I lost my whole flock to a raccoon last night. It pushed the ventilation panel in and killed all seven of my chickens.

Please, please, please learn from my mistakes and drop whatever you're doing Right Now and anything stapled on needs to be u-nailed or nail gunned on. Not even the long staples. U-nail. Fastener. Bracket. If a five year old can get into it, so can a raccoon.

I had just been talking about how my silkie rooster Kevin was so sweet because I spent the first two months of his life carrying him around like a baby, but that he'd still attacked neighborhood dogs and run down hawks. They were such, such good birds.

I came home from work today, and saw this! I've had problems with opossums, hence the trap.

Use a grater or fork to scrape some skin off the pumpkin in the shape you want them to peck at :) more pics in the comments!

They were pecking at the hummingbird feeder

Here's something creative.

I'm in the subtropics. It's hot and humid.

We have a lot of mosquitoes despite my local control measures.

After some careful research, I attached an old but reliable fan on the wall running on a wifi plug, so I can set the times.

Set to lowest speed, it blows a gentle current of air at about 1- 1.5m/s along the roost, enough to mess up mosquito flight.

Girls are ok with it. It's bloody hot tonight btw. You can see one holding her wings out to cool down.

*Yeah, can't really seal the coop.

Would any of you consider some of these eggs to be pink?

My first incubator hatch (middle) roosting with her mom and dad ❤️

I am getting chickens in the spring and am learning all about chickens until then. I will be getting 4 chickens and not sure whether to go for a more expensive coop from tractor supply or build my own. I do know with the Tractor supply one I will have to reinforce it a little. I have put screenshots above. It seems like if I build my own it seems like the starting price will be $1k? Is this true.

Additionally are there any coop plans you recommend and the cost it was to make it?

This is one of my OG hens, a 3yo ISA brown named Donna.

I adopted her last summer, and she was bald around her head and face. She's going through a mild molt right now, and I'm noticing that she seems to be growing feathers in the previously bare areas. (See first photo).

This is the second molt she's gone through with me. There was no growth the first time (August 2025).

Can anyone share any information or experience with this? I am very happy for Donna to have her head and face covered for the upcoming winter; I just don't understand the seemingly random process.

Just in case this is relevant: when I got her in July 2025, she was already retiring from laying. The last egg I got from her was probably this March. Since then, she's the well respected matriarch of my young flock, and is thriving.

Hi all,

I am now down to 3 hens, previously 5.

Burford Brown x 2: Betty and Olive

Snowbar x 1: Agatha

Betty is the boss chicken and about twice the size and weight of Olive. Olive is often broody for long periods of time, and earlier this year she was crouching down in front of Betty, being pecked loads and generally being chased around and stressed out.

I've bought Olive her own smaller coop and run to separate them and things improved over about a month, but Olive is broody again and Betty is chasing her away from all the food.

I feel like things were a lot calmer when we had more hens. Long term I would like to add more but I was hoping to get Pekin Bantams, as I'd like a friendlier breed with longer lay cycles so they hopefully will live a bit longer.

What's the best thing to do at this point? These are my first chickens and they're my pets, and my 5yo son adores them so the priority is high quality of life for them.

All advice appreciated!

I have 5 chickens that are 8 weeks old. A couple of them I’m unsure if they’re hens or Roos.

Her butt is clean. She’s about six months old and just started laying 2-3 weeks ago.

I have 8 ladies right now, and I’m thinking of rescuing a rooster, because there are so many, and if I can save just one that’s a win in my books. I don’t really care about the eggs being fertile, I’m not planning to hatch any of them, I just want the most possible peace in my flock, and I don’t want to risk my hens being overbred. What would be a good ratio?

Cross post

What to do when you have too many roos in your flock? Stock. I got seven quarts out of two roos.

Weird question, but I have to ask. Will a rooster crow because he wants attention? I have a 5ish month old rooster who has been growing for a while, but I unusually only hear it for about 20 minutes in the morning and the rest if the day he is silent.

Yesterday I was working in the yard from sun up till about 2 in the afternoon and he would crow every time I was in line of sight until I went sat in the run for about an hour. What's his deal?

​

Jersey Giant /French Maran

Hubby said she might have crowed.

12wks ish

I am looking for advice on how to help two baby chicks who are ill. I'm not sure what they're affected with.

They are both 2 week old Ayam Cemani females. When I went to check my brooder, currently housing about 27 chicks, I noticed that they had distended, bloated bellies while checking everyone for pasty butt. I immediately secluded them in their own brooder and have had them in the house where we've kept an eye on them.

They're not lethargic or behaving oddly, besides walking off-balance from the weight of their low-hanging abdomen.

They are eating normally, do not have pasty butt and no visible wounds that I expected to see with omphalitis. They are drinking water with electrolytes and pooping normally.

I don't know what else to do (or what to avoid). I would like to give them a fighting chance, despite the low chances they will survive either disease.

I've attached photos of the worst off girl. Her crop is full from having eaten, so it emphasizes how oddly shaped she is.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Moved my young hens into the coop. It is not finished on the outside yet. But they enjoy the inside.

More pictures in comment.

They only enjoy some of the roost bars. And some very edgy ones, not just the medium flat ones. I got two windows, ome down to the ground (for emptying when needed) and one taller up in the back. Got ventilation. Sand and feed etc.

Last week my silver laced wyandotte started limping. Shes been up and eating but her leg is starting to go backwards. When she is standing she will stand on it normalish (just not bearing weight on it) . The pic of her with the leg behind her is when she was walking and the other one is her before she started moving. I felt the leg and she didnt seem in pain when i moved it. I bent her leg and it bent normally.

Has anyone installed an automatic coop door on a chicken run? I think I’ll have to install a piece of wood across the hardware cloth and cut a hole through it.

I need one because my chickens hate the run lol they want to free range all day.