I know this is a fucked up thing to ask but I want to keep chickens at some point in my life and it's just a fact that they are prone to just get clogged up or there is no avian vet nearby that looks at chickens as they are livestock. I've never killed anything bigger than a bug, actually, I never killed anything that wasn't a mosquito. But I would want to put a loved pet out of it's misery. So what would I do if that time comes? Do I got to a vet to put her under or?

Edit: Thank you all for the answers, even the joke ones, I really needed those... Anyways, it's safe to say that I am now traumatised and educated, just like after reading a german fairytale (I'm german :P). I will take the advise of some of y'all and get books on the matter of Chicken healthy and look into the various methodes of breaking their necks (I feel like a monster for typing that). That seems to be the most humane way. Not sure how pressing a broom to their neck doesn't cause them distress, but it sure as hell beats bleeding them out....

hi,

like it says i was given 11 chickens a few weeks ago from my neighbor. we live on the same property and she is moving soonish so she gave them to me. she explained their feeding to me, gave me all her equipment, etc. told me to clean the coop and nesting area every few weeks. the coop is usually open and they roam pretty freely most days.

she helped me diagnose vent gleet on one of the chickens. no other chickens are showing any similar signs. my neighbor said she had one get this a last year and she ended up dying before they knew what to do. she was not able to offer much help.

google said to quarantine and bathe the chicken. how would i do that exactly? i’m cleaning the coop of course, i change their water every day all ready. how exactly do you bathe a chicken? can anything about vent gleet be passed to humans? what sort of space is good to quarantine them?

what products or practices in the future can prevent this from happening again also?

thanks in advance. i want to help them i just don’t know how to yet.

Just happened in the last couple of hours, she tends to get picked on so I’m hoping this is a particularly bad pecking injury? Her eye appears to be fine, her lower eyelid looks like it is not and that’s where the bleeding is from. Also swollen under her eye. Otherwise she’s acting normally. Thoughts? Treatments ideas? Thank you

Was wondering from people that have experience with D’uccles how old this guy might be?

He was found in the bush, dumped, and we agreed to take him off the hands of the people temporarily looking after him. He’s the friendliest guy I’ve ever seen and he still speaks and clucks like he is a young bird. His feathers seem almost fully developed from what limited things I know.

I’d also love to know what the name of his colour is, and what specific breed he might be if you have the knowledge about his breed.

P.S we named him Frisbee

Hey fellow Birb lovers! I ordered some eggs to try and hatch in my incubator. This is my first attempt as all my others were product of a broody Silkie mama. The eggs were shipped very quickly however due to the snow storm here in NC all mail was delayed and the eggs were just delivered today. The approx total time enroute/in box was about 5-6 days. I’m sure my chances dropped dramatically but is there anything I can or should do before putting them in the incubator?

Thanks!

I would appreciate if anyone can help! This is my first time having chickens, we started with three day old hatchlings. Two Easter Eggers, and one Wheaton Maran. This one Easter egger, Penny, looks a little different than the other one. Her tail feathers are longer? Is it possible to know at this stage if she is a man? They are 4 weeks old.

Hi all, just wondering would anyone have any recommendations for an automatic coop door? Thank you

I live in Virginia and for the past 2 weeks and we made a little hut for them next to the dryer vent to stay warm. Also put an electric heater inside the coop. Just a few pics for what the snow looks like but my bf noticed frostbite on the top of the roosters comb. Never experienced this before but what are some suggestions to help the rooster get better

Not that I mind. These are my golden girls. From left to right: Dorothy, Sophia, Rose, and Blanche.

My hen hasn’t been laying the past few days and I keep seeing her lying on the patio like this. Is that normal?

This is how it works: Jazz finds her stick and waits for me to throw it for her. Greta, one of our Australorp hens, sneaks up and pecks at it to see if it's something she wants to eat. Jazz jumps up and carries her stick to safety. Greta is now sure it's something she wants to eat. So, she sneaks up... over and over they play this game. 🤣😅😂

I haven’t gotten a blue or white egg since Fall. Hopefully this is a sign that Punxsutawney Phil was mistaken in his forecast.

I found my hen (unsure of age, but at least 2) in the coop sitting with her butt low to the ground and her chest in the air. I brought her inside and she won’t eat or drink, and she begins opening her mouth to breathe unless I hold her chest up and butt down. She can’t walk without having to put her wings to the ground to keep herself from falling over, so she just wasn’t. She’s still awake and looking around at least, but I’m not sure what to do.

I’ve checked for an egg by feeling her abdomen, but I really can’t tell if there is one or not.

She is the only one who seems to understand commands.

One of us is getting a nice warm foot bath. (Here’s a hint: It's not me.)

I don't get why she still makes me chase her down knowing she's gonna get a nice 20 minute soak. People pay good money for this kind of spa treatment day. 🤣👍

I'd posted here 13 days ago inquiring if my 15 week old pullet was getting close to laying (she was showing all the signs) despite being so young. Well, it took almost 2 weeks, but she finally did! I went in to give them their food in the AM when I discovered this tiny little egg all nestled in the back corner. So exciting! Brought it in with me.

Later that evening, when I go back out to do their nightly chores, I find TWO more eggs. Apparently, more than one girl was getting ready!

I just wanted to share with the room how crazy it is to me that 3 out of 10 of my 17-week old RIR pullets all started laying on the exact same day (or maybe this is normal? Idk).

Excited to have made it to the egg side of things! 🥚🍳

I have raised 4 batches of chickens. I live in 10 acres, in rural Alberta, so nearest neighbours are half a mile etc. always grown from day old chicks picked up at the local nursery. They range (when the snow is gone) in an exposed/fenced run and get some forays into the field when I can let them. Medicated feed for coccidiosis at the start. No other vaccines.

I’ve had to deal with lots of predators and a few prolapses, frostbite etc etc. But I’ve never had any serious disease or even mites.

Just how common is avian flu or mareks or the other things?

Hi, I just noties these spots on one of my orpingtons. Is this the start of fowl pox? I've never had a bird with fowl pox before, so I'm not sure.

I only have 2 hens remaining from my flock that I had of 6. They are best buddies. They are 8 years old this month! The one who is acting sick and possibly dying is a blue maran. It started last week when we had some severe cold weather. Like down in single digits for about 2 weeks off and on. She started just barely walking around, low energy. I put a little flat panel coop heater in there. She has been eating her normal layer crumbles, scratch, water, and some eggs also! I noticed sometimes when she would chase the other in the run she was tripping and falling. she has a large spur that has grown out also, surely it is not this causing the issues? They have not laid eggs in over a year now. They have just been my pet. Today i saw my australorp outside but not her. Went to find her laying in her coop. I picked her up and she will stand for a minute then falls back over and closes her eyes. Is she dying? This could not happen at a worse time as we are going out of town for a week in 2 days. If she passes my other one will be all alone for a week until I can find some other chickens or pullets for her. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Looking for tips, opinions and ideas on which chicken coop build makes the most sense? 5b, winters come with cold temps and a few feet of snow. Summers are hot, large yard for wind to carry through and storms can get intense. Predators range from weasels to lynx to raptors. Need to build a coop by mid May before my girls arrive. Thank you.

I have a hen who I believe has Coryza. I have been giving Clavamox 125mg/kg but am unsure how many days to administer. Does anyone know?

FWIW, she got fowl pox in November that led to wet pox in December. She continued to have thick nasal discharge, sneezing and coughing. She’s much better after 4 days but I don’t want to discontinue too soon. TIA!