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In almost 20 years, with as few as 5 and as many as 600 birds, I've always free fed (always available) its never been an issue. So don't worry about it, birds should be fine.
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Feb 26, 2013 18:08
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Greycious posted:My hens have feed 24/7...they are about 6-7 months old now and most all of them have started to lay eggs at this point. Still a bit random on the laying, out of 7 hens we get 1-5 eggs a day. Yours are a few weeks older than mine if I recall. Especially being in a cold climate, they will eat a lot more in the winter to stay warm and since they can't forage right now they should always have free access to food. He is right about meat birds. They are bred to grow so fast that if they eat as much as they want they will outgrow their bodies to the point they won't be able to walk and they will have heart failure.
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Feb 26, 2013 18:41
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loco179, 25 birds is the minimum order through most hatcheries no matter what the breed(s), for warmth during shipping. Places that do smaller orders, like My Pet Chicken, will put a heat pack in with the chicks. Do you process & eat your birds yourself or have them done elsewhere? I'm always curious as to how people tackle processing large numbers of birds...all at once or just as needed, and how many chickens they use a year.Zeta Taskforce posted:Yours are a few weeks older than mine if I recall. Especially being in a cold climate, they will eat a lot more in the winter to stay warm and since they can't forage right now they should always have free access to food. Yeah, meat birds like Cornish Cross need their feed rationed so they don't eat themselves to fatty chicken porker death as quickly as they can. If your birds are layers or dual-purpose, offering feed free choice isn't a problem. Unless you have 
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Feb 26, 2013 19:25
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Velvet Sparrow posted:If your birds are layers or dual-purpose, offering feed free choice isn't a problem. Yeah they are a mix of both. Glad to know I'm feeding them appropriately, and yeah it is cold here now. So between that and laying eggs I figure they are using quite a bit of energy. We've been finding an egg every now and then that freezes solid and cracks. For some reason one of the hens lays in the evening or at night and we don't find it until the next day.
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Feb 26, 2013 20:21
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Pekin Cochins (I know, some people call them Pekin Bantams) are my absolute favorite chicken, far and away. I find them incredibly sweet and to be huge cuddle monsters, even more so than Silkies. Also they LOVE to be mamas and make awesome mothers. Try again? Boots is so adorable in that with that one chick poking out from under her. (Who is that?) Also the "DO YOU MIND? And close the door on your way out!" look she's giving.
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Feb 26, 2013 20:53
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Baby chicks hatching now... http://justin.tv/wvpshpool VS you have turned me into a chick addict! Egg hatching out now! piscesbobbie fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Feb 27, 2013 |
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Feb 27, 2013 03:31
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Two more soonish. I CAN SEE YOU IN THERE CHICKAM.
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Feb 27, 2013 05:06
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AtomikKrab posted:Two more soonish. I CAN SEE YOU IN THERE CHICKAM. We haven't been in there...? VVVV Ah, OK. Thought you were trying to gaslight me. 
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Feb 27, 2013 |
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Feb 27, 2013 06:40
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Velvet Sparrow posted:We haven't been in there...? woops... I just tend to call baby chickens chickams... did not mean you.
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Feb 27, 2013 06:58
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My polish cockerel has been very, very quiet for the past month - no crowing whatsoever! Which has been wonderful. But today he decided that he is going to crow and crow and crow all morning if possible, starting at 6.30. It's rainy, so it's dark enough out that I need the lights on, but nope, crowing time. I tried him in the laundry and under the house but turns out my house is terrible at keeping noise in, oops. So now he's hanging out with me until it's a reasonable hour to turf him out... and then I'm going out to the hardware store after work to get stuff to make a soundproof box for him. Which I really hope works! Because I live in the suburbs, and I can only keep little Gunther here for as long as the neighbours don't complain. edit:: Apparently my Sussex hen has also come up with an exciting new noise. I call it her "I don't need no man" noise, because it consists of her sneaking up on Gunther and shrieking in his ear. She sounds more or less exactly like a cockatoo. Not sure if this makes it worse or better. Mx. fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Feb 27, 2013 |
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Feb 27, 2013 22:07
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MissEchelon posted:edit:: Apparently my Sussex hen has also come up with an exciting new noise. I call it her "I don't need no man" noise, because it consists of her sneaking up on Gunther and shrieking in his ear. She sounds more or less exactly like a cockatoo. Not sure if this makes it worse or better. LOL! How does Gunther react to the hen screaming in his ear? If he's like most guys, he probably just ignores her.  What is your Sussex hen's name?
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Feb 27, 2013 22:41
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unprofessional posted:My chickens are shipping TODAY! Did you get your pile 'o chicks yet?! I keep checking this thread several times a day waiting for pictures so we can all guess at the breeds and omg I want to see the baby tukey.
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Feb 27, 2013 23:15
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THEY'RE HERE! Alright, tell me what you see, and where you see it. No turkeys, but two ducks! One's all yellow, and you'll see the other one. Near as I can tell, 40 birds total.    Only chick that's not doing great (and of course, I didn't realize it 'till I'd taken it out for this shot) - I put its beak in the water, and will check on it. Any thoughts on breed? Pic's way overexposed, of course. 
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Feb 28, 2013 00:00
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unprofessional posted:THEY'RE HERE! OMG!!!! I just want to hold them allllll! A whole box of cuteness!  How large was this box? I am trying to imagine how big a box it would take for 40 chicks. Was the cheeping really loud at the post office? Were the mail clerks annoyed or amused? What's up with the derpy chick? Describe her problem and perhaps someone here can make suggestions. She looks unusual from her markings but I have no idea what she is.
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Feb 28, 2013 00:05
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My wife said the post office folks were nonplussed. Lots of chicken people in this area - we're out in the country. She texted me today, though, and mentioned how loud they were. I find their little chirps delightful. They'll be in my basement while they acclimate. The box was surprisingly small. Maybe two feet by a foot and a half. Divided in two and lined with straw. They all huddle together for warmth, so they fit into a smaller space than you'd expect. Derpy chick just seems a bit weak. Doesn't really stand up and move around like the others, but is responsive to touch and can stand when it wants/needs to.
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Feb 28, 2013 00:15
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Looking at my ducks, I think I have one pekin and one rouen!
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Feb 28, 2013 00:20
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Apparently I spoke a couple minutes too soon! Aww derpy chick is so pretty, has she drank anything yet? Hopefully you have some sav-a-chick to add to their water, helps to give them a bit of a boost for their first few days (electroylytes for hydration etc) most feed stores sell it. A trick someone told me that worked great when I got my chicks was to put a nickle or dime in their water, they'll see the shiny and go to peck and Hey! Water! drink drink drink. I think it helps them find the water, and makes them drink a bit more than they usually might. e; also, those very pale yellow chicks look just like my plymouth white rocks when they were babies...but I guess most any solid white chicken breed probably looks that way so. UltraGrey fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Feb 28, 2013 |
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Feb 28, 2013 00:22
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Little chicky is definitely on its way out. So it goes.
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Feb 28, 2013 00:45
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Posting chick pictures seems to be the thing, so I'll share mine too. Lot of polish, some bantam brahmas, the barred thing is a Barred Holland (only one in batch sadly) and some currently unidentified. (Bought from 4H auction and baby chick ID can be hard)  
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Feb 28, 2013 00:49
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Aww, too bad about the one chick.  She's very pretty, too, appears to be a silver Campine. If she's still around, try getting some electrolyte solution down her and keep her warm & quiet.If you want to mix up your own homemade Pedialyte (electrolyte) solution for them, here's the recipe: Be SURE to keep it refrigerated and to make a fresh batch every 12 hours. Mix together until all dry ingredients are dissolved: 1/2 Qt. Water 1 tsp. Sugar 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda Feed in place of water for the first few days, stressed/sick birds really benefit from the electrolyte boost. In your first pic, I think I see two Americaunas on the top left, the chipmunk stripey ones cuddled together. The gigantic blond chick next to yellow duck might be a buff Orpington. The creamy blondie with the two dark racing stripes on her back is intriguing! She looks like maybe a Sex-Link variety. The black ones with creamy fronts might be Barred Rocks, Jersey Giants or Australorps... Any feather feet or legs? Usually Cochins will have a very round body style with short backs & legs, while tall, slender birds will be tall, slender chicks. Feathersite's baby chick page may help you ID them now and as they grow: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKBabyChicks.html Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Feb 28, 2013 |
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Feb 28, 2013 01:28
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Chick is dead - oh well, can't ask for a whole lot better from shipping such a large number of different chicks. No feathered feet; a little surprised by that. I would figure they'd be some of their most popular/most in surplus, but I'm not complaining! MACRO LENS TIME!    I put a piece of wood in to climb around on and these two fat asses quickly made their way to the top and went to sleep together. 
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Feb 28, 2013 02:24
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unprofessional posted:Chick is dead - oh well, can't ask for a whole lot better from shipping such a large number of different chicks. Awww, poor lil' chick. Chick in first photo looks like a silver Campine, it has the gray legs. Chick in second pic may be a Barred Rock (Plymouth Rock) The two fat asses on the log DO have feathered feet/shanks, may be light or buff Brahmas or white Giant Cochins--Brahmas will have longer shanks, Cochins will have short shanks and be closer to the ground. Also the blue/gray chick in the third photo looks to have feathered shanks and may be a gray Giant Cochin...? It's out of focus and hard to tell. Any fluffy faces? Any idea of the ratio of standard size to Bantams? Chick IDing is fun, especially as they grow.
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Feb 28, 2013 |
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Feb 28, 2013 02:49
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SO MUCH CHICKIE CUTENESS Thank you for the photos folks!
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Feb 28, 2013 02:50
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The fat rear end in the front has feathered feet, Cochin most likely. The feet themselves don't usually have feathers for a while. Easter eggers will have olive or bluish colored legs. Any with feathery or blue/green legs?
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Feb 28, 2013 02:53
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Looks like that third chick is a blue something. If it has feathers on middle toe and single comb It would be a Cochin, if feathers on outside toe only it would be a blue Langshan (if the hatchery has them). Either way blue anything is awesome (might be a bit biased). Edit: looks like yellow legs in picture which makes it Cochin. They're a fun breed.
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Feb 28, 2013 02:55
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newborn baby chick just hatched http://justin.tv/wvpshpool too bad the school kids are not there to watch!
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Feb 28, 2013 03:24
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piscesbobbie posted:newborn baby chick just hatched http://justin.tv/wvpshpool Those look like buff Orps...any idea what they are using as a hatcher? It looks for all the world like one of those science class blast cabinets.  unprofessional, your black chicks with creamy faces/chests may be Marans, either cuckoo or black. Marans can have feathered or non-feathered legs. Brahma/Giant Cochin comparison time! These are from my 2011 hatch.  The two on the left are Brahmas--note one (Rambo, buff Brahma) is running towards the camera in hopes that it is food. When you have Brahmas this is all they think about. Next to her is Burger, a light Brahma. The two on the right are Giant Cochins, Yoya (gray Giant Cochin) and Weedcat (splash Giant Cochin) on the end. As you can see, while all have feathered shanks/feet, Brahmas are taller with longer shanks, Cochins have shorter shanks and a wider stance. Both breeds eat like starved locusts at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Feb 28, 2013 |
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Feb 28, 2013 03:31
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Velvet Sparrow posted:Those look like buff Orps...any idea what they are using as a hatcher? It looks for all the world like one of those science class blast cabinets. I was up most of the night watching and a light came on the camera was bumped and I saw a teacher then a bunch of little kids looking in at the babies that hatched overnight. It was so cute. VS you have made me into a baby chick addict! I am so excited for Chickam! 
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Feb 28, 2013 03:36
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piscesbobbie posted:newborn baby chick just hatched http://justin.tv/wvpshpool LOL my little Chihuahua jumped up when he heard the chicks calling and ran to my laptop, tilting his head and then scratching around the laptop trying to find the baby chicks! Funny he never cares about dog videos. I guess he really enjoyed the baby chicks last summer. Too bad they are big potentially scary giant hens now that aren't afraid to bully the dogs. 
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Feb 28, 2013 03:41
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Ooooh. Such great pics! Love the close-up shots! Tempting Fate: Your chicks are adorable too! Everyone, thanks for posting pics!  Below: a couple of Silver Campines. The Silver Campines will be really cool-looking when they get older.
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Feb 28, 2013 04:38
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Inveigle posted:LOL! How does Gunther react to the hen screaming in his ear? If he's like most guys, he probably just ignores her. Yeah, Gunther ignores her! He doesn't like to be too close to her though, since she's a full-grown hen and is definitely the top of the pecking order.   Her name's "Professor Bok Bugawk", because when I first got her she would bellow bok bok bugawk at you if you looked at her. Never had a chicken that loud before. She's an ex-breeding chicken, and when I got her she was missing a ton of feathers and she was probably headed for the pot. Now she's sassing up my yard. You can't really tell from the photos, but the way the skin above her eyes sits makes her look like she's constantly frowning. Here's a bonus picture of some funny-looking game chickens I saw at the last poultry show I went to:  I think I'm in love with all the baby peeper pictures, holy moly. They're friggin adorable.
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Feb 28, 2013 09:24
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Two more gone this morning when I woke up. I'm going to split them up more when I get home from work. I took the wood out, as it seemed like they were just pushing each other into it, rather than climbing on it and such. Still hard not to be happy with all my little chicks! The possible-pekin seemed lethargic this morning. Will do chick-pedialyte when I get home.
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Feb 28, 2013 14:05
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unprofessional posted:Two more gone this morning when I woke up. I'm going to split them up more when I get home from work. I took the wood out, as it seemed like they were just pushing each other into it, rather than climbing on it and such. Still hard not to be happy with all my little chicks! The possible-pekin seemed lethargic this morning. Will do chick-pedialyte when I get home. Unprofessional: Yeah, it's best not to have anything in the box that the baby chicks can smash into and hurt themselves. They don't need a roost yet either...they'll just huddle in a big chick pile. Perhaps, since you have so many chicks, you might add another light? They might be piling into one big pile under just one light and suffocating themselves. If you want to put something in the box for the chicks to play on, get a big, moist dirt clod with grass from out of the yard. You need to be sure to trim down any grass/weeds to the height of an inch because if the babies eat grass that's too long, the grass can get stuck in their throat and kill them. Also check and make sure there's no glass, plastic or trash in the dirt clod (just smash it back together with your hands). Bonus points if there's some bugs or a worm in the dirt clod. Add the dirt clod to the box and watch the babies destroy it (while playing Chick of the Hill from atop the clod). The dirt and grass are good for them to eat! As the clod breaks down, they'll also dust bathe in the dirt! Lots of fun and they can't hurt themselves by running into the clod. MissEchelon: Professor Bok is beautiful! Also, her frowning brow is the famous "Brahma brow" that all Brahma chickens develop. Roostroyer (a Light Brahma) has the brow too.
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Feb 28, 2013 15:31
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It's raining! It's been raining for a while, actually, as we get the leftover bits of the monsoons and tropical cyclones before autumn starts. When the floods came, the chooks were very put out at having to stay in their pen for a whole two days. (This was more for the volume of rain coming down than what was on the ground.) Now that it's mostly a constant drizzle, they're okay to wander around the paddock, though they usually sit under trees and run back to their pen when it gets too heavy. Alecto likes drinking from puddles and Kali loves hunting down unfortunate worms, snails, and froglets, as well as eating all of the green panic grass growing in places too small for the pony to get. While sitting in their pen today, I decided to take some high quality photos with my phone!  This is Alecto. She is the less dominant chook, and usually gets assigned guard duty while Kali fluffs about in the dust or forages for bugs. She likes staring at things.  Kali is the dominant chook. She's shorter than Alecto, but much plumper, fluffier, and glossier. She also looks more Australorpy than her sister, with a bright red face (even brighter when she's hunting things or running around) and less gold trim. While Alecto's natural instinct on seeing something strange is to give a warning burble and stare at it until it stops being a threat, Kali prefers to eat things.  Kali does not like holding still for photos. Especially not when charging to camera to try and eat it.  Kali valiantly thrashes a dread pellet while Alecto shows off her shiny red-gold chest and eyebrows. Her hackles also have red in them, though it's hard to see here.  Ducklip pose chooks. I have no idea why they like to squash around next to the wall to eat their pellets. They also prefer to scatter their pellets then eat them off the ground, because they are smart.  Kali bolted out during a sunny patch and was shocked to discover that rain is still wet. Both of them have been laying giant eggs with the bounty of snails, worms, and grass they've been finding. They're a little fatter, too, though they look a lot plumper in dry weather.
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Mar 1, 2013 05:01
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CROWS EVERYWHERE posted:
Of course she likes staring at things. She's channeling for Marty Feldman, there.
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Mar 1, 2013 08:45
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I can't believe how fast baby chicks grow! This channel that I posted previously, http://justin.tv/mathmind, the polish chick already looks like Poof at 4 weeks old! I am so looking forward to Chickam. Thanks to everyone for posting the chick and chicken photos. So many interesting breeds. I'm still reviewing coop/chicken run set-ups. My brother in law works for a building supply wholesaler, he is going to check on hardware cloth prices for me. I must build a fortress or I will never be able to sleep, worrying about predators.
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Mar 1, 2013 19:40
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I don't know if anyone would be interested, but I should have some fancy chicks to give away around April 5th and on May 10th (if you live in the Atlanta GA area). I hatch chicks for the kids at the elementary school my kids attend and am always looking for homes for the little buddies that come out. I've given away many a chick in the past years and have kinda saturated my current recipients and would love to find some new people to give them to. I try set between 40 and 60 eggs for each hatch and in the past have gotten anywhere from 1 to 40 chicks (low numbers typically due to some lovely kid messing with the incubator settings). Some of the breeds that may be in the mix include auracuanas, cochins, brahmas, hambergs, buttercups, old English Game, naked necks, and silkies- any takers?
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Mar 2, 2013 15:46
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Lab Chicken posted:I don't know if anyone would be interested, but I should have some fancy chicks to give away around April 5th and on May 10th (if you live in the Atlanta GA area). I hatch chicks for the kids at the elementary school my kids attend and am always looking for homes for the little buddies that come out. I've given away many a chick in the past years and have kinda saturated my current recipients and would love to find some new people to give them to. I try set between 40 and 60 eggs for each hatch and in the past have gotten anywhere from 1 to 40 chicks (low numbers typically due to some lovely kid messing with the incubator settings). Some of the breeds that may be in the mix include auracuanas, cochins, brahmas, hambergs, buttercups, old English Game, naked necks, and silkies- any takers? I sure wish I lived closer. You can also try Craigslist, the backyard chickens forum and other chicken forums (chicken forum folks make for for good homes).
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Mar 2, 2013 19:32
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The battery hens came back into lay a couple of days ago, just got our first egg in months. Don't think I'm gonna be hatching this year, it's too much and not fair.
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Mar 2, 2013 20:51
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CROWS EVERYWHERE posted:
Your chooks are gorgeous! They look like my sister's mixed hens. Love their colours! Also I've figured out a setup for Gunther the Polish cockerel. He now sleeps in an esky at the bottom of my closet, so when he goes off in the morning, the only person who hears is me. Seriously, it's crazy how well it works, my housemate doesn't even hear him crow! Then when I put him out at a reasonable hour, he only crows again every other day, and it's late enough that it shouldn't cause a hassle. The only drawback is he has a girlfriend in the flock who cries when she's out in the yard and can't see him. Poor little pullet. Of course, the native birds around here can be way louder than chickens, but that doesn't stop some people complaining. Hmm, putting Gunther out later is also good for the native birds, because they come into my yard in the early morning and if he's out then he usually tries to beat them up. Not that he can catch them, but y'know.
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Mar 2, 2013 23:55
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