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snake and bake posted:Well, I am officially a chickam person. I got 4 pullets today. They're supposedly about 6-8 weeks old. 
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Aug 9, 2020 00:50
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snake and bake posted:Well, I am officially a chickam person. I got 4 pullets today. They're supposedly about 6-8 weeks old. Pics or it didn’t happen
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Aug 9, 2020 00:59
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snake and bake posted:Well, I am officially a chickam person. I got 4 pullets today. They're supposedly about 6-8 weeks old. 
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Aug 9, 2020 01:22
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 I was not planning on getting the Buff Orp but it uhhh... happened anyway. She's so sweet and poofy. I didn't realize how relaxing it would be just to watch them peck and scratch and cluck and roll around in the dirt. 
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Aug 9, 2020 01:51
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snake and bake posted:
It really is! A few times my wife and I have just pulled up a chair outside the coop and had a drink and just bullshitted and watched the chickens be silly. Pretty good stress relief.
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Aug 9, 2020 02:01
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Those are some good looking chickems snake and bake. Still trying to figure out the Silkies. They refuse to sleep anywhere but on the ground in the run. They also are uncomfortable because they do this dance every night to be the one in the middle crushed by the other two for protection. We bought them a nesting box and stuck it in the run so they’d at least have a comfy spot that might make them feel more protected but they ignore it. See video below: https://youtu.be/DZh92q7dbWQ
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Aug 9, 2020 02:33
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Mine hadn't quite figured out the coop by nightfall. It's a raised coop with a ladder going up to the door, which can be closed at night. So when they started cuddling up in a pile underneath it and looking sleepy, I scooped them up, stuck them inside the coop and shut the door. The Orp and Australorp are definitely way calmer and easier to handle than the Easter Eggers, which are kind of darty and skittish.
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Aug 9, 2020 02:59
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snake and bake posted:Mine hadn't quite figured out the coop by nightfall. It's a raised coop with a ladder going up to the door, which can be closed at night. So when they started cuddling up in a pile underneath it and looking sleepy, I scooped them up, stuck them inside the coop and shut the door. The Orp and Australorp are definitely way calmer and easier to handle than the Easter Eggers, which are kind of darty and skittish. We did that for two weeks and then just kinda got burnt out on it. If we just need to make it part of our daily routine to put them to bed and then in the mornings bring them down to the run we can, but it is a bit frustrating. We’ve thought about adding a second coop that is accessible from the ground without a ramp or ladder, but if they won’t even use the nesting box on the ground it almost seems like they just prefer the run.
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Aug 9, 2020 03:12
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Hopefully as soon as one figures it out, the rest will follow. Also: you can sort of make the coop "home" by leaving them in the coop for a few days. I'm a slightly different situation, but my coop doubles as my brooder, and the chicks spent 8 weeks in the coop before they ever went outside. By that point they recognize the coop as "this is the place we sleep" and as soon as night hits, they go in.
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Aug 9, 2020 03:20
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That Works posted:It really is! I do this a few times a week after work.
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Aug 9, 2020 04:04
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 I already love this beardy borb
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Aug 9, 2020 05:21
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snake and bake posted:
That’s a bird that will build you a barn or bake a shoofly pie.
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Aug 9, 2020 05:58
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snake and bake posted:
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Aug 9, 2020 14:34
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Awesome. Are you gonna tell us their names or do we suggest ones for you?snake and bake posted:I didn't realize how relaxing it would be just to watch them peck and scratch and cluck and roll around in the dirt. Oh yes, they are a delight to watch and listen to as they do what chickens want to do.
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Aug 9, 2020 15:31
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The Orp's and Australorp's butts have seemingly doubled in fluff overnight. None of them have names yet.  
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Aug 9, 2020 15:39
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Cute birds, snake and bake! For those of you with lousy, louse-y chickens, I cannot recommend Poultry Protector spray enough. I used this recipe to make a huge amount for my small flock (ok, 30-ish chickens) and it worked soooo well. https://www.greenwillowhomestead.com/blog/diy-recipe-poultry-protector-spray-to-protect-your-hens-from-lice-and-mites With a big sprayer it was faster than bathing the chickens, which we did last time they had lice. It has to be done once a week for 4 weeks, and now after the second treatment our chickens have hardly any lice. I also culled the two beautiful Ameraucana roosters that had lice eggs all over their beards.  Here are two of my mixed chicks, hatched in June. The orange one is half Ameraucana, half buff Orpington. The other is a mystery. The Broodies were on their own eggs and eggs from my mom’s flock. She has feathery feet so I think she’s either half Ameraucana, half Brahma from my flock or 1/4 Orpington, 1/4 Ameraucana and 1/2 Sebright from my mom’s flock. She’s barely smaller than the other chicks so who knows. She sure is striking though.  
Joburg fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Apr 24, 2023 |
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Aug 9, 2020 15:44
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Thanks, I bookmarked the mite stuff in case I ever need it. Mites are one big reason I went with the plastic/steel coop instead of wood. I've dealt with mites among my reptiles before. They are severely annoying to deal with and I'm sure they make the animals miserable too. Sorry to hear about your roosters, Joburg. I'm very envious of those of you keeping roosters because they are handsome as heck. The hens are both lovely though. That beardy Orp mix. 
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Aug 9, 2020 18:53
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Holy crap it is hot outside. The run is fully shaded. I have a fan blowing through it at an angle (so they can be either in the breeze or not, if they're smart enough to figure that out). About 11am I gave them fresh cool water. A few hours later I threw a bunch of ice in the water to cool it all back down. They have 3 water sources, and one is a big rectangular plastic pan that they can wade through to cool off. Is there anything else I can do to help these ladies stay nice and cool in the summer heat? Am I worrying too much about it?
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Aug 9, 2020 19:07
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snake and bake posted:Is there anything else I can do to help these ladies stay nice and cool in the summer heat? Am I worrying too much about it? You are probably worrying too much. It is 92F outside so most are in the shade, but a couple hens are sunbathing.  
Joburg fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Apr 24, 2023 |
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Aug 9, 2020 20:30
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Yeah, don't worry too much. The breeds you have will do just fine with fresh water, shade, and a little cross-breeze. Your pullets are well past the age where I'd be concerned with this, but you can actually shock young birds to death by giving them water that's too cold on a hot day. Once they're more than 3 weeks old, that's not really an issue anymore.
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Aug 9, 2020 20:43
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The high here today was 91°F but the "feels like" temp was at 103°F. Very humid, hardly any breeze. They were panting a bit earlier, which is why I got concerned. I think the sight/sound of the fan spooked them a little at first, but it didn't take long for them to figure out that they can go stand in the coolest part of the end of the run, under the coop, and get a nice breeze from the fan. They teamed up and dug a sand pit there to wallow around in. They seemed a lot more comfortable after that.
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Aug 9, 2020 20:45
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 Definitely a pretty rough summer. I try to mist their coop a couple times a day and make sure they have shade + plenty of cool water.
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Aug 9, 2020 20:54
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i love the chicken
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Aug 10, 2020 03:39
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whenever i let the quail out to pobble freely, the more timid wild birds always appear in the yard straight away to forage alongside them. i'm starting to think quail function as an ecological lightning rod. everything else knows that they're the most delicious and easiest to catch, so any predators are going to go straight for the quail and give the others a chance to escape.
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Aug 10, 2020 06:14
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fauna posted:whenever i let the quail out to pobble freely, the more timid wild birds always appear in the yard straight away to forage alongside them. i'm starting to think quail function as an ecological lightning rod. everything else knows that they're the most delicious and easiest to catch, so any predators are going to go straight for the quail and give the others a chance to escape. Maybe they have the refines tastes of a fat little feathered epicurean? If the quail is chowing down, other birds know delicious things are on the ground.
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Aug 10, 2020 08:06
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Captain Log posted:Maybe they have the refines tastes of a fat little feathered epicurean? If the quail is chowing down, other birds know delicious things are on the ground.  the newbies and the old guard are bonding in the traditional way
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Aug 10, 2020 09:11
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Weltlich posted:Yeah, don't worry too much. The breeds you have will do just fine with fresh water, shade, and a little cross-breeze. Still, good to know. I did wonder if it might shock them so I didn't go too crazy with the ice. It's kind of frustrating trying to learn proper chicken care when I have to sift through hundreds of homesteader wife blogs clogging up all of the search results. And there's so much conflicting information. I'll read a post that says "do this thing" and soon enough I find another one that says "NEVER EVER do that thing."  Luckily my girls did finally go into their coop on their own last night. It was kind of funny watching them. I swear the Buff Orp was trying to guide the others into the coop. She was the first one in, then she popped back out half a dozen times to try to corral the others in too. Not sure if she was intentionally showing them how to hop up into the coop, or just saying "come on y'all, it's bed time."
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Aug 10, 2020 12:15
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It's 120-ish heat index here during the summers. It's only just now 102-108 heat index during the days. I chuck ice out at the birds late in the afternoon, they get fresh water out of the well so whatever the hell temperature that is, and that's about it. I've never lost a chicken to heat issues.
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Aug 11, 2020 05:21
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fauna posted:they do have excellent taste. i also like to think they're popular for their laid-back personalities Your pillow has a beak.
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Aug 11, 2020 08:18
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snake and bake posted:Still, good to know. I did wonder if it might shock them so I didn't go too crazy with the ice. x months in and mine still don't go into the coop on their own at night. They wait at the gate for me and if I don't turn up, two go in (and then run out again when they hear me coming), one flies into the trees, the blind one attempts to fly into the trees and gets lost in the wilderness garden behind, requiring a ladder rescue, and any left just stand mournfully at the gate. I don't really have an obvious head-hed though, they just all seem to get along and I haven't seen them fight or peck each other more than once or twice. I need a big fat rooster who's too heavy to fly into the trees, to lure them to bed at night... For info, honestly, the best thing I found was books, I think I ended up with these 3: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0715325671/ Keeping Chickens: The Essential Guide to Enjoying and Getting the Best from Chickens https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0716030187/ The Right Way to Keep Chickens < This one was good. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/9036615925/ Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens I remember the encyclopedia being pretty great for just looking up different breeds.
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Aug 11, 2020 08:33
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I think that getting chickens was a fantastic choice as far as improving my mental health. It brought some routine back into my life. I quit my office job in May after a 2 month furlough, have been doing freelance WFH bullshit since then. They're also a joy to watch, far more entertaining and relaxing than TV. Fluffy Bunnies posted:It's 120-ish heat index here during the summers. It's only just now 102-108 heat index during the days. I chuck ice out at the birds late in the afternoon, they get fresh water out of the well so whatever the hell temperature that is, and that's about it. I've never lost a chicken to heat issues. Thanks, that makes me feel less worried about it. Nettle Soup posted:x months in and mine still don't go into the coop on their own at night. They wait at the gate for me and if I don't turn up, two go in (and then run out again when they hear me coming), one flies into the trees, the blind one attempts to fly into the trees and gets lost in the wilderness garden behind, requiring a ladder rescue, and any left just stand mournfully at the gate. I don't really have an obvious head-hed though, they just all seem to get along and I haven't seen them fight or peck each other more than once or twice. I need a big fat rooster who's too heavy to fly into the trees, to lure them to bed at night... Sorry your birbs are stubborn weirdos. The book recommendations are much appreciated. Mine do seem to be establishing a hierarchy of some sort. I've seen some chest bumping. The Buff Orp seems to initiate a lot of it. It all seemed fairly amicable, but then just a few minutes ago I went out to check on them. I found one of the Easter Eggers getting ganged up on by the other three, who were all pecking at her butt. I pulled her out of the coop and put her in a crate on my back porch with some food and water. I didn't see any skin lacerations, but some of her tail feathers (which were growing pin feathers) are broken and bleeding. snake and bake fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Aug 11, 2020 |
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Aug 11, 2020 17:50
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Hot weather can make them irritable. If there's a "choice spot" in the run where airflow makes it just a little more comfortable, they can get pecky with each other to keep that spot. They can also just decide they hate that one girl for no reason at all. If you feel like tossing more money into the chicken-keeping hole, you can head over to Tractor Supply or a hardware store and get a 50 ft roll of 4' chicken wire and ~10x of the 5ft light duty metal posts. You can then make a larger "yard" for them, and hopefully the extra lebensraum will put an end to the pecking. One of my roosters got pecked/harried earlier this year and had no feathers on his breast and neck for a few weeks. I never could identify who was doing it, but I was guessing it was another rooster. Since then he's recovered and now both of the welsummer roosters keep squaring off against each other when they're walking around the yard. Unfortunately one of them's going to have to go, but I have to figure out which one.
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Aug 11, 2020 18:28
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Whichever one looks tastier?
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Aug 11, 2020 18:32
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Weltlich posted:Hot weather can make them irritable. If there's a "choice spot" in the run where airflow makes it just a little more comfortable, they can get pecky with each other to keep that spot. Thanks for the tips. The bloody hen (named Artemis) was pretty upset about being pulled out of the flock. I moved her crate outside, next to the run, so the hens could still see each other. There's a plastic animal carrier inside the crate so she has her own "coop" of sorts. I'm not real happy about it but it's the best I could whip up on short notice. I also scattered a bunch of random things throughout the run for them to hopefully peck and poke at instead of each other. Some sea shells, coquina, rocks, a brick, a big snail shell, a sun-baked old stick, etc. I'll start tossing out a little of their crumble to scratch around for. Next I'm going to the feed store for Blue Kote, Pick No More, a bag of mealworms for a protein boost, and fence stuff to make them some areas to run around in. But of course now it's pouring rain and lightning like crazy, which is making all of this even more fun
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Aug 11, 2020 21:06
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snake and bake posted:Thanks for the tips. The bloody hen (named Artemis) was pretty upset about being pulled out of the flock. I moved her crate outside, next to the run, so the hens could still see each other. There's a plastic animal carrier inside the crate so she has her own "coop" of sorts. I'm not real happy about it but it's the best I could whip up on short notice. All those sound like great ideas. And I'm pretty confident that given time they'll settle down and establish a stable group dynamic. The first couple weeks of putting semi-mature chickens together are always touch-and-go. 8 week old chickens are basically the poultry equivalent of 7th graders. Now imagine that they don't have a language to call each other hurtful names and all they can do is be physically violent toward each other. They'll grow out of it, but it can be stressful until they do.
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Aug 11, 2020 22:09
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snake and bake posted:I didn't see any skin lacerations, but some of her tail feathers (which were growing pin feathers) are broken and bleeding. For some reason pin feathers can be considered a tasty treat for some hens, there's an urge to pluck them out and then go silly over them. We had to fashion a cape for Daisy a couple of weeks after we rehomed her and Bella as Bella started plucking her newly coming through feathers. It was only needed for a few days until the feathers had grown enough and by then Bella had lost interest. Super Daisy: 
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Aug 11, 2020 22:27
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spookygonk posted:Super Daisy:
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Aug 12, 2020 01:24
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fauna posted:every single photo you post of your hens is the greatest photo anyone's ever posted of a hen Thank you, my mobile phone is full of chicken photos.
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Aug 12, 2020 10:33
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spookygonk posted:For some reason pin feathers can be considered a tasty treat for some hens, there's an urge to pluck them out and then go silly over them. It's because they itch. I usually slap a little hydrocortisone on it and it seems like it helps out. Capes do, too, but if you ever have one of these suckers that likes to take their cape off; boom, that stuff.
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Aug 12, 2020 13:11
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I didn't get any fencing set up yesterday due to the non-stop rain, but the missing piece for my run extension was finally delivered. I had that mostly constructed already, so I ran out in the storm and got soaked putting on the extension. That increases the enclosed run from ~35 to ~50 sq. ft. I sprayed Artemis' bum with Blue Kote and tried to put her back in the new, improved, enlarged run. Unfortunately the extra space + Blue Kote didn't stop the other hens from immediately attacking Artemis' butt again. So back into the crate she went. It was getting late by then, so I gave it up. Artemis stayed out in the crate until dark and then slept on my back porch in a carrier. I didn't want to leave the carrier out in the crate because it's not predator-proof. This morning I liberally applied Pick No More to Artemis' butt (smells like grape candy!) and put her in the run as the other chickens came out of the coop. I was trying to sneak her in unobtrusively but she was yelling her fool head off. All three of the other hens ran up and took one peck each at her butt, then backed off shaking their heads and wiping their beaks on the grass. So far so good. I'll keep a close eye on them today. Ready to make an apron for her if the Pick No More doesn't deter them for at least a day before I have to reapply it. Daisy looks cute as heck in hers.
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Aug 12, 2020 13:12
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