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Velvet Sparrow posted:
Something in your hand = chicken death trap/monster/omfg what the gently caress is that it's gonna eat me AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
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Jul 29, 2012 21:37
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Chido posted:Something in your hand = chicken death trap/monster/omfg what the gently caress is that it's gonna eat me AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Unless it's Flora, at which point the only reaction is FOOOOD! If I go in there they all follow me around and she tries to eat my shoes.
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Jul 29, 2012 23:02
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I've got to get mine to that point, right now it's "LOOK A HAND FOOD AHH RUN AWAY DANGER WAIT DID I SEE FOOD NO RUN AWAY". I guess that's to be expected with chicks, though. This thread is making me want to get more chickens for the coop (that I need to rebuild). 
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Jul 30, 2012 01:13
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^^^^ Ahaha, soooo typical!Chido posted:Something in your hand = chicken death trap/monster/omfg what the gently caress is that it's gonna eat me AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Especially since I carried them out in a big armload and without thinking, dropped them on the ground about 10 yards from the coop. Total panic.
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Jul 30, 2012 02:04
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VS after your two hatches this year do you think you have a good handle on the appropriate conditions you'll need to do next year's hatch?* *Please do hatch please do a hatch 
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Jul 30, 2012 02:57
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I posted this in Chickam 2012 previously. Talking about Bloop and nesting spots, in this video, is this typical behavior of a rooster? I hope this link works. http://youtu.be/ObIfPlirLvA Is the rooster trying to comfort her or protect her or waiting to mate again!
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Jul 30, 2012 04:55
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The rooster seems to try and help her nest/protect her. The scratching he did when he got behind her looks like what hens do when they prepare a nest, and I know roosters do prepare nests for hens, or call them when they find a nice spot for them to lay.
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Jul 30, 2012 05:07
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Kerfuffle posted:VS after your two hatches this year do you think you have a good handle on the appropriate conditions you'll need to do next year's hatch?* We have a better idea of the new and different conditions here and what it takes in both incubation procedures and eggs we will use--likely no more sea level eggs for us, we'll try and stick with local eggs...unless there is a breed (Quail Bantams & Pekin Cochins) that we just cannot resist. I'm determined to have both of those. The new incubator that 12_String is planning I think will help a lot, too. No matter what, there will be a hatch! Probably around Easter (depending on when the girls come back into lay after winter), that worked out pretty well.
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Jul 30, 2012 08:25
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Cute little girls with cute baby chicks!  My little cheepers are growing so fast, I will try to get some more pictures soon.
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Jul 30, 2012 15:10
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So any ideas on what Weird Chicken might be? Or were the videos too crappy? She was hanging out with us in the milk barn this morning, enjoying the fan and spilled food.
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Jul 30, 2012 16:21
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Suspect Bucket posted:So any ideas on what Weird Chicken might be? Or were the videos too crappy? She was hanging out with us in the milk barn this morning, enjoying the fan and spilled food. It's hard to see in the video, any facial tufts, feathers on the legs, etc? Looks like she could be an ameraucanas, they come in a variety of colors. Or she could be a mixed breed chicken! Oh, has she laid any eggs, if so, what color?
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Jul 30, 2012 17:12
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Suspect Bucket posted:So any ideas on what Weird Chicken might be? Or were the videos too crappy? She was hanging out with us in the milk barn this morning, enjoying the fan and spilled food. Perhaps it's a ghetto hen that's a mix of something like a Leghorn and a Silkie?
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Jul 30, 2012 19:35
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Greycious posted:Cute little girls with cute baby chicks! There are too many layers of cuteness to count.
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Jul 30, 2012 19:44
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Suspect Bucket posted:So any ideas on what Weird Chicken might be? Or were the videos too crappy? She was hanging out with us in the milk barn this morning, enjoying the fan and spilled food. It looks as if she has gray legs--if so she may be part Easter Egger...I don't see any facial tufts or a thick cape so I don't think she's Americaunas. She has an odd body & neck tho, looks like a stocky Cornish or Silkie type body with a long snakey neck. Did you say she has black skin? What are her feathers like, are they a bit hairlike like a Silkie's? Maybe she is a Silkie/Leghorn cross...? Can you get some good still photos of her? Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 19:48
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How has it taken me this long to find the chicken thread!? I'll whip up a proper post once I get some recent photos of my dudes, but for now I've got a couple questions. I've not read through the whole thread (yet!), so I'm not sure if it's been covered. I've got three pullets (Barred Rock, Orpington, Welsummer) and a cockerel (Ameraucana   ), all 3mos old, and then separately I have two pullets (Australorp, Andalusian), both 2.5mos old. I wanted specific breeds, and the ag store got them in at different times. I've been trying get them used to one another during the day while maintaining separate sleeping quarters until they sort out some semblance of a peck order, but it isn't working. They're all about the same size now, so the larger birds are less... predatory? towards the younger ones, but the little ones have NO IDEA how peck-order fighting works. Instead of putting up their dukes or running away, they just cower and squawk as the others peck mercilessly at their eyes. How do I integrate them in a way that ends with all my hens remaining sighted? The Welsummer (current low bird on the totem pole) is the worst aggressor, which makes perfect sense.Edit: I found that increasing their territory helped a LOT, and at least the tinies have a place to escape to now, but generally in the late afternoon/early evening the larger birds get a collective hair up their butts and decide that they need to hunt the tiny guys RIGHT NOW, FOREVER. I noticed on one of the first few pages Chido mentioned some way to assert dominance learned from Velvet Sparrow - could either of you ladies expand on that, or point me at a good writeup? I've got Storey's Guide to Chickens and it's an amazing resource, but the only suggestions they've got on flock integration is "don't." Secondly, how do I convince my chickens that being vegetarian is lame? They want nothing to do with worms or slugs (I'm told that chickens are supposed to go apeshit over both), and I want them to have a varied diet, dammit! When they were chicks they loved mealworms, but they seem to have lost the drive. The best they do is eat all my bees <  >
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Aug 1, 2012 08:22
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Chicks and chickens will peck at each other until they have things sorted out. I went through the same last year and VS explained to me that that's part of the process. As heartbreaking as it sounds, let them hang out together until they sort it out.I also kept separating my chicks until VS made me realize that me not letting them hang out together kept breaking the order they were trying to establish, so it'd take longer for all the squabbling to stop. What VS also told me is that you, as the head rooster or hen (don't know what gender you are sorry XD), you have to teach those chicks who the boss is. If they fight in front of you, use your hands to separate them gently from each other. If they keep going at it, do it again and chase the troublemakers around a bit so they learn their place. Here is VS's page about pecking order and dealing with roosters. http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickRoosters.htm We got lucky with Roostroyer, he's from a calm breed, and his personality is pretty calm, so we haven't had any issues with him. When we introduced him to our flock (only 3 pullets back them), they were about 10 weeks old, and we kept the pullets inside the coop, and Roo outside for a few days. They could see each other but not really harm each other. At night I'd put Roo with the pullets inside the coop so they'd all sleep together. When I started to let everybody together, Megatron, one of my smallest pullets, kicked Roo's butt and showed him who the boss was... and that was until Roo because a horndog and started to show them who the boss is supposed to be  .If you are concerned about the pecking getting too out of hand, or can't be outside for long with the chickens because of irl duties, then you could make a division in your run so the chickens can see each other and get a chance to peck at each other through the wire, but not really cause harm. That will give them time to get used to each other without getting hurt, and I strongly suggest to put all of them together to sleep as soon as the sun is down and they are all sleepy. If you are willing to also get up early at dawn to let them out, you can wake them up and put them in their enclosures as soon as the sun is up. Now, if your cockerel turns out to have a nice docile dispositin towards yu, you'll find out having a rooster is pretty useful. Roo breaks hen fights, watches over them as they eat and keeps an eye for hawks. My hens follow him everywhere now because he's always looking for treats for them
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Aug 1, 2012 08:38
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Muffy, yeah, YOU are the Head Roo. Your actual gender doesn't matter, YOU are in charge and that's final. Tolerate no senseless pecking and defend 'your' babies--but at the ages they are now, they should all be considered equals. If you have been seperating them and then putting them back together, stop. It sends a mixed message. They all need to be thrown together and work out their issues, but do make sure they have plenty of room--overcrowding and boredom can cause pecking. Also give them goodies to eat together (it reinforces the flock bond) and redirects pecking. A cabbage hung by a string is great, it moves when pecked and offer entertainment as well as food and a target for pecking. You'll find once they settle down that there will always be some squabbling, it's normal. When we hear an uproar we automatically scold them and they quiet down. Chickens thrive on drama and must always have something going on...we've had two hens that lived together peacefully for years suddenly decide they HATE each other and will fight constantly for a week, then just as suddenly everything is fine again. Chicken weirdness.Breed personalities as well as individual personalities make a difference as well, Orps are normally gentle and friendly--except mine, our Buff Orp Betty is the Queen Unfriendly Bitch of the World, grumpy and dislikes people. Although just in the last month (at the age of 6 years) or so she's suddenly decided that our daughter is her special friend and jumps in her lap. So dominant or aggressive breeds mixed with more docile ones can be an issue. I've got more pointers here, I highly recommend doing the Meet & Greets, they reinforce the fact that YOU are in charge, and after a few you'll find the behavior sticks: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickIntroducingNewBirdsToFlock.htm And here: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickHensBroodiesChicks.htm (scroll to the bottom) Chicken psychology: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickBehavior.htm More on chicken psychology from Shilala, he addresses roos here but it applies to any bully: http://shilala.homestead.com/roosters.html As to the worms & slugs--my chickens wouldn't touch a slug with a ten foot pole, and only SOME of them eat earthworms--my roo Phoenix would only take them from me if I scraped all the dirt off them first, them he turned right around and quickly gave them to a hen, practically spitting them out.  Live mealworms from the pet store are like chicken crack, I'm surprised yours have lost interest. Maybe try live crickets...? They may excite them more. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 01:12
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After watching Velvet Sparrow's baby chicks for a while, I think that putting some half-ears of raw corn cob in with the chickens is a great way to establish the food bond in the flock. They all peck on the corn (and not each other, usually) and they all have to get in close together to eat the corn cobs (thus getting them close and directing their pecking at the corn). But yeah, the chicks/chickens all need room so that the young ones can at least get away from the older ones. When VS was keeping this year's Chickam chicks in her dining room (see the Chickam 2012 thread in GBS), she had some chairs over in the corner and the babies could run and hide under the chairs where it was harder for the bigger chicks to get at them. As the weeks passed, the smaller chicks were slowly integrated into the flock of older/bigger chicks (who were about a month older).
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Aug 2, 2012 01:52
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You ladies rock, these are some awesome suggestions! (And Chido, I'm female - in case the painted finger and toenails in the following photos aren't enough of a clue  ) I've not been nearly as aggressive with my roo as Shilala suggests, and he does seem to see me as top banana. Should I start being more strict with him (only letting him eat after the hens do, etc) lest he get grumpy, or is it more a case of "if he were going to get grumpy, you'd know by now"? So far he's exceptionally chill. If I look like I'm chasing him he'll avoid me, but he tolerates being cuddled and will nip at my shirt if I'm sitting in there just chilling with the dudes. He doesn't hop into my lap or anything like the girls do. He'll also do the stare-and-lazily-flap thing whenever I come out onto the porch.Taking all of your advice into account, my plan is this: Work on cuddling the little girls until they get comfortable with being handled regularly (I socialized them much less than the larger birds when they were still chicks, so they're fairly flighty  ) and work to solidify my Head Roo position, then do one meet'n'greet per day for a week, then glom everyone into one big flock and keep on top of them until they settle into their new peck order. Concerns: Is it bad to do a meet'n'greet with one tiny at a time? They're both very attached to one another, and whenever I split them up - even if they're in sight of one another - they start freaking out and doing the alarm call. My instinct is that abandonment stress will sort of hamper the effectiveness of the meet'n'greet (or is it mostly beneficial for the larger aggressor birds?). The Andalusian is much cleverer and more slender than the rest of the birds, and is excellent at flying (she can actually gain altitude!), and as such has taken to simply slipping through/over the fence whenever she feels threatened by the other birds (which is always). Clipping her wings will help, but making the fence impenetrable will be difficult. Running at a good pace, she can pop through the fence without even slowing down, whereas even the smallest of the rest of the birds (roughly the same weight as she is!) can't even squeeeeeze themselves through. Should I wait until she gets bigger, or just keep tossing her back into the enclosure whenever she escapes? Or when she escapes, confine her someplace (not the coop) so it reinforces the idea that staying in the enclosure = freedom = awesome? The coop is 4'x6' (with space planned for 4 nest boxes and two 4' roosts, yet to be installed), and their fenced area i'd say is about 350-400sf? Speaking of, from wayyy back: WrathofKhan posted:As far as smart chickens go, my Blue Andalusian, Inara, is pretty bright. Now for my birds!   Batman, my Alpha-hen Barred Plymouth Rock   Wexter, my Ameraucana roo (He has a beard! It almost makes up for all those blue eggs I won't be getting. Almost.  ) Chipmunk, my Welsummer (named because as a chick she had exact chipmunk patterning)  Mae West, the ditzy airheaded Orpington  Boogers, the bookish and shy Black Australorp  Stella, the escape artist Blue Andalusian (who I'm considering renaming Inara) with gorgeous iridescent blue earlobes Finally, their coop/run and some butts at the watering hole:   I love my little yard-dinosaurs
Muffy_the_Diver fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 03:12
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Your chickens are so pretty! Also, I think you don't have to be overly hard on the roo if he's already chilled with you. Roostroyer has been a bit of a pain sometimes because he's really into surprise sex (ugh), and when he was younger he was pretty much a brute. Lots of hugging and cuddling do help keep him in check, because we don't put him down when he wants to, I put him down only if he stops struggling, and if he gets too annoying and chasing the hens too much in the afternoon, I come out and chase him away until he gets the idea. Still, I must give credit where credit is due. VS for teaching me about how to keep chickens, and my nieces for inadvertently taming the chickens. Roo is so used to being manhandled that the girls can and do dress him up, and he never fights back. Edit: since you have a large open run, and I assume you lock the chickens safely at night inside their coop, you could try adding some chicken wire to your net, so the chickens can't get out. If your yard perimeter is not fenced and the net I see in your pictures is the only thing that separates the chickens from the big outdoors, I'd suggest you invest in some more welded wire fencing to help prevent having your run turn into a predator all-you-can-eat buffet. I know it will take time and money, but you can start little by little, and if you add some bushy plants to the run (hey can be in pots) you'll be giving the chickens extra hiding place from hawks  .
Chido fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 03:26
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I have no idea what this is about besides chickens. So. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amQOttk-NmE
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Aug 2, 2012 05:08
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omg her dark brahmas are so pretty! I want a dark brahma hen but MPC doesn't sell them .
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Aug 2, 2012 05:57
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Chido! You forgot to tell Muffy_the_Diver the most important way to discipline roosters! Build-A-Bear outfits!
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Aug 2, 2012 18:44
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Exactly what Chido said...go with your gut when taming your roo, if he doesn't require chasing or holding him off the food, no need to do it. I never had to do it with mine. Most roos are pretty chill. I'd do the meet & greets with all the chickens at once, but stay RIGHT THERE to defend 'your' babies. Don't forget to praise the grumpy older girls when they are good, they will be jealous and have hurt feelings, little drama queens. And yeah, gorgeous chickens! But the large-gap wire makes me nervous, predator and disease-carrying varmitwise...I'd strongly suggest running another course of wire with smaller openings...not chicken wire tho, it's made to keep chickens out of gardens, not as a predator-safe chicken home building material. Welded-wire hardware cloth is the way to go. VVVVV This picture REALLY needs to be sent in to a magazine! Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 23:12
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Inveigle posted:Chido! You forgot to tell Muffy_the_Diver the most important way to discipline roosters! Build-A-Bear outfits! How could I have forgotten that!? Muffy, all roosters are dainty little princesses at heart, so if you want your cockerel to be a sweetheart, let him have his sweet 16 (weeks) Roostroyer had his: 
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Aug 3, 2012 00:51
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CHIDO! That IS my favorite picture of the Roo boy! I forgot how cute he can be in addition to his macho act! I LOVE that video of his bed time. Thank you for sharing your chickens with me! Poor Rusty, looks like a little ragamuffin! Bless her heart. She needs a kevlar protection suit! Chido, check out this youtube channel - Brahma hens - other colors that are also beautiful! http://youtu.be/pRezKxkuUqM They must have more varieties available in the UK than we do here in the US. piscesbobbie fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 3, 2012 01:31
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Lucifer deciding if he wants to kill the camera or not.(he tried)  Potato the pullet  A few silkie pullets. (Grey,Buff,White,Splash)     Grey pullet was trying to catch a bug.  Cricket the white pullet has cantaloupe juice on her beard.   These pictures made me realize I need to mow again.
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Aug 3, 2012 01:59
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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Tim the Enchanter posted:Lucifer deciding if he wants to kill the camera or not.(he tried) OMG Tim the Enchanter, those birds are beautiful. Lucifer looks menacing as usual! Lucifer is the one that killed the possum, right? Potato is adorable. Thank you for sharing pictures of your birds!
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Aug 3, 2012 02:40
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Lucifer looks so badass, he lives up to his name in actions and just that look of pure hate in his eyes. Now, time for another chick photo dump! Finally! They are about 10 days old now. Please excuse the poo here, they were cleaned out just after these pictures:  Hmmm, I wonder which one the bantam is?!    This buff orpington is the sweetest and largest of them all.   But this little bantam has stolen my heart too  CHEEP  
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Aug 3, 2012 03:40
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GREYCIOUS - I am so jealous - your chickies are soooooo cute!
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Aug 3, 2012 03:48
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Greycious: Loving the chick pics! That bantam is too cute! Tim: All your birds are beautiful. Love the canteloupe beard on the white one. Here's a video of "my" rooster from this past weekend. He's got the crowing thing down now (a little too well according to my friend). He has also started defending the hens from my friend's dog, who used to enjoy chasing them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEqYK0IFQOk And here is one of our hens jumping to get peanuts from my husband. Peanuts are apparently chicken crack. Also cherries. One of the little bastards stole a cherry right out of the pitter while I was pitting them on the back porch last week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IoZ81F5Bi0 And a few pictures: Our first (almost) dozen eggs, with one XL egg from a friend  The roo with his buddy, the Easter Egger (she gave our friends her first egg this week!)  And some silly ones from fooling around with a new app on my phone: They are clearly terrified of Rusty  Still waiting on an egg from this slacker 
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Aug 3, 2012 06:19
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Greycious posted:CHEEP Rooster! 
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Aug 3, 2012 07:39
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Rooster! OMG are you sure? drat that boy is gonna have some big girls to "sit" on 
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Aug 3, 2012 07:51
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Saying that, I'm not sure my last batch of hatchees aren't ALL roosters I know Ruth is... Somebody's gonna have to go to the petting zoo.
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Aug 3, 2012 11:01
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Rooster!  Seriously? Please don't be. I can't keep roosters where I am and I just love this little thing.Seabright hens and roosters have the same feathering. Ceridwen those eggs look so pretty together!
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Aug 3, 2012 13:17
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Chido posted:OMG are you sure? drat that boy is gonna have some big girls to "sit" on That would be hilarious though.
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Aug 3, 2012 13:18
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Nettle Soup posted:Saying that, I'm not sure my last batch of hatchees aren't ALL roosters OH NO!!!!!!!!!!! Serious? Nettle Soup how are the chicks/chickens doing? Have you integrated both flocks now?
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Aug 3, 2012 14:58
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The big hens and the big chicks are in together. I still have to put them to bed at night, they all roost on the roof like that picture I posted in the chickam thread. The little chicks are still way too small and are in the enclosed run.
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Aug 3, 2012 15:04
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Thank you for the update Nettle Soup - I love the picture of your peeps.
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Aug 3, 2012 15:12
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My mother is, supposedly, going to gather her hens this month sometime. I'll basically be left with Prissy (buff orpington with a crossed beak), Lucille (lovely blue orpington who follows me around), and Shemp (buff orpington roo). I'll probably keep an eye out for a couple of pullets or just get some chicks if I can in the spring. Something about that's been making me think a little about the two "cultures" I have going on between what is, sort of, two different flocks. On one side of the fence I have Rufus, an Ameraucana rooster, in with the girls. On the other side is three roosters named Curly, Larry, and Shemp. Curly and Larry are both barred rocks. What I've come to notice is that the hens and Rufus tend to be very excited, very social, and thrilled to get treats and the Stooge bachelors tend to freak the gently caress out about every little thing. On treat day, the hens and Rufus swarm to the gate, jostling for position, and mill around excitedly over every little tidbit. The Stooges tend to ignore treats until I'm well and gone and might not finish them until the next day. Similarly, when I water them, the hens gather excitedly to play in puddles and poke in the mud for anything edible. The Stooges just eye me like I'm up to no good. While the hens will generally come over to great me, only Shemp will do so over at the bachelor pad. All that separates these two groups of birds is some chicken wire. They were raised together and only divided up a couple of months ago. I somewhat wonder if me enforcing my status as the "head roo" has anything to do with this. Maybe I just have three rear end in a top hat roosters. I don't know, but it's pretty amazing to see how differently they react to the exact same treats, activities, and me. tokomon fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 3, 2012 22:12
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