April 25, 2014
Stone the crows
My young poultry are growing nicely in the warm weather, but I’m plagued by black birds. Are these crows? Someone said they might be rooks. Some of them are smaller and have grey heads. How…
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Poultry
April 25, 2014
Solving scaly leg
Q- I entered my cockerel in a show but the judge said he had scaly leg. What do I do about this please? James Farrow via email
April 25, 2014
Why does my drake show no interest in mating?
I bought a trio (two female and one male) of Abacot Rangers. Apart from two eggs when they first arrived, I have had no other eggs. After talking to other duck owners, I gather this…
April 25, 2014
Broody, or what?
I have four hens that live together in my garden. One of the bantams will do anything to find a particular plastic box and sit in it for hours on end. We presume she’s broody…
April 25, 2014
Rabbits and chickens?
Q- Can rabbits and chickens be mixed together? We would like to give our rabbit some outdoor exercise, and since the area where the chickens are kept is well fenced, it seems an ideal area…
April 25, 2014
My hen laid a strange egg
Q - One of my older hens produced a strange 'capsule shaped' egg. It had a complete circular band and, to all appearances, looked like two half eggs joined together. The egg was 8.5 cm…
April 25, 2014
Advice on keeping quail
My family and I wish to keep quail. We’ve got a rabbit hutch which fits over a one metre square run and wondered whether that would be suitable (after a thorough clean, disinfect and dry)…
April 25, 2014
How to dispatch your poultry humanely
The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) frequently receives enquiries from small producers, and others who keep small numbers of birds, about humane slaughter methods and equipment available for emergency slaughter.
April 25, 2014
Bald patches
We acquired three Leghorns and three Warrens a couple of weeks ago and noticed yesterday that the gang leader, the older Leghorn, has a couple of bald patches on the back of her head. She’s…
April 25, 2014
Chicks suffering from neurological problems
Over the past six months my Silkies have had sporadic cases of neurological problems in some of the six to eight week old chicks. I have a new brooder unit but I am having problems…
April 25, 2014
Bark chippings
I have a chicken run which isn’t very well drained. I’ve heard that bark chippings drain well but aren’t a good idea for poultry. I don’t understand why – can you enlighten me please?Sarah Blackdown,…
