Pets Stack Exchange
Pets Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [chickens]

The domesticated fowl known as a chicken. Chickens are omnivores and often scratch the soil to find seeds, insects, etc.

36 questions
13
votes
1 answer

How can I keep vermin out of outdoor pen or enclosure?

I've got 5 chickens who all live in a pen that is being attacked by rats. The rats keep burrowing under the walls of the pen and it would be impractical for me to brick it up to keep them out. What's the best way to keep rats and other vermin out of…
Kezz
  • 233
  • 1
  • 5
12
votes
2 answers

How can I protect my chickens' eggs from snakes?

Snakes used to attack the eggs my chickens laid. We've tried to kill or chase away the snake; we finally killed the snake through baiting with a poisoned egg. We sold some chickens to reduce their volume and prevent attracting another snake. Now we…
user34
12
votes
2 answers

What can be done to stop roosters from crowing all day and night?

Our neighbor's backyard is almost directly adjacent to ours. He's put up a few pens with chickens and also has at least 2 (but maybe as many as 4, judging by the sounds) roosters. In an urban environment, this is... less than ideal. The chickens…
Tinkeringbell
  • 303
  • 1
  • 3
  • 12
10
votes
2 answers

What are the negative effects of debeaking a chicken?

One of my male chickens loves making trouble and gets into fight with the other gentle male chicken almost all the time. An article I read said in this type of cases debeaking the stubborn male is a viable option. Before doing so, I want to…
user34
9
votes
2 answers

What should the hen to rooster ratio be in a backyard chicken coop?

I want get some chickens, my local municipality does classify them as allowable pets. There are no restrictions for 'small' groups of chickens. Like any pet there are a lot of considerations when choosing what type of pet to get, but chickens seem…
James Jenkins
  • 29,385
  • 40
  • 135
  • 246
9
votes
2 answers

How can I make two chicken mothers eat peacefully?

Two of my chickens just hatched their eggs and I noticed since then that whenever I call them to give all of them food, two of the chicken mothers start fighting for where to eat. I didn't worry until now because I usually notice this whenever two…
user34
9
votes
1 answer

How do I make my chicken overcome his fears?

My new chicken was formerly living with my uncle before I adopted him. According to what my uncle told me, the chicken once experienced another chicken being killed with a knife. Since then this chicken has been very scared of knives. He runs away…
user34
7
votes
1 answer

Hens and no rooster: what happens to hens and their unfertilized eggs?

I looked for the answer, but didn't manage to get clear information. If I have a bunch of hens, but no rooster, hens will lay unfertilized eggs (as far as I know). From what I read, hens will brood them anyway, but then what? How long? Will they…
user16497
  • 73
  • 2
5
votes
2 answers

Can I use this sand as bedding for chicks?

I've got some chicks around 11 days old. I am facing trouble with the bedding in the brooder. I've tried using paper towels, but they get wet and shredded within hours. Now considering using sand that is left over from a construction project - it is…
Abc
  • 81
  • 6
5
votes
2 answers

What can I use to crush peas

I own a few fowls (around 50) and started mixing cereals, corn and dry legumes a few weeks ago. Although I was able to get hold of a good load of peas, it is unfortunately uncrushed: I was told that raw peas may be dangerous, and that I should…
Marvin
  • 151
  • 4
5
votes
1 answer

What problems does inbreeding in chickens cause?

I have a big farm (without animals so far) and want to get chickens. They can run freely in the farmyard and the garden, having approx. 1500 m² with grassland, sand, a dunghill and copse. I'd like to take an egg or two sometimes, but they should…
dessert
  • 151
  • 1
  • 4
4
votes
2 answers

Will a single chicken ruin my lawn?

I was thinking of adopting one ex-battery hen. She is to be a pet chicken. I live on 700 m2, however, she would be kept in the back yard where I have two large patches of grass and the rest is pavement. I'm just wondering--I've heard that chickens…
Vanessa Donley
  • 49
  • 2
4
votes
2 answers

Fragile, bumpy chicken eggs

We've got 4 chickens in the garden and 3 of them lay wonderful eggs. The 4th, a light Sussex, lays quite strange eggs. They're quite big but the shell is incredibly fragile and bumpy too. They're not short on sources of grit to harden their shells…
Rob Forrest
  • 151
  • 5
4
votes
2 answers

Chickens in the rain

We’ve left our five-month-old-ish chickens outside in the rain. They don’t appear to want to go back to the shelter of the coop, and they aren’t huddling under trees, or anything, just rooting around in the grass for bugs and plants, as usual. Is…
Fivesideddice
  • 173
  • 5
4
votes
1 answer

How much dominance is expected from two male chickens of different breeds?

I have 7 female and 2 male chickens. The females are Leghorn. One male is Leghorn, but the other is a Plymouth Rock. The 2 males fight for everything: food, water, and mostly to mate the females. Despite multiple female choices, they still fight…
user34
1
2 3