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Cool thread! Hello fellow chicken Goons!  my darling feet, it could have been that the chicks got chilled from being in a drafty area--hatcheries ship day-old chicks, and chicks that fresh need not only warmth but protection from drafts until they lose their downy fluff and feather out properly. Drafts are actually more dangerous to chickens in general than straight cold is (unless temps are mild). I've got a chicken information site here, it's aimed more at the 'chickens in the back yard for eggs & pets' & new to chickens crowd than it is at production farming or meat birds. A lot of the questions asked here in this thread are answered there, and I've got a bunch of links to other chicken resources as well: http://jackshenhouse.com/ Growing up we had a mixed flock of chickens, turkeys and ducks on our ranchette as well as a vegetable garden and small orchard, these days we have a mixed flock of chickens in our suburban backyard but are soon moving farther out into the country where we'll have room for more and possibly a few peacocks. We also do the 'Chickam' thing every year where we webstream a live video w/sound broadcast of eggs hatching and then of the chicks growing up 24/7 over the following 8 weeks (details on my site at the link above), it's fun. I'm of the opinion that everyone would be one hell of a lot healthier if everyone had a small backyard vegetable garden and kept a few hens like people did in the old days. I'm happy to see the popularity of backyard chickens growing as they make the transition from 'easily replaced dumb generic bag of meat' to 'valued pet'. Chickens have a TON of individual personality and they are generally clever, friendly, curious and entertaining as Hell to watch. This surprises most people who never realize that pet chickens can be just like having a pet dog or cat. City officials these days need to be educated on the difference between 'livestock' and 'pet' when it comes to chickens and city codes modified to fit--they fear you are going to start a full-scale battery hen operation in your back yard or something. I'm happy to answer any chicken questions! 
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Jun 30, 2011 19:51
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Chido, WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU FEEDING ROOSTROYER?! At this point, going by those pictures my first guess would be 'small children and Volkswagon Beetles'. Good lord, he's huge. He looks awesomely healthy by the way, we're so glad he has a great home with you. The other Chickam chicks are getting big as well, Dinner is about twice the size of Phoenix (our Americaunas/Barred Rock mix Head Roo) and Weedcat is so damned laughably big, round and fluffy that all we want to do is snoodle him, which embarasses him no end. I'll try and get pics today, but it's threatening snow and they are in a barn, so it's kinda dim light in there. We're still househunting. 
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Nov 11, 2011 20:27
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Well, way to go Roo-boy!  Seems he beat his brothers to daddyhood by a few weeks...Tissue will have to be watched in the future that she doesn't pull the same stunt of laying away and then brooding the nestful of eggs. Banties are so clever they are VERY good at that kind of thing. Beautiful chicks! Two weeks to go for ours, we plan on candling the eggs about the 26th.
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Mar 24, 2012 07:50
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Chido posted:Caught turkey, the last of Roo's street girlfriends, today. Poor thing screamed bloody murder, then suddenly got quite and... not moving? When I held her. I hope she didn't stress so much that it harmed her, but right now she's in a partially covered rabbit cage in the garage with some water. I'll post pictures of the girlfriends later. This is very typical and instictive behavior from a prey animal. She figures she gave it her best shot and after that, that you were gonna eat her.  They struggle and then just give up. Just keep petting her, talking to her and making it a positive experience, she will at least come around enough to tolerate you, if not become all the way tame. Different birds behave differently, especially wild bantam or bantam mixes--they are closer to the wild version of a chicken.Shmooz her with goodies, the way to a chicken's heart is through it's stomach! Edit: I never put my chicks out in the flock for good until they are 8 weeks old--old enough to fend for themselves against adult chickens or predators, and old enough to be smart enough to recognize trouble and stick together. At one month old and with no mama hen, the chicks will have feathers, but still be very young mentally and not experienced, and not have a lot of meat on them to help them stay warm. At 1 month old you could certainly start taking them out during the day for short outings in the yard while you stay right there to get them used to the outdoors. If they were in a totally secure, predator-proof coop during the day when it was warm, I see no harm in leaving them in it till nightfall. Beware of drafts, a chill can kill! Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Mar 28, 2012 |
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Mar 28, 2012 09:36
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Chido posted:Can't do that, I'd fall in love with all the chicks while waiting to sell them, then I'd have 35 chickens in my backyard... Pfft... what kind of utter fool would do THAT?! Edit: I have 36, NOT 35. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Apr 20, 2012 |
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Apr 15, 2012 00:24
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^^^^^^ I've never had any problems using Mother Nature's own grit--dirt--for chicks. Parakeet grit is way too big and coarse and can cause a crop impaction in small chicks, and they are too young for things like oyster shell. Mine get ample minerals from the grassy dirt clod, plus the chick starter/grow mash ration we feed, along with fresh water, greens and the occassional bit of table scraps. CantDecideOnAName posted:We have four hens in the backyard. I don't really remember their breeds (or their names) but they all get along. That looks like a Rhodey, yeah. And they CAN be little shits. It is for sure too young to be turned out into the adult flock and isn't feathered out enough to survive being outdoors without a mama to keep it warm AND keep it safe--baby chicks are innocent of dangers, especially from other adult chickens--they haven't learned the body language that means 'back off or I'll give you SUCH a peck!' The advice to provide it with a stuffed animal is excellent. Even better would be a second chick it's own age. Make sure it is warm enough, keep a heat source on it 24/7 until it is completely feathered out--the distressed peeping may be in part to it being cold, not just lonely. Chickens are flock animals and in the absence of other chickens YOU are their flock. Offer it tidbits to keep it occupied such as diced grapes, diced cooked pasta, live mealworms, cooked ground beeg, scrambled eggs, quartered tomatoes/apples, etc. Anything that it can peck at and amuse itself with is all good--what's healthy for you is healthy for it, no raw eggs/meat or chocolate. Make sure tidbits are diced small enough so baby won't choke on them. Another great toy/food item is a big, nasty, grassy (short grass only) dirt clod, roots, bugs, dirt and all. Make sure the grass hasn't been treated with pesticides, weed killer or other chemicals. Just place it in it's enclosure and pretty soon it will be climbing on it, exploring it, scratching through it, dustbathing in it...keeping busy and NOT being bored and so needy. Having the TV on nearby so it can see and hear it may help, too. Chickens love watching TV. There is no sin in having an animal and discovering that you are unable or unwilling to care for it. The sin creeps in when you keep the animal despite this. If you need to rehome the chick in it's best interests, do so. I've got more advice on chick keeping on my chicken site here, it may help: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickHensBroodiesChicks.htm If you decide the keep the chick and will need to work it into your existing flock, make sure and read the section about what I call 'Meet & Greets'--it makes your life, and your chickens', much easier! Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 08:16 on Apr 20, 2012 |
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Apr 20, 2012 08:13
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Yeah that's bumbleoot, worse on one foot than the other but I've seen worse. You are going to have to keep it clean (like you have it) and keep him off dirt and off anything that might aggravate it, like a hard roost or wire cage bottom. It takes a while to heal and he'll be more susceptible to it throughout his lifetime so check his feet periodically. It can happen due to an injury or from big fellas like him jumping down off a roost, bacteria gets in and causes it. Big roos seem more susceptible to it. I'd suggest partitioning off a portion of the enclosure and getting some cheap indoor/outdoor carpet scraps for him to be on that you can swap out and hose off until his feet heal. Soak & scrub his feet every few days and keep the carpet as poop-free as you can. Some people make their roos little booties to wear if keeping him locked up and on a clean surface isn't doable. If you do booties you can pack the wounds with Neosporin (OTC human triple antibiotic gel) to help speed healing. We once got toddler sneakers for Phoenix and cut holes for his toes and had him wear them. Needless to say, chickens HATE THIS. And yeah, the score is Weedcat 1, my right shoulder 0. He is fine, though.
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May 19, 2012 22:05
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All it takes is a tiny opening, the bacteria lives in the dirt and in it goes.  He could have stepped on a rose thorn or anything that punctured his foot. BTW, he's torn off the same claw that Dinner has. True brothers. What doofuses.If you go the booties route, he WILL peck at it and try his best, all day long, to tear it off, aided by the hens. That's why going with a pair of toddler sneakers with his foot pad wrapped in gauze inside of that is how to do it. HE WILL HATE THIS and be all weird about walking around in shoes, be warned. You need something tough enough to stand up to being worn in the yard and keep out dirt & moisture, but light enough so he can walk in them. The wound needs to be cleaned out normally--soak his foot and use your best judgement, but usually Bumblefoot wounds have to be totally opened up, squeezed out, scooped out (this is every bit as gross as it sounds, *bleck*), washed out, packed in Neosporin and bandaged--this is what makes it such a pain. Check out photos on Google and YouTube vids for guidance. His wounds may be small enough to where you can get away with cleaning it really well, slathering on some Neosporin and going with bandages and shoes. Use your best judgement.
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May 20, 2012 07:03
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*MOD NOTE: DO NOT GIVE TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU AREN'T A VET. CALL YOUR VET AND HAVE THEM CHECK YOUR FLOCK. Poor Moe. Gonna toss out a few thoughts...Sudden death in otherwise healthy birds is one of the symptoms of Fowl Cholera, which is a bacteria-based illnesses. It is endemic and lives in the soil. I've found that younger birds are more susceptible to it than older birds are (despite what some sources say). Two years ago I lost several youngsters to it. Cyanosis is another symptom, any blue-purple discoloration in Moe's wattles or comb before he died? That was the only real symptom my birds displayed. Link with more info: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/61/fowl-cholera-pasteurellosis Another possibility is Coccidiosis, a protozoan-based disease which is also treatable with Amprollium products such as Corid. Cocci normally has a symptom of bloody poops, but there is a new strain that does NOT show the characteristic bloody poo and you have to go by other symptoms, which can be pretty non-specific. Older birds can be more resistant to it than younger birds. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/200800.htm These next two I doubt are it but I'm going to include them just in case... Next possibility is Botulism, also known as Limber Neck or Crook Neck,which is bacterial. Limberneck can be caused by a head injury (which causes swelling of the brain and is treatable) or by moldy feed (fungus). His loss of balance is a symptom, but you didn't mention it getting really bad, which is characteristic of Limberneck, so I don't think this is it. But still, check your feed for signs or smells of mold or a musty smell, look especially for a reddish mold. Check their coop as well for any moldy spilled, old feed (some may have collected under the feeder and gotten wet). If you've had wet or rainy weather it can be a problem, especially if it was followed by warm days--perfect for growing mold. If your feed is bad, throw it out and get new. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/205400.htm Lastly, Aspergillosis could be the cause. His loss of balance might be a symptom, but you didn't mention the characteristic gasping/wheezing so I'm putting this one last on the list. http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/7/aspergillosis Just some possibilities for you to check out, watch your other birds like a hawk for ANY symptoms. Somebody fucked around with this message at 01:04 on May 31, 2012 |
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May 29, 2012 21:23
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Oops, sorry Mods if I inadvertantly seemed to be trying to take the place of taking an animal to the vet, which should ALWAYS be you first course of action. But like Chido and others have said (and I've heard it many, many times on lots of other chicken forums) finding a vet that will even SEE a chicken can be next to impossible, so most chicken owners have armed themselves with information sources to help narrow down the diagnosis and know of over-the-counter medications that can save a bird. When chickens actually LOOK sick, they are VERY sick and you need to act quickly. I hate to see chickens suffer, it breaks my overly-soft heart... Tim, your bantam cochins are gorgeous, I'll have to try and sweet-talk you into selling me some eggs next Spring!  Bantam cochins are far and away my absolute favorite breed. Or send me your culls, I'd LOVE them!The chicks are now out in their outdoor run! They aren't happy about the wind, but at least it isn't 100 degrees anymore.
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Jun 23, 2012 23:01
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Tim, you're killin' me with all these adorable bantam Cochin pics...
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Jul 28, 2012 19:31
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Chido, Roo's bedtime ritual is hilarious. We finally got some burlap bags hung on the outside of the coop today, What we do is wet them down on hot days and they act like a chicken swamp cooler, providing evaporative cooling for a bit when the breeze blows through them. Not perfect, but it helps keep the chickens cooler on nasty hot days.   Two of the younger roos, Dinner and Weedcat, did a LOT of wailing, running around and other assorted histrionics as I was hanging them. Scott and the older, more seasoned girls were simply curious and hung out & watched.
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Jul 29, 2012 21:33
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^^^^ Ahaha, soooo typical!Chido posted:Something in your hand = chicken death trap/monster/omfg what the gently caress is that it's gonna eat me AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Especially since I carried them out in a big armload and without thinking, dropped them on the ground about 10 yards from the coop. Total panic.
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Jul 30, 2012 02:04
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Kerfuffle posted:VS after your two hatches this year do you think you have a good handle on the appropriate conditions you'll need to do next year's hatch?* We have a better idea of the new and different conditions here and what it takes in both incubation procedures and eggs we will use--likely no more sea level eggs for us, we'll try and stick with local eggs...unless there is a breed (Quail Bantams & Pekin Cochins) that we just cannot resist. I'm determined to have both of those. The new incubator that 12_String is planning I think will help a lot, too. No matter what, there will be a hatch! Probably around Easter (depending on when the girls come back into lay after winter), that worked out pretty well.
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Jul 30, 2012 08:25
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Suspect Bucket posted:So any ideas on what Weird Chicken might be? Or were the videos too crappy? She was hanging out with us in the milk barn this morning, enjoying the fan and spilled food. It looks as if she has gray legs--if so she may be part Easter Egger...I don't see any facial tufts or a thick cape so I don't think she's Americaunas. She has an odd body & neck tho, looks like a stocky Cornish or Silkie type body with a long snakey neck. Did you say she has black skin? What are her feathers like, are they a bit hairlike like a Silkie's? Maybe she is a Silkie/Leghorn cross...? Can you get some good still photos of her? Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 19:48
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Muffy, yeah, YOU are the Head Roo. Your actual gender doesn't matter, YOU are in charge and that's final. Tolerate no senseless pecking and defend 'your' babies--but at the ages they are now, they should all be considered equals. If you have been seperating them and then putting them back together, stop. It sends a mixed message. They all need to be thrown together and work out their issues, but do make sure they have plenty of room--overcrowding and boredom can cause pecking. Also give them goodies to eat together (it reinforces the flock bond) and redirects pecking. A cabbage hung by a string is great, it moves when pecked and offer entertainment as well as food and a target for pecking. You'll find once they settle down that there will always be some squabbling, it's normal. When we hear an uproar we automatically scold them and they quiet down. Chickens thrive on drama and must always have something going on...we've had two hens that lived together peacefully for years suddenly decide they HATE each other and will fight constantly for a week, then just as suddenly everything is fine again. Chicken weirdness.Breed personalities as well as individual personalities make a difference as well, Orps are normally gentle and friendly--except mine, our Buff Orp Betty is the Queen Unfriendly Bitch of the World, grumpy and dislikes people. Although just in the last month (at the age of 6 years) or so she's suddenly decided that our daughter is her special friend and jumps in her lap. So dominant or aggressive breeds mixed with more docile ones can be an issue. I've got more pointers here, I highly recommend doing the Meet & Greets, they reinforce the fact that YOU are in charge, and after a few you'll find the behavior sticks: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickIntroducingNewBirdsToFlock.htm And here: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickHensBroodiesChicks.htm (scroll to the bottom) Chicken psychology: http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickBehavior.htm More on chicken psychology from Shilala, he addresses roos here but it applies to any bully: http://shilala.homestead.com/roosters.html As to the worms & slugs--my chickens wouldn't touch a slug with a ten foot pole, and only SOME of them eat earthworms--my roo Phoenix would only take them from me if I scraped all the dirt off them first, them he turned right around and quickly gave them to a hen, practically spitting them out. Live mealworms from the pet store are like chicken crack, I'm surprised yours have lost interest. Maybe try live crickets...? They may excite them more. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Aug 2, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 01:12
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Exactly what Chido said...go with your gut when taming your roo, if he doesn't require chasing or holding him off the food, no need to do it. I never had to do it with mine. Most roos are pretty chill. I'd do the meet & greets with all the chickens at once, but stay RIGHT THERE to defend 'your' babies. Don't forget to praise the grumpy older girls when they are good, they will be jealous and have hurt feelings, little drama queens. And yeah, gorgeous chickens! But the large-gap wire makes me nervous, predator and disease-carrying varmitwise...I'd strongly suggest running another course of wire with smaller openings...not chicken wire tho, it's made to keep chickens out of gardens, not as a predator-safe chicken home building material. Welded-wire hardware cloth is the way to go. VVVVV This picture REALLY needs to be sent in to a magazine! Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 2, 2012 23:12
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Greycious posted:CHEEP Rooster! 
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Aug 3, 2012 07:39
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The babies got their first live grasshopper today. I found it while watering and after smacking it with a shovel two or three times (damned things are TOUGH) to stun it, I tossed it in with them. They all came running over... ...and stood on it. So I shooed them away a bit and flicked it around with a stick. They pecked excitedly... ...at the stick. By now I'm scolding them and the big chickens in the run next to them are yowling loudly and going INSANE because they know EXACTLY what to do with a damned grasshopper. The grasshopper, no fool, is being perfectly still. Finally the hopper made the ultimate mistake and opened his wings, trying to fly. Georgia thought he was yummy. VVVV Naw,he's still young. He ran off under the roosts and gobbled it down. Though grasshoppers being very spikey, I could tell it kinda stuck going down. 
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 11:03 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 03:01
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Sad day. We just found one of our 3 year old hens from Chickam in 2009, Voodoo, dead with a prolapsed vent. She was in great health and had been fine minutes before, poor baby.  This is Voodoo in 2009, she is the chick in front. Moet, our Frizzle Cochin, was her foster mom. 
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 03:52 on Aug 8, 2012 |
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Aug 8, 2012 02:56
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What makes it worse is that I leave tomorrow for two days in southern California to pick up my car...so I'll worry about the rest of them the entire time.
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Aug 8, 2012 07:06
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Geez, poor Roo! He likely broke off a couple of blood feathers on his foot and the others just naturally pecked at the blood, and he good-naturedly allowed it. Silly chicken. His Bumblefoot will be an on again off again issue throughout his life, unfortunately. It's one of the hazards of large-breed roos. Disco Nixon, Grubby's head is amazing! Any chance you can post some up close pics? That comb!!!
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Aug 11, 2012 02:35
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We had a pair of Dark Cornish girls, they were adorably round and stocky, and their cackle was more of a scraping-croak noise. Very sweet girls with beautiful, soft, tiny feathers. They laid tiny, round eggs. We called them The Tank Girls because that's what they were like--little round, solid tanks. Their first day with us:  About two months later. 
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Aug 12, 2012 09:55
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piscesbobbie posted:[quote="Velvet Sparrow" post="406468393"] Their full breed & variety name is Dark Indian Cornish Rock. They lay your basic banty-size egg about the size of a ping pong ball, theirs were just really round, not pointed at all. Just like their body shape. They are indeed the Cornish Game Hens you see under plastic at the supermarket. But different from the roasting chickens that are sold in supermarket various piece assortments or at KFC. Grocery store roasting chickens are heavy, stocky, larger and white--a breed called Cornish Cross, they are related to Cornish Rocks.More about Dark Cornish here, there are several color varieties: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Cornish/BRKCornish.html Dark Indian Cornish Rocks can live normal, long chicken lives, unlike their Cornish Cross cousins they do not eat all the time like mad things so the weight thing isn't an issue. They are hilarious to have, so round and heavy, with feet set wide apart, when they run it's like seeing a shotput run. Needless to say they cannot fly at all. Very sweet, comical, they like people, somewhat talkative, one of the breeds I'd always like to have in my flock.
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Aug 12, 2012 19:47
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daggerdragon posted:What exactly is this? Do you literally take a pair of scissors and go chop-chop, like an avian equivalent of the quick in dogs and cats? Feathers are like hair or fingernails, you can cut most of a feather off without harming the bird. The only danger comes if you cut what is called a 'blood feather'--one that is still growing in where you can see blood in the shaft, it'll look dark. If you clip or break off a blood feather it acts like a straw and the bird bleeds, sometimes to the point of endangering it's life. But a proper wing trim never even gets near the base of the feather, you basically only trim off the long flight feathers on the leading edge of the wing. Good page here on the right way AND the wrong way to clip wings, including photos. http://birdmart.com/wings.html I always clip the wings of youngster chicks when they go out into the flock for the first time, even the heavy breeds and Silkies--youngsters have strong legs and can jump, flap and climb up on things and clear fences in that manner, plus they are curious and foolish as to the ways of predators. After they've been out in the flock long enough to grow the clipped feathers back, they've wised up, know where they live and that home is the best place to be.
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Aug 12, 2012 21:49
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Bonster posted:Would they be Dark Indian Cornish Rocks or just Dark Indian Cornish? I thought Rock came from the Plymouth Rock part of the cross and wasn't in the original name. I'm not familiar with this breed, so I might be totally wrong. Yeah, you're right, I was tired from the trip and my brain was like outmeal when I wrote that. But it's still fun to think of them as rocks. Round, heavy, gravely-voiced, feathered rocks.
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Aug 13, 2012 11:15
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Could be worse. You COULD be the proud owner of Peaches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQnvDw-0uxM I love this video, never fails to make me laugh like an idiot. The codfish lays a thousand eggs, The hen lays only one But the codfish? never cackles To tell us when she's done And so we scorn the codfish While the humble hen we prize Which only goes to show you That it pays to advertise! Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Aug 13, 2012 |
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Aug 13, 2012 21:44
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piscesbobbie posted:When building a chicken run do I need 1/4 inch hardware cloth? Yes--I'd say no larger than 1/2 inch. Wire with larger openings not only allows predators like raccoons to stick their nasty little hands in to grab chickens and drag them over to them, it admits disease-carrying vermin like rats & mice. Not to mention wild birds that can also be a disease vector. Chicken wire still has openings that small critters can get in, and gets brittle pretty damned quick. You really are better off in the long run spending a little extra and doing it once and doing it right. pisciesbobbie, that video is fantastic.
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Aug 18, 2012 03:20
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Greycious posted:One of my chicks found a piece of old styrofoam out in the yard the other day. I took away what I found after they pecked it to bits, but apparently there was a piece left behind and one of them ate it. My chickens think that styrofoam is a freakin' delicacy and pounce on any little piece that blows into the yard.  santa baby, not to be mean, and in the gentlest possible way--but if you can't afford to properly protect your chickens perhaps you should rethink having chickens for now. They are on the menu for many, many predators (not to mention little critters that are attracted to chicken food, get in and carry disease) and their first and most overwhelming need is a good, strong coop and run. Just out of curiosity, how big is your run? Making the run a bit smaller at first and then expanding it a few months later might work. Perhaps hunting around (like on Craigslist or a recycled building materials store) for wire someone wants removed (trading your hard work for the wire) and reusing it would help bring the cost down...? When we moved, we dismantled and moved the entire chicken run, including all that damned 1/2 inch hardware cloth (welded wire). It IS expensive, and the pain in the butt of taking apart the run and building it again was weighed against the cost of buying the wire all over again--the pain in the butt hard work won easily. But then again we'd built it once, and doing it the second time was MUCH easier and faster. So our welded wire run has been in use for 10+ years and took the abuse of being taken apart, moved and rebuilt--and still looks brand new, no holes, rust or weak spots. I've heard so many heartbreaking stories of whole-flock massacres and fatal maimings from people who didn't use welded wire hardware cloth that I'll never use anything else and have total confidence in the stuff. It's because of the horrific stories I've heard from people who kick themselves afterwards that I am so adamant about not using anything else, forgive the soapbox.
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Aug 19, 2012 |
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Aug 19, 2012 11:27
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Turkey is hilarious, the way she gets more and more pissed as Chido fumbles with the coop door. 'buckbuckbuckfuckinhumansbuckbuckbuck'
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Aug 20, 2012 19:25
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I'm glad Roo is OK, great job! Young roosters are SUCH ding-dongs, geez... I noticed yesterday that Dinner, Roo's brother, is missing ANOTHER claw--the same outward pointing one on the opposite foot. It wasn't bleeding and God knows when he did it, we never saw any blood. But good GOD do these roo boys ever persist in hurting themselves! It's like some kind of retarded contest.
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Aug 21, 2012 07:31
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piscesbobbie posted:Love this video - I think she's upset someone is in the food dish? http://youtu.be/O57KvX4jFB4 BAWWWWKBAWKBAWWWK*ooh, time out, is that a speck of food on the knee of your jeans?*BAWWKBAWWWWKBAWK
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Aug 22, 2012 09:58
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Fermented Tinal posted:I have a flock of 36 birds, 29 black sex link hens, 6 brown layer hens, and 1 penedesenca rooster. I've seen the rooster doing his job but the eggs I've collected from the brown hens (the sex link are a few weeks shy of laying age) don't seem to be fertilized. Another site about egg breakout and how to tell fertile from infertile: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/160/breakout-analyses-guide-for-hatcheries You can try to encourage your girls to go broody by marking a few eggs with an 'x' from a pencil, then leaving just those eggs in the nest for about a week (the X is so you can tell the old eggs from fresh ones). Once they go broody and start to set, swap out the old, nasty X'ed eggs with fresh ones for them to hatch. Needless to say, don't eat the old eggs, toss 'em. Your roo being preened so lovingly by his hen is adorable.
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Aug 23, 2012 07:34
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TIM YOU ARE KILLING ME WITH THOSE COCHIN PICTURES. My absolute favorite breed, and right now I only have two--Boots, a partridge hen and Moet, a buff Frizzle hen. Both of whom are 9 years old. I need new bantam Cochins in the WORST WAY. If you ever have any Cochins that need a good home, let me know. Also, Pepper isn't a chicken, she is a puddle. One of the Chickam names someone suggested fits her to a 'T': The Oncoming Fluff. coyo7e, lots and LOTS of people raise chickens for both meat and eggs, the fun and companionship of them is secondary. Home-grown meat and eggs are some of the most amazing-tasting, fresh, healthy and fulfilling things ever. Being self-sufficient, no matter if it's raising your own meat, gardening/canning or whatever, is very empowering and satisfying--and lots of small farmers supply local produce and meat/eggs that more and more people are turning to as a healthier alternative to factory produced food. BTW, anyone who keeps livestock animals that happen to produce food can tell you, it's hardly 'free food'. There is a lot of money, sweat and time that goes into keeping livestock.
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Aug 25, 2012 01:28
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As long as we're sharing broody pics, here are Boots and Moet, our two Bantam Cochins in action! Moet in 2001 with 5 chicks, not hers but heck she didn't care! Since she'd hatched them in the coop with all the other chickens, we moved her and the babies into a cardboard box in our living room.   \ Moet also fostered chicks in 2009 (the pics of her and the babies asleep on the couch), and if she or Boots are still around next Spring and go broody like they do every year, we'll offer next year's Chickam chicks to them to mother. Boots in 2006, in this pic she is clamped down on 7 chicks.  Running around in the living room, chasing mealworms.   Mealworm tug o' war! Terrific fun for the chicks...not so much so for the bug.  First dustbath with mom, pure chicken-y bliss!  Cochins, like Silkies, make excellent mamas.
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Aug 25, 2012 07:24
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Rusty gives good Broody Glare. Also, just 'cause it's hilarious, Moet from the top:  And from the back:  She really DOES look like a champagne bubble.
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Aug 25, 2012 07:42
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 First eggs from this year's Chickam hens today! Two tiny, pigeon-sized eggs plus one slightly bigger, all in the bottom row. The two eggs on the top are Brahma/Giant Cochin eggs for comparison.  Pretty sure the two tiny ones are d'Uccle eggs, the other one is a mystery! Tons of mating going on from all three youngster roos, so no doubt these are fertile. Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Aug 26, 2012 |
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Aug 26, 2012 04:25
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Inveigle posted:Greycious and Tim the Enchanter: I really enjoyed seeing the photos of your cute chickens! Thanks for sharing them! The chickens are clearly thinking they've hit the giant mealworm jackpot. I can only imagine the amount of noisy cackling that was going on, especially from the guineas.
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Aug 27, 2012 22:55
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My roo Phoenix once grabbed a HUGE Alligator lizard (very big and mean assholes) and swallowed it whole right in front of me.
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Aug 28, 2012 07:54
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 01:56 |
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piscesbobbie posted:Is that normal for chickens, to swallow something bigger than their head? Could it kill them? Just wondering. More so for some breeds than others, but yes. I suppose that they could choke on something but I don't that that is all that common. We had a hen named Caffe once who was so skilled at finding live prey as big as her head--and swallowing it whole--that we called her 'The Bug Huntress' We'd gotten her as a freebie from the scratch & dent bin at the feed store (she had a bad foot) as a young adult and had no idea what breed she was. We found out later that she was a black breasted red Kraienkoppe, a Dutch breed fairly rare in the US at the time--a breed noted for their bug hunting abilities and tendencies to swallow HUGE bugs. Whole. I spoke to a breeder when I was trying to find out what the heck she was and he told me all this--he was also stunned that I'd found one not only at a feed store, but for free. http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Kraien/BRKKraien.html Caffe was also our color changing hen! When we got her she looked like this:  A few years later, we discovered that she was growing in iridescent 'rooster tail' color feathers along with some white ones, here and there all over.   I've since found out that this can happen if a bird suffers trauma at some point in their lives, which must have happened before we got her and caused her screwed-up foot.
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Aug 28, 2012 17:21
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