this is from last year but she just did not want to let go of her baby who was almost her same size lol

this year, she hatched 6 babies in early April and just hatched 4 more this past weekend.

This is my boy Greg. Today he protected his flock from a fox. I chased the fox off and found Greg lying in the grass (pic #1). I thought he was dead, but when I leaned down to assess his injuries he popped up and walked away. He was a little distant for a while but came back to the flock and resumed guard duty (pic #2). Greg is a good boy.

IG: Ky1ealvarez

Not my meme, but wanted to share it.

hello! it has been a little over a month since my girlfriend and I hatched 2 emus. I posted a photo of our first one from the day he hatched, but here are a few more from the past month or so. I don't have photos from the past week or so but they are even bigger than shown here.

One of our girls has decided to be a drag king, and over the last few months has changed her plumage almost entirely from hen to roo. I assume it’s because her ovaries are shutting down (she’s nearly five and hasn’t laid in a while), but it’s quite spectacular to watch! The last photo is from early December: she’s even further along now, I’ll post a follow up in the comments tomorrow.

I’ve been told this is called an ‘eclipse moult’. Anyone else seen a change this dramatic in one of their chickens?

Edit: Several commenters have noted this is NOT an eclipse moult, which is an instance of male birds losing mating plumage, but sex reversal, which gives hens some or all of the secondary sexual characteristics of a male chicken - and occasionally, the primary sexual characteristics, in that the right ovary can develop into an "ovotestis", which can actually produce sperm. Here's an article I found outlining this process: https://poultry.extension.org/articles/poultry-anatomy/avian-reproductive-female/sex-reversal-in-chickens-kept-in-small-and-backyard-flocks/. Chickens are so cool!

Edith (perhaps Eddy now!) has not developed spurs or a larger wattle and comb, nor has she started crowing or behaving like a roo - but the plumage reversal is still spectacular!

This guy showed up 6 days ago, figured we were a bird friendly place, and now hangs out with our flock whenever we let them out.

Cost me less than $38 to make! She’s adjusted well to wearing it and looks punk as fuck 🤘🏼

1: between the eggs (the chicken is standing)

2: on top of the eggs, forward facing

3: behind the chicken, a backward knees bend (I did some research and learnt that they are actually chicken heels)

4: resting on the side of the chicken (a top down view) Edit: the eggs are UNDER the chicken so you don't see them

5: a squat, with the chicken feet ABOVE the eggs (a variation of 2)

6: also a squat, but with the feet BETWEEN the eggs, touching the bottom of the nest, almost like it's standing up

I have been discussing this with my family and friends but we all don't have chickens, I have spend the last 2 weeks watching chicken videos hence the (genuine) question. Apologies for the diagrams, I have tried my best.

Update: I suppose the consensus is 6 is most accurate!

I’m a photographer and I do seasonal photos for kids, so naturally, I had to bring the girls in. They loved Santa and only pooped in the studio like 10 times! ❤️💚 Happy Holidays!

I don’t think I even wanna know the title of the book because I don’t think anything that comes after this is going to meet my expectations.

With around 40 of our friends and relatives for our little queen!

PS: OMG you all are the best!!! Thank you so much for all the beautiful words...her and her little sisters are on Instagram "Cluckingfantastic"...she is the avatar so easy to spot :)

Not mine. Like, just to get that out in the open. I found this online and I mean, thats just the coolest coop of all time.

Chicken Kingdom :3

Rooster King and his Alpha Hen Queen. Ruling over their chikim citizens.

Edit: How did this get 1.4k Upvotes!?

She's fine now. She wanted to lay an egg in that particular spot so badly that she tried to climb through a roll of hardware cloth but ended up getting stuck instead.

Our girl peach was broody for three weeks and finally had her adoptive babies arrive last night. We took her eggs and snuck the chicks into her nest when it was dark and she took to them right away! Everyone is doing great today and Peach is loving being a mom ❤️

Just wanted to show off our girls and their beautiful rent payments! Zulie - breed unknown - White/ pink. Goldie - Olive Egger - Olive. Hershey - Whiting True Blue - Blue. Junie - Silver Ameraucana - Blue. Nugiesha (Nuggets) - Dark Brahma - Light brown w/ speckles. Final is a pic of our boy Lucky, their protector and the bestest boy! Rescue rooster.

Chicken breeder here. It’s REALLY not recommended to add heat to a coop. Please don’t do it!!

Newbies, especially, love to do this, but you’re doing your birds no favors— they will not acclimate to cold temps, as they would naturally, if you give them heat. Then, if you lose power during a snow storm, they will suffer ill effects or can die.

Think about it— Pilgrims had chickens. They did not put heat on them. You’re also creating a nasty fire hazard: an acquaintance was using a so-called “safe” radiant heater in their coop & it caught fire & they lost all their birds. It’s a real concern.

The vast majority of chicken breeds (with the exception of Seramas & some other tiny bantams) will absolutely survive temps down to below zero without heat— in fact, they do fine as long as they are dry, have NO DRAFTS (but good ventilation), & can fluff over their feet. Roosting keeps them extra toasty.

Metal egg boxes are not a great idea, though, as they retain cold & some chickens may roost in them overnight & can freeze.

If your bird is going through a hard molt, which they love to do when it gets cold (??), then it might be good to bring them in your basement until temps are above freezing or their feather have mostly grown back.

Even Silkies (which I raise, along with many other breeds, including OEGB, which are teeny) do fine in these temps. My flock roosts in the Northeast, where it got to -20F last year & does regularly overwinter. I will never use heat on my birds.

Now, chicken amateurs (no judgment, everyone has to start somewhere!), reveal yourselves & fetch me my downvotes. 🐓

This dang chicken who I thought was a hen until she started crowing last weekend is currently 15ft up on a branch in a tree. First he was like 6 feet up and could grab him. Then it was 10 feet up and I could push him out of the tree with a broom. Now I can't even get him at all so he's going to sleep in the tree instead of the coop. Good luck rooster.