c/backyard-chicken-keepers

Tried putting crushed eggshells in my chicken feed and got way more eggs than before

I heard somewhere that chickens need extra calcium so last month I started crushing up our used eggshells and mixing them into their layer feed. I didn't expect much but honestly within like 2 weeks my 6 hens went from 3 eggs a day to 5 or 6 almost every day. The shells on the eggs themselves also feel harder and less fragile which is nice. Has anyone else had their flock respond this fast to a simple diet change?

My neighbor laughed at me for putting socks on my chickens feet

Last winter during that cold snap in January, I was trying to protect my hens from frostbite by putting little tube socks on their feet. My neighbor Bill came over to borrow a shovel and just about busted a gut laughing, said I was treating them like royalty instead of birds. Anyone else ever tried something silly to keep your chickens warm that backfired or got you teased?

Diatomaceous earth worked way better than I expected for mites

I kept seeing people in this group recommend food grade diatomaceous earth for mite problems but I figured it was just another natural remedy that barely does anything. My barred rock hen started looking rough a few weeks ago and I found little red mites crawling around the roost bars at night. I dusted the whole coop and the birds with DE and was shocked how many mites I found dead on the floor the next morning. Did another treatment three days later and I haven't seen any since. The stuff is only like 12 bucks for a big bag and it lasts forever. Anyone else try this and have it actually work or did I just get lucky?

My neighbor's 'dirt nap' advice for broody hens actually worked

My neighbor Betty told me to put my broody hen in a wire cage off the ground for 3 days straight. I thought she was crazy, but after 2 weeks of that bird refusing to leave the nest box, I tried it. Broke the broodiness by day 2 and she was back to normal scratching around the yard. Has anyone else tried this method or just me?

Hit 100 eggs from my flock this morning. Didn't think I'd care that much.

Still not buying the crushed oyster shell craze for my flock

I read a study from the University of Georgia extension office last month that said too much calcium can actually mess up a hen's egg production if they're not laying yet. Everyone on here pushes oyster shell like it's magic, but my five hens are doing fine on layer feed alone and their shells are solid. I checked with my local feed store owner and he agreed most backyard flocks don't need the extra supplement unless you see thin shells. Has anyone else noticed more eggs breaking after adding oyster shell?

Dropped $120 on a fancy heated chicken waterer and it barely lasted one winter

I figured I'd splurge on one of those insulated heated waterers last November after my old setup kept freezing solid every morning here in Ohio. It was supposed to be the good kind with a thermostat and everything. By mid-January the heating element just stopped working. Tried contacting the company but got no response. Now I'm back to hauling warm water out twice a day like a sucker. Has anyone found a heated waterer that actually holds up past one season?

Hit 100 eggs in a month and it just hit me how much these birds produce

I counted up my egg cartons last week and realized my 4 hens laid exactly 103 eggs in 30 days. That's way more than my family of 3 can eat even with giving a dozen to my neighbor every week. Anyone else end up drowning in eggs and have to get creative with recipes?

Went to a farm supply store in rural Ohio and saw a chicken wearing a tiny sweater...

The lady said it was for her silkie who gets cold at night. I kinda want to knit one for my bantam now but I can't even sew a button on straight. Has anyone found a good way to keep their smaller breeds warm in the winter without buying fancy gear?

Read that the dark part of an egg is just the bloom, not a bad sign

I heard a guy on a gardening podcast say that the dark spot on brown eggs is just the bloom protecting it, and scrubbing it off makes the egg go bad faster. Has anyone else left the bloom on and noticed a difference in how long their eggs last?

Hit 50 eggs from my first hen today and it felt weirdly huge

I started with 3 pullets back in March and my Barred Rock just laid her 50th egg this morning. I actually counted them in a notebook and seeing that number made me realize how much time has passed caring for these birds.

My lavender orpington hen ate a whole bag of dried mealworms and went broody for 6 weeks straight

I left the bag open in the run by accident last month and she just went to town on them... next thing I know she's sitting on every egg in the coop like her life depends on it. She wouldn't even get up to eat or drink for days and I had to physically move her to the food dish. Has anyone else had a hen go weird after scarfing down too many treats?

Talked to my neighbor about his grandpa's chickens and it got me thinking

The old guy next door was telling me about his grandfather's flock from the 1940s. Said they never bought feed, never vaccinated, and the birds lived 8-10 years easy. My Rhode Islands are lucky to hit 3 before something goes wrong. He mentioned his grandpa just let them free range the whole property and they stayed healthy on their own. Now I'm wondering if all this expensive feed and constant intervention is actually making my flock weaker. How many of you have gone back to more old school methods and seen better results?

Heard someone at the feed store say they just let their chickens free range all day with no run

Was picking up oyster shells yesterday and overheard a woman bragging that her dozen hens roam the whole property unsupervised from dawn to dusk. She said she's never lost a single one to hawks or coyotes in three years. Anyone else think that's just asking for trouble or am I being too paranoid?

Switched from washing eggs under running water to using a dry scrub method

Used to rinse every egg with water before putting them in the fridge, but then I read that removes the bloom (the natural protective coating). Last month I started using a rough sponge to just brush off the dirt instead, and my eggs keep fresh way longer now - has anyone else made this switch?

My old egg washing routine was a total mess compared to now

I used to wash eggs one by one under the kitchen sink faucet, spending like 15 minutes every morning scrubbing each one with a sponge. Then my neighbor pointed out I was washing off the bloom and making them spoil faster. Now I just grab a bucket of warm water, dunk them all at once, and dry them on a towel in 2 minutes flat. We have 6 Rhode Island Reds, so that's about 2 dozen eggs a week, and this new way saves me hours. Has anyone else switched up their egg cleaning game and found a better method?

Tried giving my hens crushed eggshells for calcium and ended up with a feather eating problem

I thought I was being smart recycling eggshells back to my 6 Rhode Island Reds last month, but one of them started pecking at the others' feathers and now I'm scrambling to figure out if it's a protein deficiency or just bad habits - has anyone else had their flock go weird on a simple diet change like this?

My neighbor's comment made me totally change how I clean the coop

So last month my neighbor came over and saw me using a pressure washer inside the coop. She's had chickens for 15 years and said I was basically blasting all the good bacteria away and making my girls sick. She told me to switch to a simple scrape and sweep method with a dustpan and just use a vinegar water spray for disinfecting. I was skeptical at first but tried it on my 8 hen setup here in Portland. Honestly my coop smells way less musty now and the girls seem perkier. Has anyone else switched from deep cleaning to a lighter touch and noticed a difference?

Neighbor told me to lock up my hens at 7 PM sharp every night

Old guy down the street lectured me for 20 minutes about raccoon schedules after my bird got out. He was right though - I lost a hen at 8:15 PM last August because I left the coop door cracked. Anyone else deal with pushy neighbor advice that actually worked?

My rooster caught a hawk mid-air last Tuesday and now I have a whole new setup

I was out back in the run feeding the hens around 4 PM when a Cooper's hawk dropped down and my rooster Spud jumped up and hit it so hard both of them tumbled into the coop door, and now I'm wondering if I should add some netting over the top of the run since that's the second hawk visit this month, has anyone else had a rooster actually fight off a hawk?

My neighbor Carol was right about feeding scratch grains at dusk

She kept telling me to switch from morning feedings to evening so the girls would have full crops overnight. Tried it for a week after I got sick of finding eggs under the bushes and now they actually go inside the coop before dark. Anybody else have a neighbor with a weird trick that actually worked?

Lost 3 hens to a raccoon at the county fair demo coop in Salem

I volunteered to help with the demo coop at the Salem County Fair last Saturday. A raccoon got in through a gap in the hardware cloth no bigger than my fist, killed three of my best layers before I heard the commotion. Now I go around every pen with a tape measure checking for any hole bigger than an inch. Has anyone else had trouble with those push-on wire connectors on coop panels?

Took me three months to figure out why my hens stopped laying in the coop

I got eight hens back in April, and they were laying great until late June when production just dropped off a cliff. I spent weeks checking feed, lighting, stress levels, even started thinking they were sick. Turns out the heat from July was baking the coop interior to like 95 degrees inside, and they were all just hiding under the bushes instead. I installed a small solar fan on the roof vent and a shade cloth over the run, and within a week I was getting eggs again. Has anyone else had heat mess with their flock's laying schedule so suddenly?

My neighbor finally called me out on my chicken feed storage

Had a neighbor in Peoria mention my feed bin smell after I left it open one afternoon. She said it attracts rats and makes the feed stale. Switched to a galvanized metal can with a locking lid. Cost me $35 at Tractor Supply. Anyone else use a different method to keep feed fresh?

Stood over my hen house for 45 minutes arguing with myself about pine shavings versus straw.

I spent three hours last Saturday cleaning the coop because I went with straw the first time and ended up with a moldy mess. Has anyone else had straw turn into a science experiment or am I just unlucky with my setup?