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Beautiful chicks, congrats on finally having chickens!  Yeah, they are gonna outgrow that tub pretty darned quick. If you can swing a larger brooder box with a wire window, or some way they can see outside the box, it really helps keep them from getting bored and helps get them socialized with people.
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Nov 14, 2012 01:34
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Sorry guys I haven't posted much lately, been kinda busy with school and work. I've been taking some pictures of Waffle and Pancake, and omg Pancake is so fluffy! She's not as heavy as Waffle, her body reminds me a lot of Roo with his prominent breastbone, so I really hope she's not a he I like her a lot  .
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Nov 14, 2012 01:40
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Inveigle posted:Awww. These babies are so adorable! I like the photo of them all heads-in together. I can only assume they are eating something yummy. They were eating some starter I sprinkled on the bedding so they could scratch. I love watching them scratch like big chickens at only a week old, it is  At the moment our computers are in the big house and the chicks in the little house, we can't get internet up there yet. AT&T has no ports and cableone doesn't run this far out. So we are going to run a line from the big house's modem to the little house's router and get hooked up so we don't have to trek down the hill to use our computers. I'm not sure of the timetable on that but if we can find the wire it will be by this weekend and we may just hook up the webcam. VS we are headed out now to get them more food, wow do they eat a lot already! And some feeders, the water bowl we are using gets messy too fast. And also to see if they have hardware cloth, I'm sure they do, so I can get the new box started. I leave the tv on for them when we are out and I think they like it, it's up high enough for them to see it. I've been watching the spotted one a lot and he really is acting like a roo already! He raises up to look at me, walks up and down the side of the box eyeing his reflection, and has been looking at the top edge of the box as if it were a challenge. And some of them have different markings on their wings, so I'm not sure they are all pure black copper marans but I don't care. Maybe it will help me tell them apart when they are grown, haha. Chido reading your post made me laugh so hard, "Pancake is fluffy and not as heavy as Waffle," now we have to get breakfast too while we are out.  I hope you don't have another roo also. One is enough!
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Nov 14, 2012 18:16
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Hyper J posted:Chido reading your post made me laugh so hard, "Pancake is fluffy and not as heavy as Waffle," now we have to get breakfast too while we are out. Get some chicken and waffles. It's a popular breakfast in the Southern states. 
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Nov 14, 2012 19:11
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PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEPEPEPEPEPEPEPE    My day old Blue Splash Marans arrived today from MyPetChicken.com! Much thanks goes to Velvet Sparrow for her help in answering a thousand questions. They are currently trying to fuse into one mega-bird as they huddle under their heat lamp. Not sure how well the third picture shows it, but they have feathered feet and legs! Well, two of them do. Third one doesn't have even a hint of it. Any idea why? e: OH GOD WHAT DO I NAME THEM US Foreign Policy fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Nov 15, 2012 |
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Nov 15, 2012 01:11
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AWWWWWWW CUTE CHICK OVERLOAD! Thank you for the baby chick pictures to all of you! I've been inundated with email and catalogs to pre-order for Spring delivery already! Decisions to be made - YIKES. How can I decide, there are so many amazing breeds to choose from!  
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Nov 15, 2012 03:01
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Absolutely. We demand to see this bantam pup. Alongside a chicken. This endeavor was tragically delayed by a horrible, no-good, very bad cold, but eventually, all experiments must proceed for  . First we must sniff butts  Participants appear unwilling to interact   So some amount of coersion is needed, which neither party approves of   However some are more disapproving than others (she pecked him right before each of these pics, he is begging me to save him)   The girls are doing well with living outdoors, but we still sometimes bring them inside on particularly cold nights, which they appreciate. They have their own run and coop, still partially under construction, but it's warm and cozy for them.    Annnd as of today, we now have a turkey! As well as an Amercuana, Cuckoo Marans and black Sex-Link chick, so four new fuzzies in total. Pics will be forthcoming. Does this mean we've advanced to chicken calculus? 
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Nov 16, 2012 04:02
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Captain Foxy posted:This endeavor was tragically delayed by a horrible, no-good, very bad cold, but eventually, all experiments must proceed for Is that a type of silkie? I love the poufy topknot on her head. Also, your poor dog does NOT look happy at all. Been pecked a few times, I guess.
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Nov 16, 2012 06:14
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She's a bantam partridge silkie. The white one is a bantam Amercuana. Yeah, he's learned to leave them alone if they're outside, but they also produce delicious poop and he likes to eat their food, so he's content to mill around the coop and be abused for photos. 
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Nov 16, 2012 06:26
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Captain Foxy posted:This endeavor was tragically delayed by a horrible, no-good, very bad cold, but eventually, all experiments must proceed for Yesss!
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Nov 16, 2012 07:21
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Captain Foxy posted:She's a bantam partridge silkie. So you got a turkey! Just in time for Thanksgiving! 
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Nov 16, 2012 07:22
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Bash Ironfist posted:So you got a turkey! Next year is not a good year to be a turkey at this house but right now is pretty okay. The Dreaded Red Turk (our bourbon red chick) will be the guest of honor at our next Thanksgiving. Also, apparently turkeys are dumb enough that the chicks have to be kept with other species of chicks so that they find food and eat.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:27
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I wonder if heritage breeds of turkeys are smarter, since they're closer to the original wild birds. Wild turkeys are too smart. I think I've told this story before, but I knew somebody who took in a wild turkey chick (I'm trying to remember if she was injured, or what) and kept her with a flock of domestics. She had such obvious disdain for the other birds. And the people.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:45
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Yeah, heritage/heirloom breeds are generally smarter. Bourbon Reds are supposed to be the closest to wild turkeys genetically and have more common sense, hence my choice.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:51
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 The Dreaded Red Turk approves of her wild heritage. (She's the little blondie, the Amercuana chick is the big red one in the back)
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Nov 16, 2012 18:21
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Wake chickens up for photos. Left to right: Persia the Americuana, The Dreaded Red Turk the bourbon red turkey, Tarzan the Cuckoo Maran, and JD the Black Star.  Awkward birds.  okay we will eat now (the only one that scratches like a proper chicken is the tiny black star puff, go figure) 
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Nov 16, 2012 19:03
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HEY CAPTAIN FOXY I'm laughing so hard and I feel terrible, what kind of bantam dog is that with the chickens! Sorry, that poor little thing looks scared to death and I'm laughing, I'm going to go to hell when I die. Cute little doggie though!
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Nov 16, 2012 19:07
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Yaaay I bugged Pardalis into posting turkey pics! Piscesbobble, Keeper is a Pomeranian, a particularly useless breed of dog that exists only to be puffy and indignant. He's not really terrified, he's doing his best 'I hate you and all living things' look to show his disdain for being forced into pictures. He weighs about 5.5lbs, and could very easily be a Thanksgiving dinner replacement. If you want to laugh at more hilariously useless tiny dogs, check out the Yappy Rat thread. Pardalis posted:Awkward birds. fuuuuck youuuu we're teenagers
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Nov 16, 2012 19:31
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In another two weeks or so the really awkward stage of chickhood sets in. Also the Dreaded Turk will start to seriously work on that 'gangly' thing.  We currently have FOUR hens in the house due to nasty cold weather: Poof (the blind Polish) plus Boots, Moet and Bear (our Head Hen). The last three will all turn 11 years old in April, and are so old and creaky that we felt terrible subjecting them to the harsh weather (nighttime sub-freezing temps, wind and rain/snow). Moet in particular is looking extra old tonight, I'm not sure how much longer we'll have her. They go out to the coop in the morning once it warms up, after a proper breakfast with a few extra goodies, of course. Right now they are all sleeping in my bedroom. Bear has decided that the only place for her is perched on the footboard of my bed, to Hell with that towel-lined box the other three are sharing.
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Nov 17, 2012 07:53
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Velvet Sparrow posted:We currently have FOUR hens in the house due to nasty cold weather: Poof (the blind Polish) plus Boots, Moet and Bear (our Head Hen). The last three will all turn 11 years old in April, and are so old and creaky that we felt terrible subjecting them to the harsh weather (nighttime sub-freezing temps, wind and rain/snow). Moet in particular is looking extra old tonight, I'm not sure how much longer we'll have her. They go out to the coop in the morning once it warms up, after a proper breakfast with a few extra goodies, of course. Oh VS! Please take some photos of them! They all sound so cute! I particularly want to see pretty Moet and Poof. I love their fluffly feathers.
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Nov 17, 2012 13:51
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VS that must be so difficult, they are very long lived chickens. I just watched the video on Ustream of Boots telling Bloop who is boss, that was so adorable. You truly take great care of your chickens, something that I hope to aspire to one day. My cat is 18 and acting like it's close to the end. My other cat lived to be 20 so I am feeling robbed, but it is old for a cat so the vet says. For my flock, do you think one chick per breed would work or should I get two of each breed. I'm thinking 4 to 6 hens. I would like a variety of breeds and egg colors. Your expert opinion please, thank you!
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Nov 17, 2012 15:44
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Moet has always been my favorite chicken since the Chickam I saw where she went broody. She's such an adorable fluffybutt. 
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Nov 17, 2012 17:11
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piscesbobbie posted:VS that must be so difficult, they are very long lived chickens. I just watched the video on Ustream of Boots telling Bloop who is boss, that was so adorable. You truly take great care of your chickens, something that I hope to aspire to one day. My cat is 18 and acting like it's close to the end. My other cat lived to be 20 so I am feeling robbed, but it is old for a cat so the vet says. There would be no problems about getting one of each breed, (unless you get day old chicks and you are unlucky about the one from the breed you really wanted being a roo). I'm not an expert, but I would aim for all of them to be around the same size and not mix breeds that are especially aggressive (like Rhode Island Reds) with ones that are especially docile (Favorelles or Polish). If unsure, err on the side of more space.
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Nov 17, 2012 19:39
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VS I'm sad to hear about your birds. They have had wonderful lives with you. I am worried about one of mine, the tiniest one is a peeper. She joins in the football games, and seems to eat and drink ok, but sometimes just stands there peeping loudly and looking really sad. I took her out and held her in a towel and got her really nice and warm with my hands, tried to feed her some warm applesauce from a spoon but she didn't like the spoon, and she eventually settled down and went to sleep on my lap. After a bit I put her back in the box and she buried herself under a couple other chicks and went back to sleep. I hope she just wanted some mommy time I had to make a bigger brooder box, because the biggest 2 chicks kept trying for the edges of the plastic one. So I got 6 fast food fry boxes and a napkin box that we used in moving, and hot glued/taped them all together into a nice strong box. Then my husband started getting up every morning and before having coffee, he goes outside and digs up some earthworms and grubs that are still hanging around. We get to watch them play football and I got some footage for you. I also gave them some warm unsweetened applesauce which they just loved, and that is the second video. Also, VS you joke about us peeling grapes for our birds, and spoiling them, but I did something yesterday I've never done in my life. I saw them pitifully trying to dust bathe in the pine shavings with no dust, so I got some dirt and ran it through a sieve, and then microwaved it! It was cold and slightly damp and I didn't want them to get cold or not be interested so I got it just a little bit warm, and then dumped it in a pile under one of the lamps. They went wild! They ate it and rolled in it and flung it everywhere, and I had to go get them more! I'm a little  over them!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAxCxLBP4aY&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unaIND1XKwM&feature=youtu.be
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Nov 17, 2012 19:39
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Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts...Moet is still with us this morning but is looking pretty low. She sat in my lap while I had breakfast, right now she's sitting in 12_String's lap while he plays Halo4. She is still eating & drinking but mostly she stands around looking ooooold. I told her I know how that feels some days. pisciesbobbie, I agree with what zeta said. And don't be surprised at all when you fall victim to chicken math and end up with 10 rather than 4-6 birds. We started out with 3 and thought that was all we ever wanted. Current chicken count: 42.
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Nov 17, 2012 19:59
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Does anyone else have guineas? My dad picked some up at a poultry auction and gave them to me. I'm just treating them like chickens for now but I really have no clue what to do with them. What are they even used for? My dad said gumbo. They're weird looking creatures. Bonus chicken stinkeye 
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Nov 17, 2012 23:22
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Disco Nixon posted:Does anyone else have guineas? My dad picked some up at a poultry auction and gave them to me. I'm just treating them like chickens for now but I really have no clue what to do with them. What are they even used for? My dad said gumbo. We have guineas. They eat ticks! They're great. They like more protein than chickens but otherwise I treat them just like my chickens. They have smaller, harder eggs but they're good to eat. The meat is supposedly dark and delicious but I don't eat mine; we use them for tick control and it works really great. They love to look at themselves so if you give them a mirror, they'll be happy. Otherwise they stand and look at their reflections in the windows and they scream quite loudly. They like to roost up high so I put high roosts in the barn for them and low ones for the chickens.
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Nov 18, 2012 02:42
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I had put a question out on youtube about Salmon Faverolle and I've had 3 responses back that they DO SOUND like Madeleine and Peaches. I think they are adorable looking but I worry about their "talking" voice pissing off neighbors. Decisions to make, YIKES!
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Nov 18, 2012 03:04
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piscesbobbie posted:I had put a question out on youtube about Salmon Faverolle and I've had 3 responses back that they DO SOUND like Madeleine and Peaches. I think they are adorable looking but I worry about their "talking" voice pissing off neighbors. Decisions to make, YIKES! Get a brahma, they are quiet and pretty friendly. Roo doesn't crow almost at all compared to the roosters in the area, and Pancake loves to be cuddled. Picture time! Pancake and Waffle are almost 9 weeks old now, and they are pretty much fully feathered. Most chickens are done molting and Flake the Leghorn is looking bad because she's finally molting.         The chickens have a roost inside their coop, but most of them prefer to sleep with Roo. I really need to expand the coop as soon as I have the time. 
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Nov 18, 2012 03:27
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CHIDO!! They are ADORABLE! Thank you for the picture update! AWWWWWW!
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Nov 18, 2012 03:45
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Roo spottin' the ladies early... Very pretty girls Chido! As for Salmon Favs--our Fav hen Rugger practically never makes a sound, but then she's deaf, so...but I would think that the 'Peaches' yowling would make itself known with her if it was a really strong breed trait, so maybe it's just the odd yowler here and there? For what it's worth. Rugger is so wonderful I'd love to have more Favs, she's awesomely friendly and calm. Who is 'Madeline'? You aren't withholding funny chicken vids, are you?  Edit: Ahahaha. Just realized that it looks like Roo is sniffing the chick's butts through the cage. VVVV Ah! Madeline is cute. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 10:12 on Nov 18, 2012 |
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Nov 18, 2012 05:00
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Roo spottin' the ladies early... I think I shared this before http://youtu.be/O57KvX4jFB4 She is so pretty Edit:; I am drawn to this cutie pie of a chicken so.... decisions decisions! Edit AGAIN when it comes to pets is it correct that first instinct is usually a good one? another video http://youtu.be/4bm6f_egKis piscesbobbie fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Nov 18, 2012 |
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Nov 18, 2012 06:22
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I have a question about when it would be safe to banish my chicks to the garage. I have four of them, a little over 2 weeks old now. I currently have them in a very secure cat-proof bin inside. It's about 2x3' so they're starting to look restless. The last batch I kept in a larger pen in the garage, but that was during the summer when it was in the 80's in there normally. It's been getting down into the 30's lately. I have a heat lamp and all but I worry about things like it breaking in the middle of the night. How old should they be so I know they'll be okay? Here's a pic of when I got them Mostly different varieties of Wyandottes. They're additions to my parent's flock since we lost a few to predators (they have a secure run now though so hopefully that won't happen again!)
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Nov 20, 2012 19:03
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Customer Service posted:Here's a pic of when I got them Why not make a larger pen for the chicks out of some old boxes taped together and keep them in the kitchen? 30-degree weather (even in a garage with a heat lamp) seems way too cold for very young chicks. Also, post more pics of the little cuties.
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Nov 20, 2012 19:17
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Customer Service posted:I have a question about when it would be safe to banish my chicks to the garage. How cold do your winters normally get? I don’t know what you should do because while chickens can acclimate to very cold weather, acclimate is the key word. The usual advice is you can lower the temp by 5 degrees per week. If they are 2 weeks old they would still need temps at least in the low 80’s. In a couple weeks they would be able to take ambient room temperature, but it’s a big jump from that to 30’s. Is there a way you can regulate the temperature so they are slowly subject to temps in the 60’s, 50’s then 40’s, etc? Mine were shipped on August 8th and when I brought them outside in September they were fully feathered and it was still mild and were outside constantly as our days got shorter and colder, and right now at the crack of dawn they are outside in the run even if there was a frost.
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Nov 20, 2012 19:52
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Ditto what Zeta said...at two weeks old they aren't feathered out enough, and heat lamps can burn out, power can fail in the middle of the night while you are asleep, etc. Since there are only 4 of them they couldn't huddle together and stay warm enough to survive. Better safe than sorry. I'd say at around 6 weeks they should be OK to go to the garage with a heat lamp. I can empathize with you on the inconvenience & mess of having chicks in the house, tho. But time will pass and they'll go out soon! Also, pictures of geeky half-feathered chicks, please!
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Nov 20, 2012 21:11
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Inveigle posted:Why not make a larger pen for the chicks out of some old boxes taped together and keep them in the kitchen? 30-degree weather (even in a garage with a heat lamp) seems way too cold for very young chicks. Hah, I can try! They move so fast and the flash doesn't work on this camera half the time, so this was the best I could get out of twenty shots...  They're starting to get that gangly teenage look. Unfortunately the kitchen and upstairs are the domain of the dog and my brother's cats, and I have two cats downstairs. I can handle the chicks being inside (I even rigged up a filter fan to cut down on dust- I learned my lesson last time!) but the issue is making something big enough that is also cat-proof. ...I have a sort of unorthodox idea using the stand under my tortoise table, it's a 4x4' space I could enclose with wire, so would that be enough til they're 6 weeks?
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Nov 20, 2012 21:30
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Customer Service posted:
If the table you have is sturdy with straight legs, then you could enclose it with wire by wrapping the wire around the legs of the table. Of course, you'd need to be able to pull open the wire a few times a day to put in food/water. Would your cats try to stick their paws through regular-size chicken wire? Hardware cloth would be better but it's more expensive. I'm not sure how high your tortoise stand table is, but if you need to, you can wrap one roll of wire around the table and then wrap a second row above it. I seem to recall that some wire is sold in 1-foot-high rolls. Use hardware cloth for the bottom row of wire and then the cheaper chicken wire for the top? Are cats desperate enough to try to tear wire apart or would they just be content to watch the chicks? You'd have to make it sturdy enough if a cat got curious enough to try to strong-arm the wire. You could also place some cardboard pieces along the bottom of the wire (on all four sides) to keep the chicks from kicking stuff out of the cage. Also, please set up a webcam. We're bored and want to watch your chicks.
Inveigle fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Nov 20, 2012 |
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Nov 20, 2012 21:40
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Good ideas! I actually just bought some hardware cloth so that should work, I can staple it to the legs (it's just cheap 2by4s so nothing I can't put some holes in) I can probably build a simple door too... And if I can find a long enough usb extension cord I'll see about setting up the webcam 
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Nov 20, 2012 21:59
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Heatlamps tend to burn out when you least expect it, makes sure you have a spare bulb on hand, they're pretty temperamental. Flora just died. ._. Sunday, Twilight died, I went out and she'd had a funny turn, but she'd done that before and a couple of hours in the house had perked up her up again to being fine. Then Flora had a rattly chest and I bought her inside, she was still eating a bit but if I tried to give her water it just seemed to make her worse. I just went down for the morning check and she was dead.  I've bought some Coxid, dunno if it's that, I haven't seen any blood in her droppings and there's a lot of them covering the bathroom floor right now, but I'm seriously sad Why is it always your favourites...
Nettle Soup fucked around with this message at 11:17 on Nov 21, 2012 |
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Nov 21, 2012 11:10
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