_zps8bb155d6.jpg http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx135/ssc_photos/...

So sorry for you and the girls. Sounds like he had a good life though. And a great age to live to as well

I like the Cream Legbars, mine lay a nice blue egg and good size, plus they are good layers and very pretty girls

If the gritty white stuff is stuck in lumps on the feather shafts close to the vent, then it may well be clumps of lice eggs. Try googling for some photos. If it is then treat for lice, and you may need to do the whole of the flock Often birds who succumb to lice are a bit run down, so check that it...

PS I would chose chickens that look different and lay different coloured eggs, then you will know who is in lay and what is happening with them

Here are some of mine this year

Someone else posted while I was typing this, but thought I may as well post - I think our advice is pretty similar Hi, I've been wanting to keep chickens for years and finally got around to asking for a coop and run as a birthday present. The run is now mostly complete (my birthday was in July, but ...

Funny how things change isn't it! I will try the golf balls, but thing with Pip is she seems to know whose eggs she can break into and follows when into the coop and sits beside them It sounds from that as though some of them are laying thinner shelled eggs. If they are older, especially if they ha...

Must be the modern milk - many of the old poultry books mention milk or milk products as feed ingredients. When I had a milking cow I used spare skim milk and buttermilk in the mash for the birds or pig feed, but that was before Defra had been invented and I cooked it all in the bottom oven of the A...

If she is just coming into lay she may be short of protein, so mealworms or extra flaked peas might help. In the old days as much milk as they could drink, or clear eggs from the incubator were recommended, but I am not certain how that would comply with DEFRA regs now Is the nest box dark, you can ...

Yes - they do change their leg scales each year, but I don't think they generally look sore, so a nice coating of vaseline would certainly not do any harm. If the scales are lifted at all or look dirty/greasy it can be mite.

The hens will spend quite a lot of time gently pecking round the face and comb of the cockerel. He obviously enjoys it and will stand there, but relax his stance so he is lower and easier to reach. If he has any scabs on his comb they will pick them off, but it never degenerates into pecking. Some t...

Coming up to point of lay is a very stressful time, and any underlying illness may resurface then. It is possibly that she is just feeling under the weather due to hormonal changes, but the fact she has to put out a wing to steady herself is worrying. As long as her feet are fine, and there is nothi...