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Our rooster Jack once captured and swallowed an entire, HUGE Alligator lizard right in front of me before I could leap to stop him. He enjoyed it very much and looked quite pleased with himself.  His son, Phoenix, once found the torso of one (apparantly a rotting, zombified, discarded crow snack) and I had to chase him around and take it away.For those that don't know them, Alligator lizards are fuckoff huge and MEAN. They'd just as soon bite the poo poo outta you as look at you.
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Jan 6, 2013 13:55
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| # ? May 31, 2024 11:18 |
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One of my Barred Plymouth Rocks left me a present on Monday! This is actually the second egg (pictured on left). I got one on Saturday and I was super excited, I brought it in, put it on the counter to take a picture. As I was getting an egg from the fridge to compare it, it rolled off the counter top and crashed on the kitchen floor. They arrived exactly 5 months ago yesterday.
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Jan 9, 2013 18:44
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Zeta Taskforce posted:One of my Barred Plymouth Rocks left me a present on Monday!  yay!Going to make yourself a fried egg?
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Jan 9, 2013 19:37
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Zeta Taskforce posted:One of my Barred Plymouth Rocks left me a present on Monday! Congratulations!
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Jan 10, 2013 02:49
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Yay for your Barred Rock's pullethood! Barred Rock eggs are the best, our BR Linc is laying eggs that are very nearly purple.  Speaking of last year's chicks, the other day we got Rose out for some pics.  She was NOT impressed with the snow, and just stood there, confused and refusing to walk through it. Silly Rose! 
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Jan 10, 2013 08:36
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Silly Rose! Haha, I love your poor chook's confused face  and congrats on the egg, Zeta!My two remaining chickens are really healthy now (even if losing my little one brought the whole intelligence of the flock down to rock-bottom), they're growing super fast and looking gorgeous.  Soon they'll be big enough to go out in the yard, but for now they've got a good chicken run they spend all day in. They spar a bit, but get along really well and the grey one cries if it can't see its Polish buddy. Speaking of which:  I don't know a whole lot about telling chicken genders, but I'm worried my Polish "pullet" is looking especially manly. It usually struts about with its tail up, and it loves to kick and spar the other one. Its comb and wattle are both coming in now, but it hasn't fully finished growing in its wing primaries, and it's getting bumps on its leg where spurs might come in. It still peeps instead of making adult noises, so I figure I'll probably have to wait a few months to know for sure, but does anybody know much about telling the gender of Polish chooks?
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Jan 10, 2013 09:15
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Silly Rose! Awww. Rose looks so indignant that you would mistreat her so badly by putting her in the cold, evil snow! Poor chicken. What a sweet, fluffy face. I just love the pattern's on Rose's feathers. And she looks sooooo soft! Such cute headfeathers on your Polish chook, MissEchelon. I hope you don't end up with a roo!
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Jan 10, 2013 11:23
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MissEchelon posted:Haha, I love your poor chook's confused face How old are they now? Your Polish girl may well be a rooboy, but likely not going by the pics. Her tail & tail hackles are looking suspiciously long, shiny and pointed but stil kinda rounded. Rooboys have more of a 'thin and pointed' quality to hackle feathers. All Polish have upright tails tho. Also Polish roo crests tend to be quite spiky and stick up. Spur buds occur on hens AND roos though, so don't go by that. And our White Crested Black Polish hen, Poof, has spurs that are about 2 inches long that she has had all her life, for what it's worth. Got a better, close pic of the back of her head crest? Look for long, thin, shiny, pointed feathers there as further proof of roodom. Compare her to Polish roo pics on Feathersite: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Polish/BRKPolish.html Polish roos always remind me of Leopold Stokowski.
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 14:38 on Jan 10, 2013 |
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Jan 10, 2013 14:27
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Velvet Sparrow posted:How old are they now? She's between 3 and 4 months I think. At the moment, she's regrowing the entire back of her crest, so thanks for that info, I will keep an eye on her as she develops!
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Jan 10, 2013 21:46
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Today I had to give the chooks their last lot of worming tablets for a few months, so I had my sister over to give me a hand with that. And also to give me a hand with more hilarious matters.  Nooo Puffhead, sit still, you're ruining everything  Therrre we go 
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Jan 11, 2013 07:37
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I dont think my chickens would sit still for a tiny hat, only giant hats make them stop moving.
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Jan 11, 2013 07:53
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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^^^^ Your chickens ARE hats. Round, fluffy hats. Man, she looks SO very pissed in that first pic, and is clearly blaming YOU. We need more pics of chickens in lil' hats, outfits and accessories in this thread. I'll have to dig through the kid's toybox and round up some unwilling volunteers. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 09:14 on Jan 15, 2013 |
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Jan 11, 2013 08:50
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LOL! Hooray for more dressed chickens! That Canadian mountie hat is the best.  Velvet Sparrow posted:We need more pics of chickens in lil' hats, outfits and accessories in this thread. I'll have to dig through the kid's toybox and round up some unwilling volunteers. VS, find something sparkly to put on Poof and she can be a Vegas showgirl. 
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Jan 11, 2013 10:36
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More chickens in clothing. Got it! I went to my mum's for Christmas, and took with me the baby dresses that I put on my housemate's cat (to be fair, he loves it because he loves any form of attention). Mostly to put on her cats, but then it turns out her chickens wear the same size as the cats.  Aw, she's a pretty lady. Of course, just after that she flapped loose and ran off.... dress still attached  I think her friend is jealous  Action shot! She went a good clip in that thing, she was pretty hard to catch actually! And that mountie hat was surprisingly easy to get on my Polish. It stayed on while she looked around, as long as she didn't tilt her head down. Mx. fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Jan 11, 2013 |
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Jan 11, 2013 23:37
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More animals wearing hats please. Private Life Of Chickens has convinced me to pop out to the local chicken keeper and grab some fresh eggs. The factory ones are just so... tasteless. Epic Bacon Egg And Cheese incoming!
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Jan 12, 2013 10:47
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drat. Since the (thankfully unsuccessful) fox attack last August, we thought we were over the risk of any more in the garden. This morning one ran through at the bottom of the garden and had no trouble with the 6 foot fences on either side. It didn't seem to look around on its short time running through, and then being chased off by my other half (the hens were all on the back doorstep, trying to mooch treats), but after last time...
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Jan 14, 2013 12:10
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spookygonk posted:drat. Since the (thankfully unsuccessful) fox attack last August, we thought we were over the risk of any more in the garden. This morning one ran through at the bottom of the garden and had no trouble with the 6 foot fences on either side. It didn't seem to look around on its short time running through, and then being chased off by my other half (the hens were all on the back doorstep, trying to mooch treats), but after last time... Did you trap the last fox that was hanging around before? I guess you'll have to put a trap out again. I'm sure the fox knows the chickens are there even if he didn't see them this time -- he can smell them.
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Jan 14, 2013 12:21
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Inveigle posted:Did you trap the last fox that was hanging around before? I guess you'll have to put a trap out again. I'm sure the fox knows the chickens are there even if he didn't see them this time -- he can smell them.
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Jan 14, 2013 12:38
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spookygonk posted:That previous fox was trapped (he came back a week later to try again) and dispatched humanely by a pest control expert. A decision we didn't take lightly. That fox could have been the new fox's mate. Where there's one fox, there's usually two. And yeah, a six foot fence is nothing to a fox. They're as good as a cat when it comes to climbing stuff. It's lucky the new fox was spotted before it could grab more of your chickens.
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Jan 14, 2013 13:38
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OK, I've been spending time while snowed in and dealing with sub-freezing temps by cruising hatching egg auctions on ebay. We're not ready to order anything (Bantam blue laced red Wyandottes!!!  ) by a longshot, but some of the pictures people are posting of their chickens are hilarious. Some VERY put upon, confused, posed rooboys out there. But this one for Jersey Giants really made me giggle, the camera angle is perfect: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-2-Black-Jersy-Giants-chicken-hatching-eggs-/281050609967?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416febf92f Also, where's his...other leg...? http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Leiper-Gamefowl-Chicken-Hatching-Eggs-/281051598730?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416ffb0f8a Gangsta style auction title, seemingly normal description that quickly disintegrates to 'gently caress you': http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Bad-Azz-S...=item43b7a0bef8 Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Jan 15, 2013 |
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Jan 15, 2013 14:11
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Gangsta style auction title, seemingly normal description that quickly disintegrates to 'gently caress you': Ahahahahahaaaa! That last auction! It's like the Seller was having a rage attack while typing the description. I'm laughing so hard, but I also understand that Seller's frustration. I give them points for their auction title -- who wouldn't want a "Bad Azz Show Quality Silver Laced Wyandotte"?
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Jan 15, 2013 15:03
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These popped up in my facebook. I know nothing about the chickens or owner.  
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Jan 15, 2013 19:40
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That last photo is showing some MAJOR chickspicion! The rubber hen purses are listed on Amazon. White henbag for only $22! http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Chicken-Handbag-Pocketbook-Henbag/dp/B001G8N95I Brown henbag for $30. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...S584EWB70ZB40HX
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Jan 15, 2013 22:12
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Inveigle posted:That last photo is showing some MAJOR chickspicion! You all know what must be done!
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Jan 15, 2013 22:58
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If you get that you have to get the appropriate coin purse. http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Chick-Chicken-Wallet-Zipper/dp/B009KSR862/ref=pd_sbs_a_5
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Jan 15, 2013 23:33
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Gangsta style auction title, seemingly normal description that quickly disintegrates to 'gently caress you': Quoted because this ad will not last as long as the thread: quote:These are fresh and fertile. Collected daily . These are from first quality Silver Laced Wyandottes. Show Quality. Very large dosile and greatly marked birds. Great fertility rate. You are buying 8 eggs ..sorry the shipping is higher. It costs me that much to get your eggs to you safely. THESE EGGS ARE PACKED SAFELY AND SECURE AND ARE NOT IN ANY WAY GUARANTEED TO HATCH. ALSO DUE TO THE MANY THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN BETWEEN MY FARM AND YOUR INCUBATOR, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, AND I WILL NOT REFUND MONEY OR REPLACE BROKEN OR CRACKED EGGS I ONLY GUARANTEE THAT I HAVE BEEN HATCHING THESE SUCCESSFULLY MYSELF WITH GREAT HATCH RATE. BUYING HATCHING EGGS IS THE COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO OBTAIN NICE POULTRY WITHOUT THE HIGH COST OF LIVE BIRDS. IF YOU WANT A GUARANTEE THEN BUY LIVE BIRDS  Kind of stretching the term "show quality" too.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:56
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Did anyone notice those HUGE feet the third picture of the Silver Lace Wyandotte sitting on the roosting bar?
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Jan 16, 2013 02:56
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piscesbobbie posted:Did anyone notice those HUGE feet the third picture of the Silver Lace Wyandotte sitting on the roosting bar? My 2 roos and the largest of my pullets have feet that large already, they are quite strong and have strong legs too. They are about 10-11 weeks old now.
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Jan 16, 2013 04:49
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I'm worried about my leghorn, Flake. Her back is completely bald thanks to Roo, but it's been a few months already, the other hens have finished molting, and Flake has yet to grow any new feathers on her back. The front of her neck is bald too and the top of her wings, and I'm concerned that she doesn't show any indication of new feathers growing. I'm probably gonna modify her saddle to make it tighter on her body, so it protects her from the cold better. Is this normal?
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Jan 16, 2013 05:01
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Chido posted:I'm worried about my leghorn, Flake. Her back is completely bald thanks to Roo, but it's been a few months already, the other hens have finished molting, and Flake has yet to grow any new feathers on her back. The front of her neck is bald too and the top of her wings, and I'm concerned that she doesn't show any indication of new feathers growing. I'm probably gonna modify her saddle to make it tighter on her body, so it protects her from the cold better. Is this normal? Chido, grab her and check her out. If she isn't growing feathers, it could be that her body is already working hard on something else, like fighting parasites--feel her keel, is she skinny? Comb/wattles pale or shrunken? I recently rewormed a few of my hens who weren't thriving (and I strongly suspected worms) and were skinny, including Rambo, my buff Brahma, who also hadn't regrown feathers caused by over-roostering (everyone else had). It's only been about 10 days so I haven't seen any new feathers yet, but they are all MUCH perkier now. The front of her neck being bald is odd...is it from the feeder by any chance? Offer her some extra protein tidbits to help her grow feathers, too. You may have to isolate her till she grows the feathers back if she is a Roo favorite...
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Jan 16, 2013 10:59
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Reddit photo of cute hen with her egg that showed up on the front page this morning. Also from Reddit: amusing photo of chickens dustbathing in a planter. I guess one did it and the others thought it was a great idea.  And an adorble young Frizzled rooster. He started crowing a few months later. 
Inveigle fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 16, 2013 12:01
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^^^^ Ahaha, the hens crowding in with the roo to dust bathe. My girls did this with poor Phoenix before we moved... It seems to be that the hens luuuuv their rooboy so very much that anything he does is A-OK with them! It started with just Phoenix at first, then some hens joined him. Because, you know, THIS dust bathing area MUST be the best, right?  I mean, it's not like there was a dirt shortage in my back yard.  After a while Phoenix started shooting me long-suffering glances...  Final count was 5 hens that crammed in there with him. Fran the buff Frizzle was being a butt, pulling his tail and comb.  He was such a good boy, he didn't care and just put up with it.
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Jan 16, 2013 18:18
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I've joined your ranks with a trio of what I hope are female Schweizerhühner. (Swiss chicken). They're surprisingly friendly, and I hope I can keep them alive until they lay eggs this spring.
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Jan 16, 2013 18:18
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Chido, grab her and check her out. If she isn't growing feathers, it could be that her body is already working hard on something else, like fighting parasites--feel her keel, is she skinny? Comb/wattles pale or shrunken? I recently rewormed a few of my hens who weren't thriving (and I strongly suspected worms) and were skinny, including Rambo, my buff Brahma, who also hadn't regrown feathers caused by over-roostering (everyone else had). It's only been about 10 days so I haven't seen any new feathers yet, but they are all MUCH perkier now. She doesn't feel skinny, her keel feels pretty much the same, and her comb is still the same size and bright red. Flake has never laid normal eggs, they are really big and the shape isn't exactly the normal one. I ordered EEquimaax today and I'm gonna deworm the flock as soon as I get it. I haven't seen any external parasites on any hen, but what can I use on the coop to make sure it stays parasite free?
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Jan 16, 2013 19:13
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Well, for cleaning the coop, I use a portable steamer--bugs can't develop a resistance to heat like they can chemicals. It's safe as long as you are careful not to burn yourself and banish chickens and small children from the immediate vicinity to avoid burning them. No chemicals and it dries really quickly. I use a small Scunci Steamer and pay attention to all the little gaps, cracks and crevices where bugs can hide. Any poop must be cleaned off roosts and other areas, if the steam can't reach the bare wood it likely won't work. You can also spray on Oxine, a strange little chicken-safe disinfectant chemical that is also great for respiratory infections, more about it here: http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm IF YOU USE THIS FOLLOW HER DIRECTIONS. It is possible to gently caress up, get the wrong stuff and harm your animals/self. Diatemaceous Earth or DE (food grade only) is used by some as a PREVENTATIVE measure, but once a bird is infested I'd go with worming them to make sure you kill the parasites as fast and thoroughly as possible. DE has it's pros and cons. Spraying the coop & birds with Adams Flea and Tick Mist, which is what I use for mite outbreaks. Stinks to high Hell, but works great. I recently saw the Adams mist at Big Lots for MUCH cheaper then I've seen it anywhere else. Other than that just good coop hygiene, which I'm sure you already practice.
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Jan 16, 2013 20:12
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Armed Neutrality posted:I've joined your ranks with a trio of what I hope are female Schweizerhühner. (Swiss chicken). They're surprisingly friendly, and I hope I can keep them alive until they lay eggs this spring. wow, those are beautiful chickens. Are you in the US? I only ask because there are a lot of beautiful/interesting breeds that are not available here! How old are your hens?
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Jan 17, 2013 13:20
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piscesbobbie posted:wow, those are beautiful chickens. Are you in the US? I only ask because there are a lot of beautiful/interesting breeds that are not available here! How old are your hens? I'm in Switzerland. I know of other Swiss breeds, the Appenzeller Spitzhauben and Barthühner for instance, that are available in the U.S, but I don't think the Schweizerhühner are, they're relatively rare. Franky, I'm not the biggest fan of white chickens, but I chose these because they can't fly at all (unlike the Barthühner), they're bred for this region so I don't really have to worry about frostbite and heaters and what not, and they're hybrid chickens, so once they stop laying their 200ish eggs per year, I could, in theory, process and eat them, which I now realize I'll never, ever be able to do. It snowed a shitload today so they seem pretty pissed off and spent the whole day in the coop, but I'll take more pictures soon enough and I'll post them.
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Jan 17, 2013 23:48
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Hi Armed Neutrality -- Your Schweizerhühners are very pretty! Please take some photos of your angry chickens in the snow! Do you have any roosters? or just hens?
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Jan 18, 2013 01:50
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Very pretty chickens, their heads with those brows and serious expressions remind me of Orpingtons.
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Jan 18, 2013 17:16
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The Schweizerhühner are really nice looking birds! I googled the name, to see if they were in the US at all, and since none of the pages were in English, I'm guessing no. Whenever someone from Europe or the UK post about their birds, I get serious chicken envy, since there are so many cool breeds and varieties that just aren't in the US. I know several people who have tried to raise Appenzeller Spitzhauben in the US, and they all found the ones in the US to be very weak and illness prone, probably because the ones in the US are so inbred.
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Jan 18, 2013 20:33
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