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Velvet Sparrow posted:Love all the fresh victims of chicken love here lately. THANK YOU! Thats just what I needed to hear.
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May 8, 2013 20:03
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One of the henss has runnig poop. I don't know which one it is, but it kinda looks like this one: http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/Aunt__Sally/Poo/Watery.jpg But less chuncky. I haven't seen any excess urates in it, nor it looks like the poop Baba and Roo would produce, but I'm a bit concerned. It was very hot last weekend, but we got rain for the last two days, and temperatures dropped to mid 70s, so I doubt the hen that poops like that is hot. 
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May 8, 2013 22:32
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I've been reading this thread for a while because my folks got some Rhode Island Reds a few years back. So now I wanted a few of my own. I wanted to get some any-breed-bantams (want something small/small eggs) and have been reading a lot of the backyardchickens forums looking for resources, which has already been a big help and got me to this point! But are there any websites that would ship like 3 chicks? I'm having trouble finding these suckers in non-bulk quantities. I'd take older pullets too. Is my best bet to just keep perusing the Florida craigslist? The reds when they were awkward:  
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May 9, 2013 02:56
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You could try mypetchicken.com, but be aware that things can happen and USPS might mess up the shipment. I ordered 4 chicks from them and they were very professional in their service, but the post office sent the shipment to Denver by accident, and by the time I got my chicks here in California, only one survived . MPC refunded the cost of my purchase.
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May 9, 2013 03:20
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You could also try Meyer Hatchery, they ship out three bantams while MPC ships out more than three bantams. Keep in mind however that bantams are usually unsexed which means that many or even all, could be roosters.
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May 9, 2013 05:04
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Chido posted:You could try mypetchicken.com, but be aware that things can happen and USPS might mess up the shipment. I ordered 4 chicks from them and they were very professional in their service, but the post office sent the shipment to Denver by accident, and by the time I got my chicks here in California, only one survived That just sounds as hell.
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May 9, 2013 06:12
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The girls go outside this weekend. Belinda, the largest, has finished cheeping and is now letting loose with some hysterical scratchy bokbokboks. I can't believe the Marans are almost 3 months old. They are so big! It's funny to hear the two little girls cheeping like crazy, Prissy doing little hoarse sounding cheeps and Belinda boking away.
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May 9, 2013 06:31
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Mypetchicken offers sexed bantams, which is nice. FWIW, I've ordered from both MPC and Meyer and haven't had a problem, so although what happened to Chido's chicks really and truly sucks, you don't have to worry about it too much. Unlike some of the other big hatcheries, which seem to have problems with delays, missed addresses and sickly chicks quite a bit. In other news, I'm going to (hopefully) have some Easter Egger chicks in a couple weeks. I hadn't planned on chicks this year, but Anya (the Barnvelder/California White mix) decided to go broody. And since I'm emotionally incapable of trying to break a broody hen, I got her some fertile eggs. She's been sitting on them like a champ for the past week, so I'm optimistic that some of them will hatch out.
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May 9, 2013 06:36
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WrathofKhan posted:Mypetchicken offers sexed bantams, which is nice. FWIW, I've ordered from both MPC and Meyer and haven't had a problem, so although what happened to Chido's chicks really and truly sucks, you don't have to worry about it too much. Unlike some of the other big hatcheries, which seem to have problems with delays, missed addresses and sickly chicks quite a bit. Yeah, the problem wasn't with MPC but with USPS, they are the ones who shipped the box to the wrong place . So it's something that can happen, it's rare and not the fault of the vendor,  .
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May 9, 2013 07:07
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Welp, leghorn chicken had a bad broken leg, and I let it go on long enough. Killed her last night.
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May 9, 2013 12:30
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unprofessional posted:Welp, leghorn chicken had a bad broken leg, and I let it go on long enough. Killed her last night. Oh dear, so sorry about the broken leg. So is this appropriate to ask, are you going to eat her?
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May 9, 2013 12:45
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I suppose I could've, but she was still pretty small, so I took her out into the field so she could feed something else.
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May 9, 2013 13:51
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Thanks everybody! Hopefully soon I'll be a chicken keeper and sorry to hear about that unprofessional
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May 9, 2013 14:18
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I also had no problems using Mypetchicken.com. Love the birds I got from them. I ordered 8 in total, all arrived in perfect health and were accurately sexed. Unprofessional, I wouldn't feed the local wildlife your dead chickens unless you're ready for them to start coming after your live ones too 
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May 9, 2013 14:24
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My mom mentioned offhand today that my stepfather is interested in getting chickens, and when I told her about this thread she asked if I would post and get some info for her. She lives in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which has relatively mild weather year-round (not super cold in winter, not crazy hot in summer). They do have a pretty healthy population of red and gray foxes in the area, so they want to build a sturdy enclosure (coop and run) and probably not allow the birds to free-range at all. Their soil is quite sandy and easy to dig down into, so I'm guessing they might need to pour a slab? Their local noise ordinances prohibit roosters, so she would want to go purchase her birds through a company that sexes the chicks. These would mostly be my stepdad's birds. He can build just about anything, so if there's a really awesome coop design you guys would recommend, have at it - he can make it happen. Some traits they would prefer: -Small to medium size - no big giant floofballs. They have a smallish yard and don't want it all taken up with their chicken enclosure. -Relatively quiet, so as not to get in trouble. -Friendly or at least neutral temperament. -Able to handle the weather (Average high in summer is 88, average low in winter is 40). I think my stepdad would be willing to do some fancy stuff with the coop for heating/cooling if necessary, but they'd prefer not to have to worry too much about the birds in terms of temperature. -Decent layers. It's just the two of them, so they don't need dozens and dozens of eggs a week. Is there a breed or breeds that I should recommend to them? I think they'll want four or five birds. I can't say if they'll fall victim to extreme chicken math or not - when we were kids my mom once allowed us to bring our household cat total up to 8 - but I suspect that the reality of their limited space will prevent it from getting too crazy. Hopefully if I can help them with their bird acquisition, I will get lots of lovely photos so I can enjoy vicarious chicken ownership
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May 9, 2013 16:57
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Bantam cochins are the way to go. Fair layers, insanely friendly, and good availability. Small enough that when they fall in love, they'll have room for more.
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May 9, 2013 17:46
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RazorBunny posted:Their soil is quite sandy and easy to dig down into, so I'm guessing they might need to pour a slab? It would probably be better for the birds (in terms of foraging) to instead pour a perimeter box that's dug down 1-2 feet, so the birds still have access to soil. If you're really worried, the bottom (under the soil) could be lined with hardware cloth - this would also help deter burrowing pests. I would also suggest supervised foraging; when I'm out doing yardwork I let my birds run around with me. They help keep the insect population down, and don't really destroy anything but freshly mulched/planted beds, and they get lots of health benefits from it as well. This helps cut feed costs, and all but the most cheeky predators will stay away when there's a human around. RazorBunny posted:-Small to medium size - no big giant floofballs. They have a smallish yard and don't want it all taken up with their chicken enclosure. As far as how vocal they are, there's some breed dependency but a lot of it has to do with the individual birds. The happier they are the quieter they are, on average. My birds can wake the dead if I don't let them out of the coop early enough in the morning, or if they're incensed that someone is taking up the nest box, or if the planets are properly aligned, or if I'm pointedly ignoring them. My absolute most complainy bird is my Welsumer, followed closely by my Barred Rock. My Orpington and Australorp will only complain if set off by the others, and my Andalusian (RIP) was silent as a mouse. This is a good starting point for breed research, and I would also check the breed chart in Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, which has handy guides for temperament, weight, production, cold-hardiness, heat tolerance, egg colour, among other things. That book has some really solid info, and is well worth the money. RazorBunny posted:-Able to handle the weather (Average high in summer is 88, average low in winter is 40). I think my stepdad would be willing to do some fancy stuff with the coop for heating/cooling if necessary, but they'd prefer not to have to worry too much about the birds in terms of temperature. RazorBunny posted:Is there a breed or breeds that I should recommend to them? I think they'll want four or five birds. Oh, and if you want them to be docile pets, forcibly cuddle them from a young age, and only let them go when they're being calm. If they struggle, wait until they stop and then tell them that they're a good bird and release them. My birds took a good year to get the hang of this, so be patient. And without a rooster, they'll look to you for guidance, so keep them in line when they're being unnecessary bullies (a sharp peck to the head is one thing, but continually chasing a particular bird around is bullying), and show them where tasty treats are, etc. 
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May 9, 2013 18:09
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I am trying to figure out how to hook my girls up with a dust bath. I tried using a shallow box my dad made for another purpose (it's about 3" deep and maybe 1 1/2' around), but they basically used it to poo poo in and not much else. We move them every two days or so to keep the grass fresh and growing for them, so it would need to be somewhat portable. Any ideas? I know they want to do it - it's hilarious when they sort of sag over sideways with their wings out and then are confused about how to continue.
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May 9, 2013 18:29
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Thanks for the advice. Any good links for coop designs? I know they've been posted in the thread, but it's gotten so huge...
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May 9, 2013 19:09
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RazorBunny posted:Thanks for the advice. Any good links for coop designs? I know they've been posted in the thread, but it's gotten so huge... You can check here: http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops These are all coop cataloged by size and most have instructions on how to build them. This is my favorite design http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/wichita-cabin-coop There are people who have even used old cars and horse trailers as coops, they just look awesome  there's also this breed chart online that give you basic information about chickens. http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html Chido fucked around with this message at 20:54 on May 9, 2013 |
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May 9, 2013 20:52
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My boyfriend and I just bought some acreage and a house with 3 outbuildings, one of which is a massive chicken coop (we had chickens when we lived in a different state, but had to give them up, so we were super excited to be able to get them again). The coop was in a terrible location, possibly the lowest, dampest point on our property and heavily shaded only gravel in front of it for the chickens to scratch around in, so we moved it with the help of our neighbors. We recorded a pretty goofy video of the process, which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9MrTfxLqho Also, we've finally got our new babies! We lost our Speckled Sussex chick, but I think she had omphalitis (she was a really funny shape and always kind of lackluster), but our two Rhode island Reds, our Americauna and our Silver Laced Wyandotte are all thriving, plus we'll be getting guinea fowl keets by the end of the month! Three days old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCFvbsWCehE Five days old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_zDZWsDrn8 They're now 3 weeks, and I'm terrified another one will die like the Sussex, but it was pretty obviously stunted/deformed, so it's just me worrying too much about them.
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May 9, 2013 23:36
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Little miss red has decided that she is head hen already, and is very sweet, albeit with a strong independence streak.    They've only pooped on me once. 
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May 10, 2013 01:45
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Lynza posted:I am trying to figure out how to hook my girls up with a dust bath. I tried using a shallow box my dad made for another purpose (it's about 3" deep and maybe 1 1/2' around), but they basically used it to poo poo in and not much else. I don't think you can really make a dust bath for them. Chickens are really good at walking over things, pecking, scratching and randomly making GBS threads everywhere. But if you leave them in one place that is covered and stays dry, within a week they will end up digging out some holes about a foot wide and 6 inches deep and that will be their dust bath.
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May 10, 2013 03:05
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Zeta Taskforce posted:I don't think you can really make a dust bath for them. Chickens are really good at walking over things, pecking, scratching and randomly making GBS threads everywhere. But if you leave them in one place that is covered and stays dry, within a week they will end up digging out some holes about a foot wide and 6 inches deep and that will be their dust bath. Or the chickens just suddenly decide that a certain improbable location is a GREAT place to dustbathe. Photo from the Reddit backyardchickens forum. 
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May 10, 2013 03:32
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The Cthulu references an Vaga42Bond's character sheet she made of Roo have made me feel like writing the history of how i got Roo and the hoes from a Lovecraftian perspective. Fluffy chickens fighting octopii
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May 10, 2013 05:16
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Apparently my mom's husband really likes the idea of getting to be the Head Roo for his flock of ladies. She says she is pretty much expecting him to have a chicken cuddled in the crook his arm at all times when he's outside. So I'm guessing their chickens are going to end up being lap birds
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May 10, 2013 05:41
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Chido posted:The Cthulu references an Vaga42Bond's character sheet she made of Roo have made me feel like writing the history of how i got Roo and the hoes from a Lovecraftian perspective. Fluffy chickens fighting octopii He made. Thank you. And it's an Investigator Card from Arkham Horror. There's an Let's Play for it going on right now.  (Yes, perfectly playable in Arkham Horror. Not entirely balanced, but what the hey...) Vaga42Bond fucked around with this message at 06:12 on May 10, 2013 |
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May 10, 2013 06:05
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Vaga42Bond posted:He made. Thank you. Sorry, 
Chido fucked around with this message at 13:47 on May 10, 2013 |
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May 10, 2013 06:13
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unprofessional posted:Bantam cochins are the way to go. Fair layers, insanely friendly, and good availability. Small enough that when they fall in love, they'll have room for more. This. Because be realistic, it WILL happen, especially with bantam Cochins. They are my top recommendation as well--small, quiet, sweet, friendly and calm. Love to be picked up and snoodled, don't startle easily, not flighty, make great mothers. Also fun to watch waddle about the yard. Total yard candy!
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May 10, 2013 22:01
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Chido posted:Sorry, You cant be blamed, he does have a brony avatar.
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May 10, 2013 22:30
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Zeta Taskforce posted:I don't think you can really make a dust bath for them. Chickens are really good at walking over things, pecking, scratching and randomly making GBS threads everywhere. But if you leave them in one place that is covered and stays dry, within a week they will end up digging out some holes about a foot wide and 6 inches deep and that will be their dust bath. Pretty much. My old chickens would go underneath our mud porch and dig holes down into the nice dry dirt that probably hasn't seen a drop of water since the porch was built. I never did crawl underneath there to see if there were any eggs.
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May 11, 2013 01:51
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Bantaras posted:I'm on day 10 of my first incubation with the Reptipro. Tomorrow is day 18! It looks like everything made it ok while I was gone away, except the digital clock tells me the electricity had an outage sometime while I was gone (yikes!). We've had some storms here so I'll ask the neighbors if it was off for any significant length of time. The Reptipro remembers the presets and goes to that when power is restored. I'm down to 10 eggs (from the original 15) that look like they're well on the way but it's hard to tell with brown eggs. I'll raise the humidity to 60 and lock them down tomorrow evening. I also have a broody hen setting on 4 eggs outside. I'll try to get a picture of her tomorrow. Those eggs are a few days behind the ones in the incubator. My plan was to introduced the hatched chicks under her wing but I'm not so sure that will work. Has anyone introduced self-hatched birds to a broody hen before? I could use some instructions!
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May 11, 2013 05:27
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Bantaras posted:I also have a broody hen setting on 4 eggs outside. I'll try to get a picture of her tomorrow. Those eggs are a few days behind the ones in the incubator. My plan was to introduced the hatched chicks under her wing but I'm not so sure that will work. Velvet Sparrow just did this with Yoya and the new Chickam chicks about three weeks ago! Yoya was a bit unsure at first and then got all "CHICKS! MINE!!" with much adorable broody hen growling and snarling. It's been a big success!
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May 11, 2013 06:26
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Velvet Sparrow posted:This. Because be realistic, it WILL happen, especially with bantam Cochins. Yeah, I can see them going crazy and only stopping when they reach the local ordinance limit. Which I believe is a pretty large number of chickens. For all my mom pretends to not like animals, she's actually a big softie. I think we can expect to see my stepdad dressed as a pirate next Halloween with a chicken on his shoulder. But I don't make any promises.
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May 11, 2013 07:13
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^^^ Pirate chicken is awesome, but I strongly suggest you tell your stepdad to wear a bandana because... Sometimes the chicken won't stay on the shoulder, and it ain't fun to get chicken poo poo on your hair.  My new coop is finished ! I'm gonna post the pictures of the process later, I think it looks awesome. I still need to make a bigger roost, but the hens will manage for now. Now, with all the suggestions people have made in the sticky thread, and the influx of new threads, do you guys think I should make my coop post a DIY thread?
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May 12, 2013 03:50
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So I was at a reptile show today, because reptiles are my obsession/hobby, and found discount live mealworms, 1k for $6. My chickens were very happy with me when I got home.  They'll be enjoying them all week.
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May 12, 2013 03:52
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How many days behind the eggs in the incubator are the one's under the broody? If you stick the chicks under her as soon as the ones in the incubator hatch, she might abandon the unhatched eggs. Otherwise, as long as the chicks are under a week, just stick them under the broody at night and they should bond without a problem. If her own chicks have already hatched, it can help if the chicks you are introducing are similar in coloring and markings to the already hatched chicks.
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May 12, 2013 07:06
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Bantaras posted:
Go for it. Chickens can't count. Just slip them under her quickly and quietly at night, in the dark (use a flashlight for yourself just to make sure everyone is under her), then go away--disturb her as little as possible so she doesn't get up and start to walk around. By morning they will all be hers. Just make sure that all the chicks fit under her--I overwhelmed poor little Wiggles with too many chicks when I tried her (my plan was to have her as mom but use the light for warmth like I've done before with other hens, but it didn't work out), Yoya being bigger could handle them all, though. Bantams can cover maybe 4-6 chicks at best, standard size hens anywhere up to about a dozen (Yoya has 11).
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May 12, 2013 07:24
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So the girls are outside. They spent last night in the coop, 3 of them stayed on the roosts one of them decided roosts were for chumps and sat in front of the vent looking out. Now they all came downstairs in the morning but the two oldest said outside was for suckers and went back in the coop and won't leave it, stupid chooks. Edit: well they all ended up coming out and enjoying themselves. Here are all the girls enjoying their first ever day outside. 
Errant Gin Monks fucked around with this message at 01:05 on May 13, 2013 |
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May 12, 2013 18:47
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Go for it. Chickens can't count. Just slip them under her quickly and quietly at night, in the dark (use a flashlight for yourself just to make sure everyone is under her), then go away--disturb her as little as possible so she doesn't get up and start to walk around. By morning they will all be hers. Thank you VS! How soon should I 'place' new chicks? Is it better for them to dry out in the incubator for a day or so before sneaking them underneath the adoptive momma?
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May 13, 2013 02:31
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